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I AURORA INVITES BIG WINNERS Invitations Telegraphed to Mrs. F. C. Mars and W. F. Dupont, Jr. Seek Nominations of The Fighter and Gold Seeker to Illinois Derby, 2,000 Added Affair. AURORA, 111., April 20. Telegraphic invitations to the owners of the winners of Saturdays important three-year-old specials the Chesapeake Stakes at Havre de Grace and the Texas Derby at Arlington Downs were dispatched yesterday by racing secretary Dick Leigh, and he is confident that both they and the horses which finished in the money behind them will be nominated for the 2,000 Illinois Derby, which will be run May 22 as the feature of the Aurora meeting. The Texas Derby, which has in the past fallen to such good performers as Bobsled, Plight and Roman Soldier, was won Saturday by the Milky Way Farms The Fighter, the Bull Dog colt which was so prominent in last seasons fcwo-year-old racing. The Fighter is owned by Mrs. Ethel V. Mars of Chicago, and because she has in the past made an annual habit of naming her leading colorbearers for the Illinois Derby, racing secretary Dick Leigh is certain that The Fighter will be in the field which faces starter John Morrissey on Derby Day. This belief is strengthened by the fact that The Fighter has not been nominated for the Preakness Stake, which will be run at Pim-lico May 18, although he has been named for the Kentucky Derby. Winners of second and third money in the Texas Derby are regarded as certain starters in the Illinois Derby. Second place fell to A. G. Tarns Rushaway, and Tarn already has eleven horses stabled at Aurora. Rush-away recently won the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, a track whose management is the same as Auroras. Holl Image, third in the Texas Derby, is owned by William Schmidt of Chicago, and was nominated for the Illinois Derby immediately after he had won the Arkansas Derby at Hot Springs several weeks ago. Gold Seeker, the filly which Saturday won the Chesapeake Stakes, has been nominated for both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but there is still an excellent chance that she will start in the Illinois Derby. She is owned by the Foxcatcher Farms Stable, nom du course of W. F. Dupont, Jr. Delphinium, second in the Chesapeake, races in the silks of the Brookmeade Stable, which usually sends a division to Chicago for summer racing.
