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i I ■ i • • . I I ALWAYS THE FAVORITE Ladysman Rules as Derby Choice Throughout Winter and Spring. Last Minute Retrospect of More Prominent Eligibles and Prospective Contestants. One hundred and eighteen three-year-olds, three more than in 1932, were listed in the : official nominations for the fifty-ninth Ken- | tucky Derby, announced February 18. W. R. I Coes Ladysman, since the close of fall racing last year, was the popular favorite. He opened as the actual betting favorite in the ] future books, and he remains favorite at gradually diminishing odds on the eve of the race. This circumstance is not altogether commonplace, because of the accidents to so many favorites in the past, or their failure to train up to expectations. The precarious-ness of early betting on Derby favorites has long been recognized, and it has been accentuated in recent years by what has happened to such outstanding ones at the close of their juvenile seasons as High Strung, Whichone, Equipoise and Top Flight. The latter, though a filly, was the early favorite in 1932, and it was not on account of acci- ; dent that she was withdrawn but because : owner Cornelius V. Whitney and trainer Healey came to the conclusion early in the spring that it would be inadvisable to continue pointing her for the Derby, and she was withdrawn in time to save consider- ; able to those that would have supported her through the various stages of the future book betting. A later change, one almost on the very eve of the 1932 Derby and one of a tragic nature, occurred when Burning Blaze, the leading western candidate, was cut down and this accident established as favorite Tick On, an eastern bidder which, though highly rated, would not otherwise have ruled a strong choice on Derby Day. FEW CHANGES. Nothing has occurred to the Derby field this year to so change the complexion of the race, and there have been few if any withdrawals of a startling character. Repaid, the Quincy Stables candidate which had an impressive record as a two-year-old, was second choice to Ladysman when he was declared out but this came about some three weeks before Derby time and, too, there was no indication of a very heavy play on Repaid. As a matter of fact, 1933 can hardly be expected to be a year of frenzied speculation even on the Derby choices. Ladys-mans price dropped gradually from the opening 10 to 1 on down to the present small quotation more on account of the elimination of a few of the well regarded than as a result of any tremendous activity in her behalf on the mart. About the time of Repaids dismissal from the ranks. Swivel, the filly which won the Pimlico Futurity last year, made a new bid for favor by winning impressively in Maryland, the race that really eliminated Repaid, and she moved into second place in the wagering, but there was little time for a concentrated play on Swivel before it was announced that she, too, was not to go in the Derby, These withdrawals came without arousing great sensations or causing more than usual disappointments. OUT OF PICTURE. Other good ones in the original field that as calmly passed out of the picture were H. P. Whitneys Caterwaul and The Darb, leaving this popular owner and Derby winner of the past, without a probable starter as his other two entries were never seriously considered. The Greentree Stable also had to forego the ambition to have a starter in the race, the candidates of Mrs. Payne Whitneys stable having been victims in an epidemic of coughing, and at any rate Dynastic and Jungle King, the best known of Greentrees four, had not progressed to such extent as to attract strong support. Another that became a very doubtful starter a month before the Derby was Crowning Glory, entered by Mrs. J. H. Whitney. This colt was perhaps the very first one to dash out in his juvenile year as a potential Derby star, for at Arlington Park last July the son of Black Toney, which had sired one Derby winne won the Hyde Park Stakes and he was then heralded as a great prospect. A little later, however, Ladysman, which began his racing career at Arlington Park, took the spotlight away from Crowning Glory by winning the Arlington Futurity, and then going on to win the important juvenile stakes at Saratoga, concluding with his victory in the Hopeful Stakes, which made him the outstanding two-year-old of 1932, even though he afterwards lost the Futurity Stakes, richest of all, to Kerry Patch, a long shot. Kerry Patch is in the Derby field and his price has been cut normally along with others that merited some support. BRADLEY REPRESENTATION. Col. E. R. Bradley, who won his third Derby in 1932 with Burgoo King, has all along this year been without a really prominent candidate, but so strongly is Colonel Bradley identified with late Derby history and Derby success that, with no other Bradley eligible to enthuse over, Kentuckians looked with astounding favor on a maiden in his colors, Boilermal er. Two weeks ago Boilermaker was regarded as a doubtful starter and attention switched to Bradleys other reliance, Brokers Tip. The result of a late winter race, the Florida Derby, and two or three later events in early Kentucky racing, brought other western horses into consideration and had the effect of counter-balancing the eastern withdrawals and triumphs of eastern eligibles, keeping the race fairly "open," or at least a case of Ladysman versus a well balanced field. Charley O., representing the estate of the late R. M. Eastman, the colt a full brother of Mike Hall of route-running fame, won the Florida Derby so impressively as to cause his price in the winter books j to drop from an opening 200 to 1 in the book of Tom Shaw to 25 to 1 by the end of March, and as the natural result of the "weeding" which went on through April Charley O.s price dropped until at the opening of Derby week the son of Hourless was third choice in Tom Kearneys book. By this time, although Sarada, the only son of Sir Gallahad III., considered a likely starter, had progressed splendidly in his Maryland racing and had been dropped from 25 to 1 to 10 to 1 in the betting, and Mr. Khayyam had won the Chesapeake Stakes, causing the odds against him to drop from 60 to 1 April 1 quotations to 8 to 1, the western division came to bat with Head Play, Mrs. William Crumps My Play — Red Head colt, which had not been lost sight of at any time by the Kentucky contingent. Head Play was one of the first of the candidates that did not race during the winter to get under way with his Derby training and his preps, without exception, were highly encouraging. Head Play did not go to the post until last Tuesday, four days before the Derby date, but when he did start he lived up to all the prophecies made for him. Running a mile, on a slow track, in 1:39%, he defeated, among other Derby candidates, Isaiah, Charley O., At Top, Boilermaker and Warren Jr. Isaiah had boosted his Derby stock considerably by winning two races in Kentucky, defeating some fair western eligibles and two or three older horses of class, and his odds, as high as 500 to 1 in the first April postings, had tumbled to 20 to 1. Therefore, Head Plays victory was considered of considerable importance and Kearneys line the next day showed him a pronounced second choice at 4 to 1. Through this kaleidoscopic shifting of positions in the Derby line, whether Shaws or Kearneys, there was only one actual betting favorite. Nothing has happened to lower him in the respect of the Derby fans. He has not been called on to do much this spring and he met only an average field of three-year-olds when he made his first start of the season. Conceding lots of weight, he was odds-on favorite and won the six furlongs race by a length under a mild hand ride. It was evidently sufficient to uphold I him in his proud position as a champion I ready to defend his title against all comers. .
