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KEEN ANTICIPATION Sportsmen Eagerly Awaiting List of Kentucky Derby Entries. Rancocas Nominations to Be Closely Scrutinized Mad Play-Held Highly. There is keen anticipation over what the list of Kentucky Derby entries will reveal when they are released by the Kentucky Jockey Club in the near future. "While it is almost certain that all the stars of the two-year-old division of last year will be found among: the nominations, the close student of racing is anxious to scan the list for a probable "dark horse." Everyone concedes that John S. Ward has a strong Derby hand in W5se Counsellor and Worthmore. But that fact will not worry Mrs. Vanderbilt III., the happy and proud owner of Sarazen, the undefeated speed marvel of last years juvenile racing-, which many excellent judges of horse flesh pronounce a star of the first magnitude. Nor will George D. Widener, the Philadelphia sportsman, begrudge Mr. "Wards good fortune for does he not himself possess a colt of championship calibre in St James, the largest money winning two-year-old of 1923? Admittedly Sarazen, "Wise Counsellor and St James will command the most attention of the prospective Derby candidates from the time the entries are announced until some "dark horse" or as yet unrevealed star in the embryo replace them, if such a proceeding ever takes place. However, this trio will not receive all the attention. The punter will seek among the lowly and unknown the possible winner, while the keen follower of the sport will look among those which at one time or another as two-year-olds, gave evidence of future development and greatness to discover another Zev. ZEVS CASE LAST TEAR. Zev was no wor.ld beater as a two-year-old. I He did, however, show sufiicient to warrant trainer S. C. Hildreth that he possessed the reo.uisite qualities of a Derby winner. In the winter books last year Zev had a strong following, and but for his poor showing in the rreakness Stakes would have probably iuled favorite for the Derby. That he won the famous race and then went on to greater things is now a matter of turf history. In view of Zevs success it is only natural that all prospective Derby candidates from the Rancocas Stable, so ably and skillfully trained by S. C. Hildreth, will receive more than passing attention. Few turfmen are there who would not deem themselves fortunate indeed to choose at least one of the Rancocas prospective candidates for the Derby, with such as Mad Play, Bracadale, Stanwix, Tester, Eaglet, Sherman, Sheridan and Hourmore to select from. Certain it is the Rancocas nominations will be carefully scrutinized. Many competent critics believe Hildreth has one of the best Derby prospects in -Mad Play, a son of Fair Play Madcap, that ran second to Wise Counsellor in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, the mile being run in 1 :37, and Mad Play only beaten by a neck. Mad Play comes from a, family of rugged stock and should improve over his two-year-old form. Another probable star in Hildrelhs collection is Stanwix, winner of the "Walden Stakes at Pimlico. Then there is Bracadale, that may surprise them all. He had poor luck in most of his races as a two-year-old. His record included five victories and he finished second in nine races, earning 7,690. Stanwix won 2,075. A
