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j I Threc-Year-Old Prospects No. 1 j ; By NORRIS ROYDEN. j i..... -.-a Within a few weeks, or as soon as he leaches Idle Hour Farm from Florida, I will go through what has come to be a formality by asking Colonel Bradley who will win the Derby and getting the reply, "I will." The only owner of four Kentucky Derby winners has given the writer that same answer annually for many years and he may surprise me by changing it this year, but it is very doubtful considering that he has such promising three-year-olds as Bien Joli, Banister and Bow to Me in the stable H. J. "Derby Dick" Thompson is training for him. Each of these three colts as well as the filly Beanie M., holds promise, but Bien Joli and Banister stand the better chance of making good as three-year-olds. Bow to Me is a son of Epinard, which about lets him out as a staying prospect, while Banister, a half brother to Bazaar, displayed some ability late in the season as a juvenile. Bien Joli was Bradleys outstanding two-year-old of 1935, although Beanie M. earned the most money through her victory in the Matron Stakes. . Bien Joli is a bay colt by Blue Larkspur, one of Americas best race horses of modern times, from Bessie Alix, an imported daughter of Son-in-Law, next dam by Sun-star and the next by Gallinule. Through. the tail male line of Blue Larkspur, Black Servant, Black Toney, Peter Pan and Commando, this colt inherits plenty of stamina. The North Star IH., Sunstar, Sundridge, Amphion line introduces the speed. Son-in-Law, through his get, has proved his ability to pass on his staying qualities. Tracing to a good producing family, Bien Joli backs up a speed cross with plenty of staying blood and he can very well come out as a better three-year-old than a two-year-old just as his sire did before him. Bradleys best colt went to the post fourteen times last year and he came away with a trio of victories including the East View Stakes at Empire City. He also was second three times, which included his best effort, that in the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga in which he held Red Rain to a neck margin. The son of Blue Larkspur did all his winning before the end of July, the final triumph coming in the East View Stakes, in which he came from behind the pace to handily defeat Parade Girl, Triumphant, Faust and others over the short six furlongs course. Earlier he had run second to Tintagel before that colt went west to place in the Arlington Futurity. Despite his early good form, Bien Joli probably was at his best at Saratoga, where he was engaged with the best of his division. In the United States Hotel Stakes, Bien Joli weakened after showing early speed, but he was retarded well off the early pace in the Saratoga Special, the most sporting race in the country, and closed stcmtly to finish third, a length behind Coldstream and Red Rain as they deadheated for first honors. Then followed Bien Jolis most masterful performance in the Hopeful, in which he moved up with a rush turning into the stretch and gained the lead from Sun Teddy a few strides from the finish only to lose victory when Red Rain slipped through on the inside right at the end. Bien Joli either went off form after the Hopeful or he did not care for the straight course at Belmont Park as he failed miserably in two starts down the "Widener chute. They were in the Champagne Stakes, won by Brevity, and the Futurity, taken by Tintagel, and he lacked speed at all stages in both events. With most of his stablemates Bien Joli wintered well at the farm, where he was bred and raised and advices have it that he is well along in his preliminary training for the 1936 season and its first important engagement, the Derby, even though Kentucky had its share of the snow and cold. Idle Hour has splendid facilities for training and during the very bad weather Bien Joli could have been muscled up considerably indoors before going outside for galloping in a large open field or over the excellent mile training track. More than likely Colonel Bradley will be thinking of Bien Joli when he says he will win the forthcoming Kentucky Derby. Peter Pan f Commando I Cinderella Belgravia S Ben Brush C J I Bonnie Gal fLav.no.. iBcnd Or 2 LPadula J Napoli o. 55 " LPadua lJncas or Thurio .5 Immortelle f 3 c f Sunstar..:. Sundridge M f North Star III. Doris jo 5 H LAngclic 3 St- Angelo 8 I J Fota I! Sl fFariman... CGalinule 3 H LVaila ;. J Bellinzona O o LPadilla VMacheath -i - Padua - fBay Ronald S Hampton g 8 r Dark Ronald j Black Duchess PQ LDarkie jThuno Insignia f -1 O .E k I f Matchmaker f Donovan w iMother-in-Law J Match Girl I- J I Be Cannie Jock ofOran SJ Reticence f Sundridge V Amphion r Sunstar Sierra L LDoris Loved One 3 1 . . Lauretta W f Gallinule flsonomy L Princess de Galles J Moorhen LEcila Persimmon Meadow Chat I