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3 ROMAN SOLDIER IS ENTERED First Nomination for the American Derby to Be Run June 22. Present Favorite for Texas Derby to Try for Kentucky Classic Before Coming: td Chicago. Naming the winner of the 5,000-American Derby that will be run at Washington Park on June 22 would be rather difficult at this time, inasmuch as nominations do not close until May 1. But naming a three-year-old that is certain to go to the post is comparatively easy, if the race track superstition that the first horse named for a stake always trains sound runs true. Roman. Soldier, a route-running son of Cohort Miamba, is the horse. His nomination, the first for the 1935 American Derby, arrived at the Washington Park offices Saturday, duly signed by owner Elwood Sachs-enmaier arid trainer Phil Reuter. Although a stiff spring campaign in the three-year-old specials lies before him, turf precedent says that he will be sporting the Sachsen-maier silks at Homewood when the call to the post for the American Derby sounds. The colt is training at present for next Saturdays Texas Derby at Arlington Downs, and is expected to wind up as favorite for this last major stake of the winter season. From there he will likely go to Churchill Downs, for he is a Kentucky Derby candidate, and his schedule thereafter will be dictated by the form which he reveals at Louisville. But that he will arrive at Washington Park early in the meeting is certain; trainer Reuter, who also owns a share of the horse, is a Chicagoan and prefers racing in Chicago to competing in any other sector. Even without the tradition surrounding the first nominee behind him, Roman Soldier figures with horsemen as being one of the real threats in the three-year-old di- Continued on twenty-second page. I ROMAN SOLDIER IS ENTERED Continued from first page. vision this year. Racing for Max Hirsch on the Chicago circuit last season, Roman Soldier looked like a promising youngster, and when he was shipped to Florida during the winter he showed more improvement than almost any other horse in winter racing. When he ran the six furlongs, of the Del-ray Purse in 1:10 at Tropical Park December 29, Hirsch sold him to William Sachsen-maier for ,500 and has been regretting it rather frequently ever since. In his first start for Sachsenmaier, Roman Soldier outlasted a field of fifteen sprinters of stake class to win the ,500 Inaugural Handicap at Hialeah. His next effort, in the Hialeah Stakes, ended in failure when he was jammed into the rail on the far turn and had to be pulled up, but he avenged that defeat by conquering the Hialeah Stakes winner, Brannon, in his next start. He was again victorious in the Bahama Handicap ten days later and went into the 5,000 Florida Derby as a well-played second choice to the sensational Bradley filly, Black Helen. Again he was badly jammed into the rail, finishing third to Black Helen and Man-tagna, but he closed so well when clear that he lost no prestige. In his only start since, at Arlington Downs last week, Roman Soldier won so impressively that there is now no doubt he will be a short-priced Texas Derby favorite. American Derby nominations are expected to arrive slowly during the next week, with the final week of April scheduled for a flood of blanks. Many large stables make a point of sending in their nominations on the last possible day.
