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PREAKNESS OVERSHADOWED Pimlicos Great Race Virtually in Shadow of Kentucky Derby. Gallant Fox, Desert Light, Michigan Boy. Among Most Formidable of Prospective Starters on May 0. One of the unfortunate circumstances . of the major turf schedule is that the Preak-ness Stakes, soon to be decided at Pimlico, has its running too close to the Kentucky Derby that it does "not "attract the nation-wide attention that it deserves, by reason both of is value and the tradition concerning it. The Preakness is an older fixture than the Derby, having been originated in 1873, and in five years of the last nine it has been a more valuable stake than the Derby, yet because of the tremendous interest that has been built up in the Louisville "Classic," the race of all races in America, the Preakness is, comparatively, of only passing comment. The chief difference between it and the Derby, so far as race conditions aro concerned, is that the Preakness is restricted to entire colts and fillies. The distance is only a sixteenth of a mile less. The Preakness was the first of the two to pass the 0,000 mark in winners value. This was in 1921, the year Broomspun won. and the year after Man o Wars victory. Man o War took down only 3;000, but Broomspuns victory the following year was worth ?43,000. That same year the Derby was worth only 8,450 to Behave Yourself. The Derby moved up in value, in 1922, the Morvich year, to 3,775, while the Preakness increased only to 1,000, for Pillory, but in 1924 the Preakness had a winners value of 4,000 against the Derbys 2,775, and in the years 1926-27-28 the Pimlico event was the more valuable of the two in 1926, 3,625 to 0,075; in 1927, 3,100 to 1,000 ; in 1928, 0,000 to 5,375. Last year the Derby carried a slightly higher value, 3,950 to 2,325. ELIGIBLES FOR BOTH RACES. The Preakness this year will be run on the eleventh day of the Pimlico meeting, May 9, eight days before the running of the Derby. It seems very likely that while the Preakness field will be smaller than that to go in the Derby, several prominent eligi-bles are being pointed for both. The best Preakness probabilities at the present are the Belair Studs Gallant Fox, the Fair Stables Desert Light, the Seagram Stables Sweet Sentiment and Sun Craig, W. J. Salmons Swinfield arid J. L. Pontius Michigan Boy. AH of these are racing in the East at the present time and all except the Seagram pair were nominated for the Derby, as well as for the Preakness. Nearly all of them have responded to more opportunities to qualify for a big stake than have come the way of the majority of the western three-year-olds that are training for the Derby. Desert Light ran dne good race and another not so good. He was second to Sandy Ford in the Calverton Handicap while conceding weight to older horses. Michigan Boy won the Chesapeake Trial Purse, in which he outran Crazy Coot, Ned O., and several other Derby candidates. Sweet Sentiment won the Chesapeake Stakes. Gallant Fox won the Wood Memorial Stakes and immediately was made the Derby betting choice in the East. Swinfield performed very well in finishing third in the Chesapeake. The last four Preakness Stakes, have been won by representatives of the W. J. Salmon and H. P. Whitney stable, but it does not appear that either of these establishments is very apt to win again this year. Mr. AVhitney nominated his peerless pair, Boo-jum and Whichone, but neither is being pointed for the Preakness and it se.ems that his hope rests largely with Crazy Coot, which was. beaten by Michigan Boy in his best Maryland race. Salmon nominated Swinfield, Perfect Play, Battleship and Snowflake and Swinfield looks to be the best of these. Snowflake is a filly which distinguished herself as a two-year-old by winning the Endurance Handicap. IMPORTED CANDIDATES. Others not given in the foregoing list which are probable starters in the Preakness and are entitled to consideration are Grattan, of the Rancocas stable ; W. J. Ziegler, Jr.s Gone Away and Spinach, T. M. Cassidys Crack Brigade, Audley Farms Woodcraft, Howe Stables Gold Brook, E. B. McLean3 Crossbones, H. P. Headleys Aleibiades and E. F. Prichards Tannery. Aleibiades - is one of the most prominent fillies named for the race- and is said to be a certain starter. Tannery is training and racing with great satisfaction in Kentucky, but may concentrate on the Derby. Just how many of the foregoing will run in both great events that are run so close together will, of course, depend on the showing that several make in the Preakness. It seems a practical certainty that the winner of the Preakness will go to the post in the Derby also, and with a good chance to be acceped as the publics favorite in the Churchill Downs "classic." a .
