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TRIO OF SURE STARTERS IN THE DERBY Drummond Under Fire and American Ace Finishing TJp Their Training at Hot Springs HOT SPRINGS Ark April 15 Witli the depar ¬ ture of the J W McClelland stable for Louisville Ky taking away Eternal TheWunderer and Sailor three Kentucky Derby eligibles which have been closely watched by turf followers here all winter and spring interest is now centered in the opera ¬ tions of Drnmmond Under Fire and American Ace the three best left It is more than likely that this trio will go to the post in the Churchill Downs big race and all will be as fit as bands can make them if their races here can IM taken as n criterion criterionThere There are still any number of other horses here eligible to the Derby but few of them have shown enough to warrant their owners starting them in the big event Farmingdale owned by J II Ros sseter is a possible exception as lie will in all probability go to the post just because his owner is desirous of seeing liis silks carried in the race lie lias a few good workouts to liis credit but in his race lie did not look like a Derby horse by any means Mr Rosseter who is a millionaire Califor ¬ nia shipping man is a real sportsman however ind lie does not mind the expense of running in the Derby as he will get more than that amount of en ¬ joyment out of it in having a representative strive for the big honor of winning even though he be far outclassed outclassedIt It was no surprise to turfmen here when J W McClelland bought Sailor from Bob McKeever as he lias been pretty sweet on the son of All Gold Boisterous since he first laid eyes on hint at the opening of the Oaklawn meeting and each time he Inspected him closely the more favorably he was impressed with him Both McClelland and trainer Kim Patterson are expert judges of horseflesh and when they elected to purchase hint for 5000 it looks as though he must be a real highclass three yearold yearoldThere There never was a stable better fortified than is the McClelland establishment with Derby material right now and in the event that it should rain on Derby day or the track be muddy that turfman will not have to lose any sleep as Sailors long suit is mud It does not matter to him whether the going is sloppy heavy or drying out he is a bear on a soft track It took the strongest kind of a horse to win in the going that prevailed at New Orleans on tiie days that Sailor won races and lie plowed through the sticky mud as though it was nothing THINKS WELL OF SAILOB 1 i w Naturally I was loath to part with Bailor after he developed into the good threeyearold that he is said McKeever in speaking of the sale of the horse but I realized a handsome profit on him in cash in addition to a 5000 bonus which I will get if he wins the Kentucky Derby I never saw a horse improve as he lias When I claimed him for 1250 from the Greentree Stable last summer I was mighty sweet on him but lie got better so fast that I was astounded I am delighted that McClelland got him as he is a fine sportsman and both lie and Kim Patterson are expert horse ¬ men so I know that he will not be abused If there is any chance for further improvement they will get it out of him Sailor will have one rooter that I know of on Derby day myself not alone because I have a 5000 bonus at stake but be ¬ cause I would feel justly proud of the honor of having developed a Derby winner winnerMany Many horsemen here are inclined to believe Dnim moml a better threeyearold than Under Fire but Pat Dunne owner of the latter does not share this belief at all Their performances this spring to date stamp botli as being above the average three yearold and give them a chance to be contenders in the Derby Drummond has confined his racing operations to horses of his own age while Under Fire has conceded weight to older horses and beaten them It is true that an the race he defeated Di ¬ version by the margin of a half length the latter appeared best and was the victim of a badly mis ¬ judged ride but it is also tme that he was giving her plenty of weight weightNot Not only tiiat but lie was giving weight to several other horses of no mean ability and hud he been defeated he would not have been disgraced by any means Upon the occasion of both of liis recent victories lie was given highclass rides by jockey Cliff Robinson and he showed that he is a horse with rare gameness if ridden right Dunne is making strenuous efforts to get Robinsons services in the Kentucky Derby for Under Fire FireDriimmonds Driimmonds last race in the mud in which lie easily ran away from a fair band of threeyear olds gained many admirers for him and lie is cer ¬ tain to have a large following should the track be soft on Derby day Trainer Raleigh Colston says that Drummond does not need mud by any means and that he will show his opponents a trick or two in the way of speed over the route of one and one quarter miles ill the big race that will dazzle them
