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TAKES CAPTAIN HALS PLACE ,j • Bonivan A. A. Kaisers Hope in Famous Kentucky Derby. « . Son of Boniface — Lad Ivan Makes Auspi- i $ clous Tlirpo-Y?ar-Old Debut in v l am.lcn Handicap. ♦- ■ LOUISVILLE. Ky.. April 23.— To Bonivan. a bay colt by Boniface — Lady Ivan. t owned by A. A. Kaiser of this city, goes the distinction of betag the first Kentucky Derby candidate trained on the Kentucky tracks to A win a stake race this year. The colts success came in the Camden Handicap, opening day at the Lexington meeting, when over a muddy track he showed his heels to a fair field of competitors, including Mickey D. and Scipio. two other derby aspirants! It is worthy of note that in running the mile and a si-cteenth. the Boniface colt galloped the first mile in time two seconds faster than any other winner of a race at one mile or over on the same afternoon. Bonivan was wintered at Churchill Downs, and received his preparation at that track under the skillful training of the veteran Jim Everman. who seventeen years ago saddled Capt. Jim Williams Governor Gray for his notable victory in the Latonia Derby. Everman has not lost his cunning since that race, and he is still classed as one of the top-notch tiainers in Kentucky. He gave Bonivan a careful preparation, and sent the colt to the post for his three-year-old debut fit and ready. A. A. Kaiser, owner of Bonivan. was a joint owner of the sp?edy Captain Hal, which met an untimely death at Lincoln Fields in the summer of 1926. Captain Hal was one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby of 1925. won by Flying Ebony, which race, in the opinion of competent critics, he should have won. In Bonivan Mr. Kaiser appears to have a colt almost as good as Captain Hal. Bonivan did not race to very good advantage as a two-year-old. He started in fourteen races and only won one of them. But he is one of the kind that improves with age. and his first successful effort in his three-year-old stage indicates that he is a better colt than he was last year. Bonivan was bred by W. W. Darden, at his farm near Nashville. Tenn., and early I last spring was purchased by Roscoe Goose, for ,000. Shortly after Goose decided to dispose of all of his horses after he had signed a contract to train a division of the J. N. Camden stable. One morning at the Downs Hymie Nue-steter visited the Goose barn, and the latter offered to sell him both Bonivan and another two-year-old named Jeb for ,500. Xeusteter did not want both colts, so he decided to take Jeb. Later on Mr. Kaiser appeared and upon the recommendation of Mr. Goose he purchased Bonivan for the same price that Goose had paid for the colt. Boniface, the sire of Bonivan, during his career on the turf, won thirty-four races, for a total of 19,950. He is by Transvaal— Cerina. by Meddler. Boniface was recently acquired by George M. Hendrie. Canadian turfman, and the stallion is now standing at the head of Mr. Hendrie* recently established Springside Stud Farm between Lexington and Versailles. Lady Ivan, the dam of Bonivan, is a daughter of Ivan the Terrible, and is still at the Darden Farm in Tennessee. Ivan the Terrible was one of the best mud runners of his time, so it will be seen that Bonivan inherits his mud running ability. Bonivan will be given several more races before being returned to Churchill Downs. He will probably be a starter in the Ben Ali Handicap, in which he will again be pitted against a number of older horses and, after that race, he will be pointed for a special three-year-old race that will bring the Derby candidates together.
