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■"■ ** -i _ r REFLECTIONS By Nelson Duns tan Three-Year-Olds in Spotlight Who Will Get to Derby Post? Promise of Keen Oaks Racing Alsab and Other Come-Backs NEW YORK, N. Y., March 31. Tomorrows running of the Arkansas Derby serves to bring the Kentucky Derby into sharper focus. Scarcely a day passes but that we read this or that person favors this or that three»year-old. Some like the chances of Pensive, while others lean to Pukka Gin or Platter. Three-year-olds which raced during the winter have their share of supporters, and at the moment it appears, barring the unforeseen. | I . 1 1 j s D l that Pensive, Stir Up and Olympic Zenith have a good chance of getting to the Derby post. Should Challenge Me win tomorrows Derby at Oaklawn he will undoubtedly be pointed for the bigger Derby on May 6. Beyond them it is a question who will go postward, with such events as the Experimental, Wood Memorial, Chesapeake. Blue Grass and Derby Trial holding much of the answer. With the Derby but five weeks away, a candidate must be "legged up" now I if he is to be ready for such events as the j Wood Memorial, which, at a mile and a I sixteenth, will be run on April 22. Thats a tough assignment so early in the season. Since it was announced that Royal Prince would pass up the Derby, his name has not been heard as often as heretofore. But if Platter. Pukka Gin and others projected themselves to the front by their ability to go a mile or more last year, this Maryland-bred son of Dauber cannot be discounted. More than one horse has passed up the Derby to catch those coming east in a later event. It was back in 1934 that Cavalcade and Discovery fought it out in the Derby, but just a week later, High Quest, who did not start in the Derby, was a winner of the Preakness, with Cavalcade second and Discovery third. Whether history will repeat itself is a question, but, if it does. Royal Prince could be the one to do the repeating. - Regardless of what the three-year-old colts show, you can depend upon it the fillies of the same division are going to stage some keen contests. As noted in this paper Thursday, 42 fillies were named for the Pimlico Oaks, to be run on Wednesday. : i May 10. It will be at a mile and a sixteenth, and, at this writing, who would be your choice among Miss Keeneland. Twilight Tear, Whirlabout, Cocopet. Fire Sticky, Harriet Sue and Thread o Gold? Durazna is not named, but, if we can judge by her two-year-old form, she is going to : be a hard miss to handle when she starts in events exclusively for her own sex. | j It is just our hunch that some good two-year-olds will come up in this years crop. We are not saying that as j a result of the high prices that yearlings brought last August, but more because many of them had the outward appearance which spells class and quality a year later. It is only natural that much of the interest now focuses on Pericles, Baron Jack and other high-priced babes, but. of late years, yearling bargains have been plentiful, and it would not be surprising if 1944 also has a goodly share. But it is useless at this time of year to speculate on two-year-olds. Only the actual racing, and not the price or looks, holds the answer to who will be in the spotlight by the time midsummer racing rolls around. The Dixie Handicap will start the wheels rolling for the richer events among older horses. We can think of many points that will grip the interest of the fans in the season ahead. How often will Count Fleet start? And how will he fare? Will Alsab, Market Wise and Attention come back to try for the many 0,000 events which will be run in the months to come? Just picture what those four horses are going to mean in public interest, and they are but four. The division is not overendowed with name performers and injuries are certain to take their toll as the season wears on. But, even so, there will be some keen contests for those 1 prizes which makes a horses financial 1 standing grow with leaps and bounds. If .Alsab could return to be the horse he was I two years ago, he would have a royal chance j of passing Whirlaway as the worlds money I winning champion.
