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I KENTUCKY DERBY TODAY I jj Twenty-Four 3-Year-Olds Named to Contest Forty-Ninth Running of Famous Race ] ! H.P. Whitney -Greentree Stable Entry of Five Rule Overnight Favorites — jj i j Vigil and Martingale Next in Popular Estimation — Nassau and General j i| Thatcher Highly Regarded — Beautiful Churchill Downs to i - Entertain the Largest Crowd in Its History j In that it is a horse race the Kentucky Derby of 1923 does not differ from its predecessors. In that the horses of each J j g recurring year acquire a measure of individuality in the public eye, through their deeds in racing, it does differ. When the 1 | entries for last years Kentucky Derby appeared there was in the list one colt which the public mind at once selected as the § 1 winner. This was Morvich. The reason for this preference was the well-founded one: that he had raced gloriously when a j 1 two-year-old and had won every race for which he had been started. The reasoning was sound and entirely justified by the % outcome. So it was in the years of Hindoo, of Leonatus, of Old Rosebud, of Regret. But the years in which the public can J unerringly center upon such certainties are greatly outnumbered by the years in which the "glorious uncertainty" of racing J I % obscures the destiny of the race from the moment its entries appear until the day of decision arrives. J ► rf This race of 1923 is pre-eminently one of the latter description. It is more uncertain than the Derby of last year ! | k was certain. There was no outstanding two-year-old last year and there is no outstanding three -year-old this year. This | 2 11 tantalizing condition is aptly illustrated by the fact that more than half of the 145 colts and fillies entered have been | x? heartily backed to win Kentuckys greatest and most coveted race. Obviously most of these backers are wrong and will have to pay for being so. Will they care? Not greatly. They have had the delights of hopeful anticipation and will be quite j ready to try again when another Derby with other claimants to equine glory arrives for speculative consideration. ■ ! WEATHER PROBABILITIES: CLOUDY, THREATENING. TRACK FAST. I j 55 Florae — Podicrpp — Colors — fireeder — Owner — I I j| Aspiration George Smith — Inspiration, by Ayrshire Orange and jade green blocks H. H. Hewitt .B. Block c| •• Anna M. Humphrey. °eter Quince — Eden Hall, by Armeath II Green, gold sash and cuffs, green and gold cap B. Combs J. C. Milam i % Bo McMillan Ballot — Nettie Hastings, by Hastings Green, white hoops, cuff and cap A. E. Hundley and SonT. J. Pendergast j g Bright Tomorrow. .North Star III. — Sweet Alice, by Flying Dutchman. Green and white halves, green and white hoops, green-white cap E. R. Bradley Idle Hour S. F. Stb. [ j| Better Luck North Star III. — Grail, by Atheling Orange and jade green blocks £. R. Bradley B. Block j § Calcutta Colin — Jamma, by Delhi Black, pink hoops, red cap G. Starr G. R. Allen « Cherry Pie Chicle — Cherry Malotte, by Orlando Pink, black stripes en sleeve, black cap Greentree Stable Greentree Stable | C Chittagong Luke McLuke — Agnes Virginia, by Sir Dixon Orange, black sash, cuffs and cap J. 0. and G. H. Keene. J. Hertz j % Chickvale Chicle — Greenvale, by Hamburg Light blue, brown cap H. P. Whitney H. P. Whitney J| g Enchantment Chicle — Enchanting, by St. Victrix Light blue, brown cap H. P. Whitney H. P. Whitney c[ § Everhart Everest — Top All, by Top Gallant Green, white "L" front and back, white stripes on sleeves, green j % and white cap A. E. Hundley and Son. J. T. Looney ij 2 Gclden Rule Wrack — Golding, by Flint Rock Cherry, black sash, black hoops on sleeves, cherry cap, gold tassel L Viau J. S. Cosden || General Thatcher. .Sweep — Polistena, by Polymelus Gold, silver sleeves and cap Nevada Stock Farm. .Nevada S. F. Stable |» | In Memoriam McGee — Enchantress II., by Collar Blue and white stripes P. T. Chinn C. Weidemann 1 | Martingale Martinet— Lady Irma, by Sempronius Cherry, black sash, black hoops on sleeves, cherry cap, gold tassel A. B. Hancock J. S. Cosden j U Nassau Nassovian — Philistia, by St. Blaise Scarlet, orange cap J. Sanford F.Johnson J J| Pravus The Finn — His Sister, by Uncle Cherry, white hoops on sleeves, cherry and white cap J. E. Madden JL E. Madden II Prince K Mcnt dOr II. — Louvois, by Electioneer Purple, white stripes on sleeves, white belt and cap J. E. Widener Marshall Bros. IS Picketer Chicle — Pankhurst, by Voter Light blue, brown cap H. P. Whitney H. P. Whitney | Rialto Chicle — Matinee, by Broomstick Pink, black stripes on sleeve, black cap H. P. Whitney Greentree Stable 1 1 | The Clown Hessian — Witfull, by Mirthful Purple, lavender sash and cap R.H.Anderson lAontfort Jones 5 | Vigil Jim Gaffney — Vignola, by Solitaire II Pink, blue sash, white sleeves, pink cap .• A. B. Hancock W. J. Salmon §j i | Wida Dick Finnell— Last Leap, by Kilkerran White T. E. Mueller T. E. Mueller C j Zev The Finn — Miss Kearney, by Planudes White, green collar and cuffs, white cap J. E. Madden Rancocas Stable p j Just now the result of this years great race is clouded with doubt as to the tracks condition. In the case of j 2 such a supreme contest everyone who intends to witness it hopes for fair weather and a fair track. But the present out- j! I look points to the possibility of heavy or slow going. This would enhance the chances of some of the horses and detract J ! | from the chances of some. For instance, if the going is heavy Martingale will at once acquire a standing he does not now j! J | possess. He is a wonderful mud runner. In trying to estimate what he might do, it would be better to make his race of May | J | 7 a basis, rather than his lamentable showing in the Preakness Stakes. In the race referred to he carried 120 pounds, gave j [ Vigil eight pounds and a beating and ran the mile of the race in the fast time of 1 :3S%. There is no prediction here that Mar- j I I tingale will win the Kentucky Derby, but there is a perfectly fair illustration of a possibility contingent on the state of the I track. It might be added here that Nassau ran his best race as a two-year-old when he won the Champagne Stakes, at | J seven eighths, over a muddy track at Belmont Park last September. Also that Enchantment proved his adaptability to heavy I || track racing, as well as fast track racing. ► $ The way in which the Kentucky Derby has grown from a race of local concern to Louisville into one of national im- f i portance is one of the wonderful things marking the expansion of racing in recent years. It is a vivid illustration of the truih J I of the homely adage that "money makes the mare go," in racing as well as in other avenues of activity. The Kentucky Derby | of today, with its 0,000 added in cash and ,000 in gold plate, differs vastly in enticement from the Kentucky Derby of § 1 ten years back, with its modest endowment of ,000 added and its net value of ,475 to Tom Hayes, when his Donerail j g swooped down from the clouds of utter obscurity and vanquished the 6 to 5 favorite Ten Point. Somehow or other that 1 C 0,000 and gold plate makes the race vastly more easy to perceive. It is now mountain high in the eyes of every owner jj c in the land, whereas in Donerails year its range of importance was mainly in the minds of western owners. Continued on 5 C fourth page. C - ****a**********aa*,******"**afl"aa*****na**********M****************fl1rTrVVVrVVWV
