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i $|i| . JUDGES STAND by Charles hatton CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 2.— The West will see the Easts most distinguished Derby candidates in action if both Capot and Olympia appear in the Derby Trial tomorrow afternoon at the Downs. Ted Atkinson, who is to ride Capot, said today that in his opinion the Wood proved Olympia may be beaten. So we dont suppose he will be encumbered with any lack of confidence. The Greentree colt felt out the track during work hours this morning and seemed perfectly at home in the going, dockers were quite impressed when he opened up for the Trial with a half in :46 and some change. The local strip is awfully fast this spring, as Bewitch indicated when she set a six-furlong mark of 1 : 10% in the Inaugural, and the winner of the Trial may run creditably close to The Chiefs 1:35%, if its necesary. This affair incidentally will show if Calumet is to have a Derby starter, as both Ponder and De Luxe have been entered. De Luxes latest race, back at Keeneland, was considered "too bad to be true" and, in fact, foul play was suspected. There was some notion of running Halt in the Trial, but owner Martin and trainer Stephens tell us it was decided to work the Blue Grass winner instead. Tomorrows 0,000 run of a flat mile will have a direct bearing on the size of the Derby field, and if Olympia is beaten it may develop a new favorite. AAA Americans will be interested that R. B. Strassburger has shown a fairish prospect for the Epsom and French Deibys this season in a colt named Highlander. Recently, he won something called the Prix Juigne, which is a French "Derby Preview," and indeed this was the only stake which has escaped Boussac so far this year. Am-biorix appears to be Boussac s best three-year-old, but he isnt in the Epsom race, though he was at the top of the two-year-old Free Handicap, and won the Prix Greffulhe West Sees Easts Derby Hopes in Trial Strassburger Shows Epsom Derby Hope Some Notes on Form in Blue Grass Class Marks Rose Runners Pedigrees a few days ago. C. V. Whitney, Henry Knight, Dale Shaffer and others interested in Goya II. and Priam II. are pleased with their first U. S. foals, and Alain du Breil writes us that "the two main French spring stakes for older horses went to Boussac s Nirgal, who is by Goya II. and Priam II. s half-brother Djeddah. Nirgal is good evidence of the consistency of Goya II.s get, for he is now six, was unbeaten at two, and has been training ever since. His victory over the best older horses in France was all the more convincing that his jockey lost both stirrups with two furlongs to go/ AAA Breeders are viewing with alarm the increasing percentage of claiming races as something in restraint of trade. Horse players wish there were more allowance events and stakes for another somewhat selfish reason. A bit of research on the first 10 days of the Kentucky spring season, which were down the road at Keeneland, shows that 11 of 23 favorites won in allowance races, only 10 of 36 in claimers. In other words, any of the chalk players who confined their activities to the better grade of horses in the allowance events were winning about 50 per cent of the time, which certainly beat the general average of about 30 per cent. Of course these figures arent presented as some remarkable discovery, for it is well known that cheap horses are not so formful as good horses, which is a reason they are cheap. But we should think they might be worthwhile remembering, particularly in this era of increasing take. For that matter, it is a fallacy for any club to take the view that a limit field of platers assures a maximum play. Sports mans is not a pretentious track, but the average play on allowance races is 0,000. on claimers only 0,000. AAA A few columns ago it was noted that the dams of five of the nine horses who were first, second or third in the last three Derbys were themselves stakes winners. As the date of this years "Run For The Roses" nears. we find that "class in the dam" seems to be asserting itself once again. In any case the contenders Olympia, Capot and Palestinian are from the stakes winners Miss Dolphin, Piquet and Dolly Whisk. The dams of Wine List, Old Rockport, Ky. Colonel, Johns Joy and Petey Cotter all were winners. Actually, My Auntie was a mare of stakes class and was the favorite for the Arkansas Derby when she went wrong on the eve of the race. Considering the small average less than five per cent of stakes winning mares in the stud, it is really quite significant that they should produce such a high percentage of Derby horses. We suppose that Olympias dam, Miss Dolphin, was the fastest mare; Capot s dam, Piquet, the classiest of those having sons in this Derby. Miss Dolphin still holds the track record of :5t% for five furlongs at Detroit Fair* Grounds and won 17 races including six minor stakes in the Middle West. Piquet was placed in six stakes as a two-year-old and at three she won the Delaware Oaks, Test Stakes and Diana Handicap. AAA Turf ana: Mrs. E. E. Dale Shaffer will be represented by The Fat Lady in the Kentucky Oaks. . . . Woody Stephens tells us he may return to the Middle West in the summer for three-year-old filly stakes at Chicago. . . . Overheard in the paddock: "Tell me, is he in here because he needs the exercise, or you need the money!" . . . First foal of Be Faithful, an old Chicago favorite, is a bay colt by Heliopolis, at Coldstream Stud. . . . Duval Cut Em To The Lead Headley points L. L. Haggins Simla for Arlington and Washington filly events. . . . Phalanx" dam, Jacola, goes this spring to Count Fleet, next to The Sab.
