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Card Wood Memorial in Two Divisions As Twenty Seek Rich Jamaica Fixture Stir Up, Pukka Gin in Initial Half of Easts Derby Preview Olympic Zenith, Stymie, Bel Reigh Among Ten Who Will Oppose Early Choices for Louisville Classic — Lucky Draw Makes Seasonal Bow in Second Part of 5,000 Route Test JAMAICA, L. L, N. Y., April 21.— The Metropolitan Jockey Club will offer two Kentucky Derby previews at Jamaica tomorrow, each endowed with 5,000 in added money, which, to be technical, means that New Yorkers will also be seeing the first, and unscheduled, 0,000 race of the year, for even though run in two divisions, tomorrows Wood Memorial is still one event, just as a halved orange is still one orange. When 20 entrants appeared in the box. racing secretary John B. Campbell, who yesterday was quite certain that the Wood would not be split, decided to change his mind and divided the semi-classic mile and one-sixteenth fixture. This is the first time in its 20-year history that the ♦Wood has been run in two divisions, but split features have been in the majority afc the current meeting. It is also probably the first time in American racing history that a race of similar value has been run. in two sections, since the Pimlico Futurity of 1922. The first half of the Wood gives promise of being considerably the best, for it has drawn Greentree Stables Stir Up and Col. C. V. Whitneys Pukka Gin. currently favorite and second choice for the Derby, respectively. Also in this division are William Helis Louisiana Derby winner. Olympic Zenith, Mrs. T. Christophers Bel Reigh, A." A. Baronis Autocrat, Mrs. Ethel D. Jacobs Stymie, Mrs. Donald H. Peters Bull Dandy. W. S. Homes Tex Martin. Mill River Stables Captains Aide, who will race coupled with Bel Reigh, and Cain Hoy Stables Tit Tat Toe, the only colt in this half of the Wood who has no date with destiny at Churchill Downs. Lucky Draw Makes Seasons Bow The only "name" horse in the second half of the Wood is George D. Wideners Lucky Draw, a brilliant stakes winnet in the first half of 1943, when illness put him on the shelf until the fall. He is said to be ready for a good race and is undeniably-benefited by the lack of proven talent in his section of the Wood. His rivals are Joe W. Browns Fox Brownie. Wheatley Stables Free Lance, Marise Farms Frisky Fire, Mill River Stables Sweeping Time, Samuel Feihbergs Ariel Flight. Greentree Stables Broad Grin, Lazy F Ranchs Plucky Maud and the J. M. Roebling-Coi. C. V. Whitney entry of Magellan and Hoodoo. Frisky Fire is the only one of these not entered for the Derby. The weather was gray and blustery 24 hours before the Wood fields were due to go postward. but the prospect of rain is not considered likely to deter any of the stars from competing. Most of them harve displayed mud-running ability. The immi-B nence of rain is not likely to discourage what may well be a record crowd. M the strong possibility of seeing the Derby win- Continued on Page Twenty-Four - ■ i » I i f j 5 ! ] I j | I I ! c j ! f , j 3 Card Wood Memorial in Two Divisions As Twenty Seek Rich Jamaica Fixture J | 8 " • ■ J J . t r . "r J Pukka Gin, Stir Up Tangle In Initial Section of Easts Big Kentucky Derby Preview Continued from Page One ner in action will pxove a powerful magnet to a public which has already demonstrated an insatiable enthusiasm for thoroughbred sport this year. There is more than a re-1 mote possibility that New York will see its first ,000,000 day in the pari-mutuel de-" partment — particularly in view of the wide open character of the first half of the .Wood and the sizable fields named throughout the well-balanced program. Tomorrows split was made by lot in secretary Campbells office in the presence of newspapermen and horsemen. The pub-l lie got a break in the draw, in that the leading candidates will compete in one division, which was not the case when Stir Up and Pukka Gin were drawn in separate divisions of the Experimental. All starters in the first half of the Wood » will carry 126 pounds, while in the second section, the filly Plucky Maud gets the five-pound sex allowance, and Magellan gets a similar concession, being a maiden. Lucky Draw will probably be the public choice in his half of the Wood, though he has not yet started this year, as he appears the class of the race. His principal rivals seem to be Sweeping Time, who set the pace in the race won by Stymie the other day and is expected to improve; Frisky i Fire, who is well regarded by trainer George Carroll, and who was second to Bull Dandy recently after going wide. The filly Plucky Maud was an impressive victor in a sprint here, beating a moderate band and was scratched from todays feature for runners of her own sex to try her chances in the Wood. Free Lance earned his chance to start by a victory over a moderate band of three-year-olds yesterday, in which he went the Wood distance. Fox Brownie has plenty of speed, but has his trouble getting the Wood route. Stir Up will probably rule the wagering choice in his section of the Wood, on the strength of his handy score in the Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah, which was confirmed in brilliant fashion before local fans when he breezed to victory in the second half of the Experimental Handicap about 10 days ago. The fact that he will have the services of Eddie Arcaro will hardly discourage the colts admirers. It would not be surprising if the odds-on Stir Up and Pukka Gin tomorrow are relatively the same as in Derby futures, with the son of Firethorn being a strong second choice.
