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Twenty Years Ago Today Chief Turf Events of Jan. 17, 1904 Sunday, no racing. Final declarations for the Tennessee Derby and Oaks, to be decided at the spring meeting of the New Memphis Jockey Club, have been announced by secretary Macfarlane. The most prominent candidates left in the Derby are Proceeds, Rockaway, Montebank, Dutiful, Sweet Gretchcn, Moharib, Batts, Flo Bob and Flower King. The Derby closed with ninety-one nominations. Of the seventy-eight nominations to the Tennessee Oaks six withdrawals were received May 1, 1903, and forty-five declarations were received January 2, 1904. Prominent among the 0ak3 candidates which will share public favor in the ante-post speculation is J. W. Schorrs Sweet Gretchen, Capt. S. S. Browns Audience, Mrs. Phillips Morning Star and John A. Drakes Handsome Florry. Some brilliant performers were in the list of four-year-clds of 1903, McChesney, Water-boy and Hermis being grand race horses in every respect, while Runneh, Grand Opera, Caughnawaga, Major Daingerfield, Gunfire, Jack Rattlin and AHan-a-Dale were good enough to take high rank in the annals of any 3-ears racing. To none of thesa stars of the turf did it fall to win the greatest number of races taken by a four-year-old of 1903. That distinction was captured by the speedy coast sprinter E. M. Brattain, Thanes long succession of wins early in the year serving to put him in s.econd place. Only seven horses achieved double figures in races won and none of these were of the highest class. Hargis, on some of his performances, was perhaps best. None of the four-year-olds had a clean score of victories, but Runnels, Stevedore and Pres-tane were first or second in all their races and Waterboy and BIacksfo"ck"zwere placed in all their races. Hermis was four times unplaced, McChesney twice, Allan-a-Dale once, Caughnawaga twice, Gunfire once and Leonora Loring twice.
