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.gSSHiPilsilp :3j§b JP"% TPF jjsh|MgS»8S8y8ka» SIT i """ W ~ ■"■■■■■ P!FH"vaB6 -iwiss* i - and. „. jHiand3K s»«££* .v»- * ■ REIGH COUNT KENTUCKY DERBY TO REIGH COUNT I MISSTEP j J TORO I j JACK HIGGINS I SECOND ; |j THIRD FOURTH j ; „„„ j i rrrr rrr !lj RECORD ATTENDANCE * Sees Mrs. J. D. Hertz Great Colt Win Easily. Leads Misstep Home by Three Lengths, With Toro and Jack Higgins Next in Order. ♦ LOUISVILLE. Ky.. May 19.— Through a drizzling rain and to the hysterical plaudits of one of the greatest crowds ever assembled at Churchill Downs. Mrs. John D. Hertz Reigh. Count splashed home winner of the fifty-fourth running of the Kentucky Derby. It was an easy victory and at the end the son of Sunreigh was loading the Le Mar Stock Farm Stables representative Misstep by three lengths. Edward B. McLeans Toro, ■which was such a close second to Victorian in the running of the Preakness Stakes, was third, and th?n folowed W. J. Currans Jack Higgins, winner of the Louisiana Derby. . There was a complete route of the candidates from the East, unless Toro could have been considered as one of the eastern start-rs. The race was run through a track that was deep in slushy mud and during a steady drizzle that occasionally grew to the proportions of a real storm. Chick" Lang had the mount on Reigh Count and the chestnut was plainly ths best of the field. He felt the sting of the whip once when Misstep held on well, after saving ground on the stretch turn, but at the end he was going away with plenty in reserve. BELAY AT POST. There was a considerable delay at the post before Hamilton could get an alignment of !the twenty-two starters to his liking, but the start was a good one, though just as they left the post Distraction was bumped rather badly and suffered something of a handicap. Misstep, beginning from the inside position and possessed of a good turn of speed, lost little time in going into the command and Blackwood raced in second place as they came through the stretch the first time. Reigh Count had started nicely in motion and he was showing more alertness than had marked all of his other races. The inside was deeper than the rest of the track and that was one reason for his being accorded an abundance of racing room. There was no crowding over of those on the outside of the big field. Strolling Player had been in th* slight mix-up in which Distraction was crowded back at the start, but he wa.-. quick to recover and was in a good position, though racing on the outside. Toro. closer in toward the rail, was also going well, but with less racing room. On the turn into the hack stretch Misstep continued to show the way, and Blackwood, showing a great liking for the going, held to second place.- Lang was riding a confident, cool race on Heigh Count, and it was not until the half mile post was reached that he made his first move. There he chose the outside, and by that j time Blackwood was tiring, while Misstep was still galloping along well. On the turn out of the hack stretch he was racing stride for stride with the pacemaker, and before the Stretch was reached he had taken the com- jnand. H ISST ■ PS 0 AM B N ESS. I Misstep, however, was not through and, ,L«winging into the stretch. Garner saved much ground, while Lang swung wider with Reigh I Count. The son of Sunreigh was plainly the i better of the two, hut Misstep was not fal- , terhuj, and then Lang drew his whip and swung it once. That was all that was needed, for the colt jumped away, and from there to . the finish he raced along three lengths in .front. As Lang moved up with the winner, Am-broM made his bid with Toro, and the sterling son of The Porter, which gave such a j good account of himself in the Preakness .stake.-, increased his pace and, for an instant, made up ground in a fashion that sent up a J cheer from his followers. L Continued on twenty fjurtli page. RECORD ATTENDANCE « Sees Mrs. J. D. Hertz Great Colt Win Easily. Leads Misstep Home by Three Lengths, With Toro and Jack Higgins Next in Order. • ConliniiPd from first page. In the early morning there came a rainstorm that was Mttle short of a deluge, and the course, which had already been soaked by the daily rainfall for almost the entire week, made the going heavier and more difficult than at any time since the first rainfall. In fact, measurement of the rainfall since Wednesday demonstrated that almost four inches had drenched the track. Track superintendent Young had battled constantly in an endeavor to restore the track to a fast surface for the running of the Derby. All week, after each of the /ains, he had used floats almost constantly in an effort to squeeze out the water. After the rainfall the skies continued overcast and a murky atmosphere threatened more rain all through the forenoon. There was mud everywhere, but at the same time the continued rain had accomplished wonders in brightening up the infield. The grass had returned to a rich emerald, while the shrubs and flowers were bright bits of beauty. MANY AT TRACK KARLY. Fear of a possible wetting could never deter a Kentucky Derby crowd, and it was a crowd that journeyed to the track earlier than ever before. Many were on hand before the gates were opened and by 10 oclock hundreds had taken up positions in the stands or down by the outer rail where they determined to remain all afternoon. This is the crowd that is really the backbone of racing — the crowd that is unable to pay for special reservations and the crowd that will put up with any stress of weather or any inconvenience to be on hand. It is a rite with them, this Kentucky Derby, and, while they may not have the opportunity to see any other race in all the year, there is nothing short of sickness or death that will keep them away from a running of this classic. Late breakfasts and early luncheons kept the restaurant facilities in both the club house and other stands comfortably crowded from as early as 11 oclock for the rest of the afternoon. But there was one time during the glorious day that there was an abundance of room in the eating places, and one time when it was not altogether easy to find even the waiter.;, while doubtless the chefs themselves wore not on hand— that was during the actual running of the Derby. The restaurants and kitchens were no places to see this battle of the three-year-old giants and there was a stampede of all to find some possible point of vantage. The gates had been opened at 5 :43 in the morning. It was in that fashion in which Colonel Winn made preparations for what he knew would be the greatest of all Derby gatherings, and there was something for these same men to do just as soon as the bars were let down. That will -explain why it was that, before 10 oclock, there was a crowd on hand which would have been considered a hig attendance for any other than Derby Day. RADIO FOLKS ON HAND. In that early throng there also came a vast army of cameramen with the tools of their trade. Those equipped to make the motion pictures of the big day set up their machines on the club house roof, in the infield, and a score of other spots where shots could be had of both the crowd and the running of the races. Then others, who were detailed for Derby pictures, lugged around their cameras for a good view, always keeping in mind a position at the finish line where a proper shot of the finishes could be obtained. There were the radio folks setting up the microphones. They came early and, while it was the Derby alone that really interested them, there was plenty else to be broadcast to a waiting multitude in every corner of the continent. To accommodate early arrivals who cared to speculate on the Derby several crews were on hand to take care of the "plaj.." There was a section in the main division of the mutuel department, as well as another in the club house enclosure, that was opened at 10 oclock, and, be it said, it was none too early, judging from those who availed themselves of the convenience. It was a record field, in point of numbers, when twenty-two appeared under silks. This meant that Rumpolstiltskin, Dowagiac ; Mop Up, a Btahlemate to Misstep, and Col. Shaw had been withdrawn. Of these the first named three were declared before the printing of the program, with Col. Shaw a later scratch. The previous high mark was reached in the Zev year, 1923, when twenty-one went to the post. Naturally the field being the largest in the history of the great old classic, the running became the most valuable when it reached a gross value of 5,900, which meant that it had a net value to the winner of 186,375. VKKITAIJI.r CLOUDBURST. There came a shower of rain while the horses were at the post for the second race, but it did not even drive the crowd to shelter, but before the running of the fourth there came a veritable cloudburst, and it continued all through the running of the race, which was delayed in a vain hope that there might come some abatement. And this deluge ruined many a Derby Day toilette. Many of the boxes are built for fair Weather racing. There is no protecting roof and, with every inch of space needed to take care of the monster crowd, many a fair devotee became sadly bedraggled before she could find shelter. To the vast crowd that had taken up positions in the infield the downpour meant little ISSS than ruination. There was no shelter to be had and they stood and took it smilingly. This rain completely flooded the track from rail to rail, and, while Churchill Downs is equipped with a wonderful drainage system, this was altogether too much for the already over-worked ditches, and every last hope was gone for other than a slushy, muddy track Derby. There was an immensely popular and easily accomplished victory for James McGees veteran Sunsard with the running of the first race, at six and a half furlongs. Sunsard led Scotland by five lengths and the latter had a margin of half a length over Crossco. Seven others of the top grade platers with a penchant for a distance and soft footing started. Scotland had the most early speed and Richards sent him along briskly from the start. He disposed of Benito and Black Agate and after bearing out when negotiat- ing the stretch turn began to shorten his strides. As he went wide W. Curran sent the winner up to him on the inside and the lead the latter soon attained was never in jeopardy. Both Benito and Black Agate quit badly, while Crossco and Tyrol came from far back to be third and fourth, respectively. RUSH FOR CLUBHOUSE. , Shortly after 1 oclock there ,came a concerted rush from some thousands who were lining the back "tretch fence. They scaled the fence and charged across the infield. The mounted police were absolutely helpless against this charging crowd and, scurrying over to the front stretch, most of them, to the chorus of encouragement from the crowd on the lawns, safely made it to either the clubhouse or the grandstand enclosure. Vermajo and Yam Toy, the pair of juveniles provided by the Three Ds Stock Farm Stable, finished first and second in the order named in the second race, for maiden two-year-olds. The former raced as if much the best with a splendid burst of speed after reaching the stretch, where he ran on the extreme outside. He raced past his stable-mate and Silverdale about a sixteenth from the finish of the five-eighths, and boat them home by almost two lengths. Yam Toy engaged Silverdale in a stubborn duel for second place and just managed to beat the latter by inches. Princeton, which had the most early speed, finished a distant fourth, and not closely pursued by others of the field. Rodrigo. under good riding, won the third race, the first of the afternoon over a distance of ground, in a thrilling, driving finish with Grand King. The race was over a distance of a mile and three-sixteenths, with the winner and Grand King, as well as Nabisco, which finished third, always the most forward. Grand King had the task of setting most of the pace and, after Nabisco began tiring in the stretch, Rodrigo continued to challenge him and ultimately wear him down. Nabisco tired badly in the last sixteenth and was two lengths behind Grand King, yet well in advance of Pride. The race had its disappointment in Loretta Brooks, which showed a poor performance under a rather faultily judged ride by W. Garner. The latter sent the mare into several pockets and in the final three-eighths, permitted her to swerve repeatedly. The terrific storm had abated somewhat when the ten highly regarded two-year-olds came out to contest the five-eighths dash that preceded the feature, and was productive of victory for the Coldstream Studs Eskimo. Eskimo raced well up from the start and, after enjoying a short lead for the first quarter, was forced into third place when Florinassa and High Score headed him on the stretch turn, In the subsequent running A. Abel kept him on the inside and, with good response, he gradually disposed of High Score and later wore down Florinassa. The latter also fell a victim of Prince Pat in the final stages, the former gaining second by a head. He threatened to race past both Reigh Count and Misstep. But it was only a threat and, while he had no trouble in outfinishing the others of the company, he was two full lengths back of Misstep, though four lengths ahead of Jack Higgins, which had run an even rac throughout and undoubtedly was prominent at the end for the reason that the track was deep in mud and the pace was naturally slow. Reigh Olga, which raced coupled with Mrs. Hertz great colt, was a length and a half back of the Louisiana Derby winner and then came Lawley and Don Q. The others straggled along thoroughly beaten, and Strolling flayer was last of all. The race was the slowest since the victory of Exterminator, when the time was displayed as 2:10-.-, but the fractions were excellent considering the track conditions, which were :2Pi, :49%, 1:15%, 1:435 and 2 :103f,. The race was a remarkably true one, when the size of the field is taken into consideration, and there remained no doubt that Reigh Count was pounds better than anything in the big race.
