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j - f B 1 :, i Pukka Gin and Stir Up Awaiting Wood Renewal j Jamaicas Derby Preview Also i To Attract Stymie, Bell Reigh J JAMAICA, L. I., N. Y., April 19. — The running of the two divisions of the St. ] James Purse yesterday may have cut the size of Saturdays Wood Memorial somewhat, but took nothing from the quality | of the field in prospect for this 5,000 mile and one -sixteenth Kentucky Derby preview. Considered certain starters are Green- j tree Stables Stir Up, Col. C. V. Whitneys • Pukka Gin, cofavorites for the Kentucky ■ Derby at this writing; Mrs. T. C. Chris- , tophers Bel Reigh and Mrs. Ethel D. . Jacobs Stymie, winners of the split St. James; William Helis Olympic Zenith and Mrs. D. H. Peters Bull Dandy, who were second in the two divisions of that race; George D. Wideners Lucky Draw, one of the best of the 1943 juveniles; A. A. Baronis Autocrat and Mrs. Whitey Abels I Gramps Image. Pukka Gin was sent a handy mile and one-eighth with plenty of weight aboard over the Belmont training strip today, being clocked in l:St%. The fractions were ! :38, :50%, 1:16 and the mile in 1:44ft. The ! move was pleasing to trainer Andy Schut-tinger. . A blowout on Friday will complete ; his Wood Memorial preparation. Stir Up won the Flamingo Stakes at Hia-leah and then was a breezing victor in a l division of the Experimental with Autocrat behind him. Pukka Gin was narrowly r beaten by Wheatley Stables Stronghold in i the other half of the Experimental, but t was impressive in defeat. The son of Fire-thorn - had to take back at the head of the ; stretch to avoid running up on another r horses heels, slipped in the messy going, then closed with a tremendous rush. Trainer Shuttinger says that he is coming I along nicely in his Wood preparation. Eddie Arcaro, who will ride Stir Up, Is 3 calmly confident of his mounts chances s Saturday, though confessing to a mite of f worry about that last eighth of a mile in l the Derby. Stymie and Bel Beigh were both breez- - I ! ! . ; l r i t - ; r I 3 s f l - ing winners in their mile and 70-yard public trials for the Wood Tuesday, while Olympic Zenith closed a world of ground after dropping back from fifth to last place and being nearly 15 lengths off the pace% between calls. The Louisiana Derby winner was conceding six pounds to Stymie in the St. James and was bothered a bit going to the first turn. He will undoubtedly improve, but whether enough to cope with such as Stir Up, Pukka Gin, Bel Reigh and Stymie remains to be seen. While Bel Reighs race was somewhat slower than Stymies, it was his first start of the season and he had genuine class last year. This son of Bel Aethel — Polly Reigh is bred to get a distance and his seasonal debut pushes him to the front rank of Wood -Derby candidates. Bull Dandy was badly beaten by Bel Reigh in the St. James, but gave the im-, pression that had he been rated more care-. fully he might have been closer at the finish. Whether or not trainer Hugh Duf ford will try the experiment on Saturday is not known at this writing. Lucky Draw was due at Belmont Park from Erdenheim Farm today. He is said to have been well legged up at the Wide- ner farm and may be a factor, as he runs well when fresh.
