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READY AT CHURCHILL DOWNS ♦ Preparations Finished for Opening of Meeting Saturday. ♦ Many Improvements Add to Beauty of Famous Course — Louisville Crowded With Visitors — Fine Inaugural Program. LOUISVILLE. Ky.. May 10.— With only a few minor details to he perfected Churchill Downs is now in complete readiness for its opening the coming Saturelay. when a meeting of nineteen days racing will begin. It will be an entirely new Churchill Downs that will greet the visiter. The numerous and beneficial improvements that have been installed has altered the appearance of the plant. In its present state it combines more comfort, is more spacious and can accommodate adequately the largest crowd ever witnessed at a Kentucky Derby. General manager Matt J. Winn and resident manager Andrew Vennie have just cause for pride in their building arrangements, for Churchill Downs now is the last word in practical racing architecture. At no former time has prospects been brighter for a highly successful race meeting. Every contingency to make it so has been given attention. Manager Winn anel his associates in the Kentucky Jockey Club have been untiring in their efforts to bring it about. They have labored in herculean style since last fall to make Churchill Downs forty-ninth year of the sport the greatest in the history of Kentucky racing. Decorators and landscape gareleners are holding the center of the stage this afternoon and their labors will be completed before tomorrow noon. Their cessation from work completes the plant anel it will then be ready for the big throng that will be on hand to witness the inauguration of the sport here. To some it will seem strange that the Kentucky Derby will not feature the opening. It will be the first time that the big race has not been decided on the opening day. OPENING DAY ATTRACTION. But the inaugural will not suffer to any material extent, for the Kentucky Jockey Club is affortling its patrons an opportunity to view the old-established Clark Handicap and the Debutante Stakes, another fixture with long association as a stellar attraction. In addition to these stakes there will also be five additional races, fashioned to enable all the racing stars here opportunity to contest for the liberal purses. In the general scheme of running the Kentucky Derby one week after the opening general manager Winn had in view giving Churchill Downs patrons a racing apetizeri before the Derby repast. That the plans seem to be crowned with success is indicated by the large number of visitors already here for the racing and the additional thousands that are on the way to l e in time for the opening. Hotel reservations are the largest in the history of racing Continued on twelfth page. ■ - - - . i- k r — - " j. I ■ | i i ! , , | 1 : . | ; I ,• 8 I t 1 - - - - f t I , _ Ij l to O v z READY AT CHURCHILL DOWNS V Contained from first page. _ hire. The various publicity and comfort leagues are helping the newcomers to secure comfortable accommodations and have listed many places where accommodations can be had. According to tabulations made by experts there will be at least 10,000 more to see the Derby than in any one former year. With the influx of easterners there will be an aggregation of turf stars at Churchill h Downs outshining any f.rn:*T collection in " these parts. It will result in a brand of spirt the like of which has never been known here lf before. ir In Already tlic proble-n of providing stabling at OilllllodalllMH for tin.- many desirous of • taking part in the racing is becoming acute and requests had to he made to owners that l they refrain from bringing here other than ■ those horses in rc:idir.ess to race. 1 Normally Chun-hill Downs ar:d Douglas 1 Park are well equipped with stall space to care for the many horses that concentrate in the spring, but this is not a normal season and everyone appears to be imbued with a ! in desire to race their horses here. Those who have 1 een located at the track . in for some time were marking time today and . in will continue until they begin active action next Saturday. With the newcomers all was bustle to get straightened away and the; T horses placed into their new tpiarters. v There was a steady arrival of those from to Lexington and by nightfall most of thos that j bad takea part in the Lexington racing were F snugly quartered at the Downs or at Douglas Park. The newcomers included the big aggregation under the sujervision of trainer J. C. Milam. lie has thirty-six in his string. Other big stibles were those of William Par-Una, A. Baker, K. R. Bradley, Williams Bros., Galliher Bros., T. J. Pendergast. J. S. Ward and others. IM-iUnV CANDIDATES AKRIVL. The galaxy of Kentucky Derby eligibles 1 that performed or trained at Lexington were constant arrivals during the afternoon and in the list were Bo McMillan, Anna M. Humphrey. Aspiration. Chittagong. Blossom Time, Boys Believe Me, Bright Tomorrow. Calcutta, Actuary and Nassau. The latter ar- rived here in a private van, his owner de- -riding on motoring the horse over instead of subjecting him to a railroad trip. s There is a gradual clarification as to the 1 probable number of starters in the Kentucky 1 Derby. It is expected that the field will not comprise more than seventeen. Of this num- e her the Fast is expected to have ten repre- I sentatives. j Derby eligibles will have opportunity early !■ next week to start in several races that will keep them in fettle for their grueli.ig test j on May 19. I , Meat of the easterners will begin drifting I in Monday and Tuesday. The running of If the Preakness Stakes will be an index to I the capabilities of the easterners and it will also serve as an elimination factor. ] Carl Wiedemanns In Memoriam continues j to train impressively and is gaining friends , steadily. He turned in a mile and a quarter performance this morning in 2:10 that was highly pleasing to his handlers. He had previously worked the distance in 2;08Vi. Jockey J. D. Mooney, who will have the mount on him in the Derby, guided him in his gallop today. Nassau was sent half a mle in 51. more as an opener for a stiff gallop to come tomorrow. He showed no signs of tiredness after his long van trip. FIFTEEN FOR CLARK HANDICAP. A field of at Dast fifteen starters, conr- , stituting the best here, are expected to start in the rich Clark Handicap. The contenders will include Firebrand. Black Servant. Uinta II.. Dr. Clark, Whiskaway. United Verde. Bon Homme, Surf Rider, Brookholt and other cracks. The Debutante Stakes will introduce all the crack youngsters, many of which have not been seen under colors yet. It will also bring to the post most of the winners in the juvenile dashes at Lexington. Trainer James Rowe is expected here Monday with fifteen horses, including three three-1 year-olds that he will start in the Derby. According to reliable information the astute trainer has not yet made up his mind which colts he will send to the post in the big fixture. He has an extensive band to choose from and is certain to have at least two starters to carry the Harry Payne Whitney colois in the race. Lawrence J. Cary was an arrival during the afternoon and brought with him six horses that will he raced by Preston Burch. The latter remained in Maryland to saddle General Thatcher in the Preakness and will, after the running of that race, bring the horse here and eight others that are intended fcr racing by him. With the Burch con-s signment came six horses that will be iaced here by John F. Schorr for Edward B. McLeans account. W. S. Kilmers Sun Fey is being given a careful preparation by trainer George Strate for the Kentucky Oaks. Sun Thistle, atv other candidate from the stable in the Oaks, has gone slightly amiss as a result of ankle-injury. JONES HORSES IN FORM. . Kay Spence has the big band of horses , that will be raced by Jones Bros, under the nom de course of Audley Farm in prime . condition. The Clown, which will carry their . colors in the Derby, is training steadily, but he falls shy of Derby class. Miss Carina will be the stables dependence for honors in the Oaks. Miller Henderson departed today for Te~ ronto with a consignment of horses owned by John 10. Madden that will be campaigned in the Dominion this year. Henderson also took seven horses owned by Jones Bros, that he will race in Canada. Jockey Scobie went with Henderson and will ride for him Ibis year. The Jones stable still has five riders in its employ who will accept mounts at Churchill Downs. They include 11. Luns-ford. W. lo 1. F. Kennedy, A. Dunn and P Groesser. Terry OMalley will look after their engagements, Captain James Kinarney, in charge of the trade police arrangements, announced today : that there would be at the track, in addition to the regular forces, two detectives from the thirty principal cities in the Fnited States. The sixty "dicks" tire expected to be on hand for the opening day. Manager Winn announced today that 600 boxes not reserved except on Derby day will be at the disposal of the public and that their cajt occupy them without cost. Parking space at the track is at present available for Mi automobiles and it is in- I : I tended to enlarge even this large parking ac- i-ommodation. To enable spectators to sr-e the result numbers without difficulty from any pari of the grounds the numbers has been enlirged to thirty inches and correspondingly wide. The clubhouse patrons will have splendid b.tting facilities this season and mutut 1 tickets Of , 0. 0 and 00 straight, place and show" denomination will be sold in this ex-clusve inclosnre. There will also be an abu tdance of cashiers to redeem winning tickets for the club contingent.
