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DERBY CANDIDATES NEARLY READY. Churchill Downs Horses Taking Work Steadily Dospitc Unfavorable Track Conditions. Louisville. Ky.. May 4. — While the recent bad s|»ell of weather has made the track going slow here it has not retarded in any way the training of the horses, especially the Derby candidates in the barns of Churchill Downs and Douglas Park. There is no doubt that the candidates for the race will be thoroughly fit to meet their engagements. While working A. K. Mucunihcrs colts last Wednesday trainer Walter Jennings remarked that while the course was slow and the going heavy, he thought the Downs course was as good a mud track as he ever saw. This explains the reason that he did not postpone for an hour the regular morning ■jorfe of the English-bred throe-year-olds. Star Hawk and The Cock. As to Star Hawk, this son of Sunstar wins new friends and staunch admirers every time he conies on the track to work. He has lined down now into one of the most racy looking three-year-olds in training. He seems to not slacken up his pace even at the end of a long gallop. When he worked a mile and a quarter the other day in 2:17::7. in the heavy going at the Downs, he finished the last quarter in :27-r,. He works like a colt that can lie in striking distance of a pacemaker going a mile in 1:39 or Is-tter and come on in the last quarter to run past any horse that shortens stride in the stretch. .Many good judges think, no matter how hot the pace sm.li fast colts as t;eorgo Smith and Buise may set in the Derby, that Star Hawk will always he running closely in their wake and at Hie finish lie the keenest of contenders for the prise. He is all what was claimed of him as a two-year-old in England and. if anything, must be even an improved colt as a three-year-old over the gis d form he showed in that foreign land. The latest best works here of horses not Derby candidates at the Downs course embrace the following: Prince Hermis — Three-quarters in 1:10%: half mile in 52%; Sir Charlcote worked with him. Little Mother — Four and a half furlongs in 1:05. Helen Thompson - Three-eighths in 40; quarter mile in 20-;; Mi-Adams worked with her. Money Maker — Five eighths in 1:07!;.; half mile in 52%. Leo Kkolny — Three-quarters in 1:24%. The one-famous race horse Sir John Johnson. owned by F. J. Nolan, was brought here from Lexington when trainer George Zeigler returned the Derby candidate I -na Misha this week to the yunrterb of the Nolan stable at the Downs. Sir John Johnson has been mated to seven mares this spring at Lexington, lie has colts as old as three-year-olds now racing. This is the fourth time he lias been returned to training quarters from stud duties. On all three previous occasions he has won races. He deserves to rank as one of the real Wonders of the track. The first thoroughbred ever foaled under the ownership of Lew Marion was dropped nt Iexing-ton by the mare Chattermiss, she foaling ti twin colt and filly by Transvaal. The colt has since died, but the filly is a lively youngster. Members of twins have rarely ever raced with any distinction, but one exception to this is For Fair, i. M. Millers good four-year-old. Marion has mated Chattermiss this year to Jim Gaffney and iie has also mated three other mares he owns to that sire, they being Boston Belle a sister to Prince Hermis. Bessie Welles and 04* May. The published statement that the two-year-old Westy Hogan is out of the dam of the sjieedy sprinter Casey Jones is not correct. The latter horse was n.t out of Carrie Jones, the dam of Westy Hogan. but was out of Crimea, the dam of Prince Hermis and Collector Jessup. Westy Hogan was purchased by his present owner. John 0. Whitlow, us a yearling at public sale for 00. He was bred by R. H. Anderson of Scott County, Ky., who owned Joe Morris, that ran second to Donau in the Kentucky Derby of 1910 and defeated the latter in the L.itonia Derby. The three-year-old Big Smoke was given his first gallop again at three -eighths a few days ago and pulled up apparently none the worse for his effort. While of course there is no chance of getting him ready to run in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Wallace now thinks that he will Stand training this spring and there is a bare possibility that he may race before the local meetings are over. It is now thought that his slight tendon injury was due to him striking his leg during slow exercise. In case he goes all right from now on trainer Wallace will endeavor to give him a preliminary race here and then, in June, endeavor tn fit him to meet his engagement in the Latonia Derbv.
