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t Here and There on the Turf ; Interest Centers on Jamaica, Downs , Some Derby Hopefuls to Be J i Eliminated Top Row Will Miss Belmont, j ; Meeting ! Baroni Must. Remain in West i . i Jamaica and Churchill Downs steal the majority of attention of racing enthusiasts from Havre de Grace, Arlington Downs and Bay Meadows today because of the Wood Memorial renewal at the Long Island course and the opening of the meeting featuring the Kentucky Derby at the Louisville track. A mighty good field of three-year-olds will go to the post in the Wood, for which the Metropolitan Jockey Club is giving 0,000. Other good prospects of the division will go postward at Churchill Downs, most of them in a dash of seven furlongs but others in the ,000 added Clark Handicap. Out of these events will come practically all the starters in the Kentucky Derby "next Saturday, hence the great importance attached to Jamaica and Churchill Downs today. The -Wood naturally, deserves and is possessed of more interest than anything else on. the days program because of the value and importance of the event without whatever influence it has on the Derby. The races today at Jamaica and Churchill Downs involving Derby horses and those at the latter course Monday and Tuesday, should determine to a large extent what , three-year-olds are worthy of the opportunity to contest the Blue Grass classic, but ;this year probably will not be an exception to the rule and there will be some members of next Saturdays field only because their owners want the so-called honor of having a starter in the countrys most popular race. Eastern owners, especially those of long established stables, are not as susceptible to ,this failing as their western brethren, and so we look for only three or four horses coming out of the Wood Memorial and marching on Louisville. If their colts do not run well in the Wood and lack good excuses, they are kept at home, r Some of the Derby eligibles racing at Churchill Downs today, Monday and Tuesday, will be eliminated from Derby competition because their connections will be convinced that their fondest hopes are not to be fulfilled. Consequently, this department believes the Derby field will not exceed fifteen, although its size likely will not be much smaller than that. Of course, the chances of the race being truly run increase as the size of the field decreases because the outclassed starters usually get in the way of horses having a good chance to prove troublesome. It is entirely possible that the colts winning Uie Wood and the Derby test at Louisville will down their opposition so easily some of the candidates will be scared out of the classic. At the moment, however, the Derby appears a wide open event, although the favorite is held at a comparatively short price, but after today his odds will be either smaller or some other colt may step forth to become the publics choice. Metropolitan racing fans will not be afforded the pleasure of seeing the Santa Anita Handicap winner in action as early as the Belmont Park meeting, because Top Rows owner, Albert A. Baroni, will not be able to leave California for at least another month, Jand he does not care about sending his horse East ahead of himself. Baroni, suffering from a fractured vertebra incurred in an automobile accident, must remain in a cast for several more weeks and will require as much more time in which to recuperate sufficiently to be able to travel. So Top Row will remain at Bay Meadows, where he is being trained for the 0,000 Bay Meadows Handicap, and then will take it easy until time to make the long trip across the continent. It is possible, however, that Top Row will be able to reach New York in time to Continued on twenty eighth page. HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF .Continued from second page. participate in the Brooklyn Handicap at Aqueduct. Now that Indian Broom, which ran the mile and one furlong in the phenomenally fast time of 1:47 to beat him in the March-bank Handicap is at Louisville for the Derby, Top Row will not have that speedster in his way in the Bay Meadows. Indian Broom, a three-year-old carrying ninety-four pounds, ran so fast in the Tanforan race that Top Row was unable to get close enough to challenge. Under 126 pounds the son of Brooms is not expected by eastern experts to be speedy enough to break away from his Derby opponents. Top Row displayed a performance good enough to take any ordinary running of an event like the March-bank, and so he promises to go into the feature at William Kynes track just as strong a favorite as he was in the Tanforan race. His strongest opponent would appear to be Special Agent, which improved sooner and just as rapidly and greatly as Indian Broom, both colts having been purchased from the Brookmeade Stable by Maj. Austin C. .Taylor near the conclusion of Santa Anitas meeting.
