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LATEST DERBY VIEW Gallant Fox Apparently Strongest of Eastern Eligibles. Buckeye Poet and Tannery in Limelight After Brilliant Victories Last Saturday. Kentucky Derby interest reached a new-peak the first of this week following the four races of last Saturday, on three different tracks, which brought into action at least half a dozen prominent candidates. First reaction to these races was seen in the new slate made by Tom Shaw, the eastern bookmaker, in his Derby book. Following Gallant Fox impressive victory at Jamaica over Crack Brigade and Desert Light. Shaw made the Belair Stud stables star the outstanding choice at 4 to 1. It was expected that Tom Kearney, the St. Louis bookmaker, would also announce a cut on Gallant Fox. The favorite in his book has been High Foot, which was cut from 8-1 to C-l. Before Saturday, Shaw had Gallant Fox, Desert Light and High Foot each 8-1. At the same time that he announced a cut on Gallant Fox Shaw quoted a new price of 15-1 against Desert Light, while High Foot remained at 8. There probably will remain a slight difference between the Shaw and Kearney "lines," for while High Foot has yet to go to the post since his arrival in Kentucky, his training there has been highly satisfactory and he is not likely to suffer much neglect in the "West even in the face of such a sterling performance by Gallant Fox in the East. OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES. Gallant Fox victory in the Wood Memorial may be rated the outstanding effort of the several Derby colts that raced Saturday because of the company he defeated, the distance he ran and the weight he carried. He had up 120 pounds and won by four lengths from Crack Brigade at a mile and seventy yards. Desert Light was third, a length and a half behind Crack Brigade. Gallant Fox and Desert Light, which before Saturday were equal choices in the Derby book in the East, were also practically equal choices for the Wood Memorial, Gallant Fox .closing at 8 to 5 and Desert Light at 9 to 5. The victory at Lexington of Buckeye Poet, one of the Bradley two that are eligible for the Derby, was chiefly notable in that he defeated Sydney and Dedicate, the latter having been one of the several erstwhile equal Derby choices. This race was at a mile, but none of the contenders had up anything like the Derby weight, Buckeye Poet carrying 112 pounds and Sydney and Dedicate each 115. Buckeye Poet won by two and a half lengths from Sydney, which suffered some interference but still had the margin of a head over Dedicate, which seemed to have had no excuses. Tannerys race, also at Lexington, was a highly impressive one. although he was carrying only 109 pounds and was going only the short Futurity course distance. He literally outclassed a field which contained only one other Derby candidate, Alvin Ran-shaw, himself an obscure one. Tannery scored his victory by eight lengths and was under strong restraint at the end. In the Shaw books the odds against, this E. F. Prichard nominee have been cut to 25 to 1. This was Tannerys first start since last . July when he was unplaced in the Post and Paddock Stakes at Arlington Park. MICHIGAN BOY DISQUALIFIED. The Chesapeake Stakes at Havre de Grace did not result in a victory for a Derby candidate, although several went. The winner of this was the Seagram Stables Sweet Sentiment, which is eligible for, the Preak-ness Stakes. Michigan Boy, a Derby eligible, finished second in the Chesapeake, but was disqualified because of his interference with Crazy Coot and Ned O., two other Derby candidates. Crazy Coot had up the top , weight of 119 pounds in this, while Michigan Boy and Ned O. each had up 116. The fact that Ned O. finished unplaced in the Chesapeake does not necessarily alter his standing among the Derby candidates, for it was plain that but for the interference mentioned he would have given a good . account of himself. Notoriously a slow starter, . Ned O. was just beginning to make his run when the foul occurred. He had reached third position, getting up on the inside and, according to the chart footnotes, "was full of run when he met with interference, which ruined "his chances." Another Derby eligible in the Chesapeake . was W. J. Salmons Swinfield which, though ! forced to race on the outside, finished a good third. Still another Derby candidate, II. P. Head-leys Dark Entry, won somewhat impressively . at Wheeling, taking the ?5,000 Golden Jubilee Jurse, over a distance of a mile and I . a sixteenth. Another race run at Lexington, the Ben . Ali Handicap, brought out some of the lesser lights that are named for the Derby, such as Uncle Luther, which ran a good race and I finished third; Busy and Uncle Matt. All 1 three had very light weight. One of the few filly candidates, Niato, made ; a very satisfactory showing last week in i the Ashland Oaks. Although she was beaten x a nose by Thistle Ann, Niato was probably ,- best in the race. Following Saturdays Lexington race in which Buckeye Poet was a winner and Breezing Thru was unplaced, it was announced that Col. Bradleys pair would be starters in the Derby. Some time before he defeated Sydney and Dedicate, it was said -that Buckeye Poet had been given some support in the Tom Shaw book, with the result that his price was cut. Yesterday the new Shaw slate showed Buckeye Poet at 20 to 1. NEW YORK, N. Y., April 28 The Belair Studs Gallant Fox, which won the Wood Stakes at Jamaica Saturday, now rules favorite at 4 to 1 in the future books on the Kentucky Derby, according to Tom Shaw. Derby prices had quite an upheaval with the past week ends racing. Gallant Fox, Desert Light and High Foot had been the choices at 8 to 1 each, but as the list stands now, High Foot remains at those odds, while Desert Light has gone back to 15 to 1. Tannery, against which 100 to 1 was laid some weeks "ago, is now 25 to 1, after his victory at Lexington, while Buckeye Poet, victor over Sydney and Dedicate, is 20 to 1. while the nast named has receded to the same odds. . Among the eastern horses, Crack Brigade. Sarazen II., Spinach and Gone Away are 30 to 1 each; Flying Heels and Ned O., 20 to 1 each, and Michigan Boy and Woodcraft, 40 to 1 each. Among the western horses, Gallant Knight and Alcibiades are 30 to 1 and Breezing Thru 50 to 1.
