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— a Derby Day Early Arrivals » Thousands and Thousands Reach Churchill Downs Before Noon Hour — Colorful Setting for Historic Race # LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 7. — With clear, summery weather, the most pleasant for the great day of racing since 1926, Bubbling Overs year, quickening the pace and pulse of horse enthusiasts, the migration to Churchill Downs for the magnetic equine pageant, was under way at an early hour. By eight oclock several thousand persons were on the grounds. During the night and early morning thousands poured into the city and many of them, along with others who had arrived earlier and hundreds of Louisvil-lians, moved on to the course at breakfast time. Many of the overnight arrivals were unsuccessful in attempts to obtain short time hotel accommodations and numerous in- 1 deed were those who, after spending much of the night travelling to the Derby city, went to the track without rest. By eleven oclock some ten thousand were on hand. In all thirty-five preliminary mu-tuel wickets, dealing in Derby tickets exclusively, were thrown open at ten oclock. The main battery of ticket sellers, numbering 149, did not take up the sale of Derby tickets until immediately after the close of betting on the race preceding the classic, which was fifth on the program. Under such propitious conditions, Derby fans dressed in their finest. Visitors from the far-off southland — from Florida, New Orleans and Texas points — bravely came out in their white linen suits and straw hats were to be seen everywhere, it being "straw hat" time in Louisville. No better time for the ushering in of summer headgear could have been chosen. Members of the fair sex, especially those fortunate enough to have reserved seats in the boxes and club house section, were out in their most colorful summer attire, white and light colors predominating. The occasional clouds that shut out the sun did not seem to worry any early arrivals, as old Sol seemed determined to show the weather man up on his Derby day anyhow, and the bright rays brought out the brilliant splendor of the Derby crowds holiday dress. Not all was bright color of course. The Kentucky Derby draws its patronage from the low as well as the high. No better proof of that should be furnished than the tidal wave of youthful humanity that swept across the infield and into the grandstand section about 11 oclock. Whites and blacks, ragged little "kids" and well dressed ones were in a rushing horde and they disregarded uniformed attendants and went over Continued on twenty-eighth page. DERBY DAY EARLY ARRIVALS Continued from first page. the hurricane wire fence of the grandstand enclosure like so many pole vaulters. This not to be controlled division of the Derby spectators knows no boundaries and never will know them. It was not a sell-out as has been the usual case on Derby Day, and tl.ere were some of the boxes at the lower end of the stretch that were still available at post time for the first race, but the crowd was a big one and estimates of 40,000 seemed to be a fair count of the attedance. Shortly before the horses were called out for the first race, there came the charge from the back stretch section, and several hundreds broke through the horse gate and swarmed into the field. In former years there has always been a corps of mounted police in the infield to keep these lads in line, but there was no such bar this year and they raced over the lawns without hindrance. And the back stretch stand was filled even before the other accommodation for the crowd. These were the dyed-in-the-wool who came early and remained late. Rain had been promised by the weatherman and there were some threatening clouds, but it was only a threat and both weather and track conditions could not have been improved upon. While the crowd was not up to that of more prosperous times for the turf, it was the same representative gathering that has always graced the occasion. Late specials added thousands to the crowd and it was a crowd that came later this year than has been the custom. Derby week has been cut down to Derby Day and it can-* not be remembered when the visitors were content with such a short stay. Friday there was not the increase in attendance that has come year after year and there was a fear that the crowd would be a light one for the classic, but it proved to only be a late arriving crowd.
