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ONLY ONE KENTUCKY DERBY Race Will Not Be Divided no Mat ¬ ter How Many Starters Track IBWidened for 35 Horses LOUISVILLE Ky March 25 There seems to be an impression that because of the pros ¬ pects of an unusually large field of starters in the Kentucky Derby to be run on Satur ¬ day May 19 the Kentucky Jockey Club man ¬ agement may split the field and have two races It is evident that makers of future books on the Derby in various cities of the country are responsible for this report Some of them have gone so far as to write on their tickets that all bets will be off in the event the race is split and others provide that only onehalf the odds will be given In such a case caseIn In discussing the matter today Colonel M J Winn general manager of the Ken ¬ tucky Jockey Club said There is no foundation for this rumor that the Derby race would be split in the event that a large field goes to the post Posi ¬ tively there will be only one Derby contest and that will be at Churchill Downs on May 19 While I am confident that there will be at least twenty horses to go to the post I have made every arrangement to accommo ¬ date the largest field that has started for any stake in this country for many years yearsIn In former years the Derby was started at the threequarters post around the turn and horsemen found objection to this be ¬ cause those horses nearest the rail ran the risk of being cut off when the field swung into the stretch I have moved the judges stand and the finish line 155 feet beyond the former finishing post This will bring the start on the straightaway and the horses in the Derby field will have a full quarter of a mile in which to take their positions before they reach their first turn turnI I have widened the track at the head of the stretch until it is over 100 feet in the clear and this will accommodate thirtyfive horses and of course that Is more than there is any possibility of facing the flag While there is every evidence or a recori breaking list of entries the owners of Derby horses can feel assured that the changes in the starting post and the widening of the Churchill Downs track will insure a fair get avay for every starter
