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DERBY RETROSPECT ♦ Fluctuations of Odds From Entry Day to the Present Time. ■ ♦ Bine Larkspur Popular Choice at All Times — Clyde Van Dusen and Naishapur In Spot Light. — . — # This years Derby nominations closed with 159 in the list, not a record number but one from which was omitted the names of very few colts and fillies that gave the least promise, as two-year-olds, of developing into Derby material. Probably the only colt of high caliber which was not included was Jack High, G. D. Wideners son of John P. Grier, which defeated Blue Larkspur, High Strung, Twink and other good ones in the Hopeful Stakes. The original field, from the beginning, was conceded to be somewhat "open" so far as choices were concerned and there was considerable conjecture for a while as to whether High Strung or Blue Larkspur would be favorite. The majority opinion probably favored High Strung on account of his victories in the Belmont and Pimlico Futurities, but when the winter books opened Blue Larkspur was the choice at 7 to 1, with High Strung 8 to 1. Soon after this the odds against High Strung went up to 10 to 1 and only 6 to 1 was offered against Blue Larkspur, but by this time there had been reports that High Strung was a doubtful starter. No doubt the activity in the future book was curtailed considerably, and a vast amount of money saved to hesitating admirers of the colt, by trainer Odoms statement late in March that he was not then training High Strung for either the Preakness or the Derby, but that "if the colt came around all right he might be, later." This announcement was occasioned by an accident to the colt a short while before this, and at the time the future books opened trainer Odom had not determined the seriousness of the trouble. As soon as he was convinced that High Strung was not for the big races he removed all doubt on the subject by making a positive statement that he was eliminated. IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT. This important development brought a further slight reduction in the odds against Blue Larkspur and established Clyde Van Dusen as second choice. Thus, about the middle of April, Blue Larkspur became a pronounced favorite at just about the same odds that were quoted at the identical period last year against Reigh Count, the 1928 fa- rite and subsequent winner. Hanking almost up to Clyde Van Dusen in this early rating by those who made the odds were Ervast, Roguish Eye and Twink, the imported colt. Later, two of these colts were withdrawn, which served to make Blue Larkspur and Clyde Van Dusen stand out to themselves, as betting propositions, and to draw more attention to some of the others of prominence. Meanwhile the winter colts were doing things, and some of their performances were being regarded with more than ordinary seriousness. Ervast had continued his winning streak at Tijuana, capturing eight consecutive races. Vermajo had won the New Orleans Handicap. Naishapur had won the Tijuana Derby and had finished second in the Coffroth Handicap. Then, suddenly — and this happened some time before the accidents which befell Roguish Eye and Twink — Ervast became a doubtful starter on account of an accident which caused him to run a bad race in the Tijuana Derby and then to be taken out of training. But even without Ervast, who since has been restored to strong consideration, the winter brigade seemed far more formidable, both in numbers and in quality, than since Black Gold and Quatrain were favorites in their respective Derbies. Voltears improvement, which culminated recently in his winning the Chesapeake Stakes, gave added strength to the winter representation and led to speculation as to whether a gelding might turn out to be the winner of the classic. NAISHAPUR LOOMS UP. Of these winter racers, though, Naishapur seemed to gain most in favor. Bought for 520,000 a short time before the Tijuana Derby, he very quickly ran his purse winnings up »o a gross of more than 0,000, becoming the runner-up to Golden Prince, the Coffroth winner, in money earned. The winter colts having had their inning, the more highly regarded ones that had been resting all winter and early spring, weie getting into action late in April and from then until the very eve of the Derby interesting developments came too thick and fast to be described, in detail and in chronological order, in this article. My Sis, one of the filly eligibles, won the Harford Handicap ; Blue Larkspur defeated Clyde Van Dusen at Lexington ; Mei Foo won the Paumonok ; Voltear won the Chesapeake Stakes ; Minotaur another winter colt won the Rennert Handicap ; The Nut won the Beverwyek Purse and was beaten by Dr. Freeland in the Hilltop Purse ; Essare won several races and proved to be more than a sprinter ; Grey Coat won the Downs Purse ; Bargello and Beacon Hill won impressively on the same day and Bargello proceeded to go lame ; Ervast did a sensational work at Tijuana cf a mile and quarter in 2 :05% and was almost immediately shipped to Louisville, while the odds against him, which had gone up to 60, tumbled again to the vicinity of 10. And, in the Preakness, which usually determines just how many eastern candidates start in the Derby, Dr. Freeland was the winner, with Minotaur second. The foregoing series of events carried with it some developments of interest as relating to the human interest side of the Derby. For instance, it had begun to appear that two of the great eastern stables, which had won Derbies in the past, would either not be represented at all or would have very weak candidates in the race. This became all the more probable when the Rancocas colt. Leu-cite, failed to measure up to the mark, and when H. P. Whitney disposed of his The Nut. Despairing of Leucite, trainer Hildreth turned his attention to Mei Foo and when this colt won the Paumonok he was heralded as a sure starter, which would certainly uphold the prestige of the stable, which sent Zev into the classic a few years ago. But joy gave way to despair again when Mei Foo failed to carry on. Hildreth turned back to Leucite, though hopelessly, and saw him finish far backward in the Preakness. There were many alases and alacks when The Nut, after being sold to the Warm Stable by H. P. Whitney, showed suddenly a streak of Derby caliber, but there was some compensation to Whitney pride when Beacon Hill, though until very recently a maiden, displayed such form that he received strong support in the Preakness. But Beacon Hill failed the Whitney colors in about the same measure that Leucite failed those of the Rancocas Stable.
