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Here and There! on the Turf J Rain Falls on Louisville | But None on Churchill Downs i » Big Crowd Arrives Early J | Holiday Spirit Prevails J Downtown at 9 oclock Friday night, puddles of water are in the streets, dark clouds hovering overhead. It didnt look so good for the Kentucky Derby after it had cleared up so marvelously, a rain storm having paid a visit in the wee small hours. Louisville was wide awake although some of its visitors were meeting with trouble in opening their eyes. The sidewalks were crowded, endless streams of automobiles move slowly through the streets. Hotel lobbies and restaurants are taxed to the limit, but strangely enough, the stores are empty. As soon as a person leaves the downtown area for the track he begins to take note of the preparations for handling the huge Derby crowd to and from Churchill Downs. The principal street to the track has been cleared of all parking and police are busy directing the heavy traffic into one way streets. Private automobiles have their route, taxicabs are following a designated course and street cars have a road all to themselves. Many persons wisely leave their automobiles far from the Downs and use the trolleys. Ten oclock at Churchill Downs Saturday morning. In the secretarys office, presided over by William H. Shelley, its just another racing day. The veteran official and his assistants are busy taking the entries for Mondays program. From Larry Bogan-schutz, the entry clerk, comes the infoima-tion that Dnieper and Seventh Heaven have been withdrawn from the Derby. Its good news to those who wish a smaller field that the race may be more truly run. Declaration of both these three-year-olds was expected. Dnieper is owned by Mrs. Peter A. B. Wide-ner, whose father-in-law, Joseph E. Widener. owns the favorite. Brevity. Dnieper and Brevity were coupled in the entries but the son of Sickle now must go it alone. However, he hasnt lost a single ounce of support because of losing his running mate and continues a heavy favorite. Seventh Heaver never should have been in the Derby entries at all, her naming being an afterthought on the part of Amos Wallin. Wallin was in the secretarys office yesterday morning when the entries were being closed and when Boganschutz asked for more horses to fill the eighth event, W. C. Goodloe, trainer, put Seventh Heaven in the Derby. The only harm done, if it can be called that, through the entries of these two horses, was that it added just that much more fuel to the Derby fire. However, no one, least of all the connections of other Derby candidates, gave serious consideration to Dnieper and S v enth Heaven and expected their withdrawal with confidence. The track is dry, hardly a spot .showing to tell of the rains that fell two days ago. Providence must have a kindly feeling for Churchill Downd today, because the rain storm which fell downtown early this morn ing missed the race course entirely. The clouds are still thick and a strong wind is blowing from the south which will blow tin-threat of rain away or increase it. Training has been completed and all the horsc have been put away in the comparative quietude of th : stable*. Trainers wisely map out I their progiams so as to make this day as easy as possible on themselves and ;heit l horses. Everywhere are evidences of Um extensive preparations to handle this fcinin tic crowd today. State militia .are stationed I at short intervals along the outer rail of the front s i tch, while others line the high witv : fence just back of the inner rail, so that I those persons in the infield wishing to gel into the main enclosure will be prevenled from doing so. At eleven oclock the crowd begins to take shape. All reserved seats in the grandstand are occupied and those in the clubhouse are rapidly filling. None of the boxholders have moved into their accommodations, although many have arrived to partake of the Derby breakfast, the principal dish of which is fried chicken. Fully a thousand persons are behind the wire fence along the back stretch, and this gathering is increasing rapidly. As yet no effort has been made to swarm over into the infield. The three gates through which pass the horses and their entourages are well guarded, and only those persons with the proper credentials are getting through, but they are using the centerfield only as a short cut to the grandstand. At noon, just a half hour before the first race is due to be run, the mutuel booths are open, and with a* least half of the crowd on Continued on twentu-aixth vaae. HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF Continued from second page. j hand, they are being well patronized. Derby J j mutuel tickets have been on sale since 9:30 ; S i oclock, and the early arrivals have made j j | their purchases before finding points of van- j tage. The wind is still blowing sitffly, and ; the skies are overcast. The temperature has ! I I dropped a point or two, but the weather re-! . mains comfortable. Supporters of horses like J ; Grand Slam are praying for rain, and those i who wish for Brevity, The Fighter and other | known fast track runners, as well as the management, hope for clearing skies. But everywhere is gaiety, because this is a good-natured Derby crowd. The first race has just been run and the grandstand area is packed but the club house is taking longer to fill up. A few drops of rain fell just as the horses were going to the post, and those that had coats had them on in a minute. Just before noon one gate on the back stretch was rushed and inside of five minutes more than two thousand persons had gotten into the infield, but they did not get any farther. The large crowd was informed over the public address system that Forest Play had been scratched. This member of the Bomar Stable never had been regarded as a Derby threat and considerable surprise was occasioned when it was announced earlier in the week that he would support Grand Slam, especially if the track was fast. The course was in good shape when Charles Bohn and P. A. Markey, the Bomar owners, made up their minds to center their hopes in Grand Slam. With the weather looking better at 12:50— flash— Banister has just been scratched — the crowd has settled down to wait and enjoy themselves until the Derby.
