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REFLECTIONS By Nelson Dunstan Intersectional Rivalry Keen in Kentucky Derby Jones Failed to Check With The Jockey Club Racing Museum Has Exhibit in Louisville Ky Nordlicht Goes Back to Europe on Saturday SaturdayCHURCHILL CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky April 30 Immediately upon arrival in Louisville one senses that the outcome of the Derby Trial yesterday had heightened intersec tional rivalry to the boiling point Hill Gails victory over Arroz by six lengths in the new track record time of 135 materially added to the confi ¬ dence Kentuckians have had in the Calu met colt Arroz brought California into the Derby picture and Texas and Louisiana are loyally supporting Sam Wilsons Gushing Oil the colt who won the Louisiana Derby Arkansas Derby and Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Easterners have Blue Man and Master Fiddle to carry their banner and there will probably be some support for Pintor and Hannibal This writer had maintained that the Derby was wide open but after Hill Gails impressive showing in the Trial we now look upon him as the winner with the other money positions still open Alfred G Vanderbilts Cousin who was a consistent racer until the running of the Hopeful at Sara ¬ toga last summer is the problem child of the threeyearold division He refused to run though he made up some ground in the late stages in the Wood Memorial But his refusal to extend himself in the Derby Trial erases him entirely from our consider ¬ ations Hill Gail must be our choice choiceHere Here is one for the books Recently C S Jones Sons of California conducted a contest to name the first colt or filly sired by their stallion Pedigree Beau Pere Pano ¬ ramic who is standing at Northridge Farm in the Golden State In due time they announced that John De Blois Wack of Santa Barbara Schuyler L Parsons of Palm Beach and Janon Fisher Jr of Maryland were the win ¬ ners all three having selected the name Peerage Breed ¬ ing magazines carried an ad about it Because of the triple tie all three contestants are to receive a pair of clubhouse tickets for Saturdays Kentucky Derby Now comes the joker We have just received a letter from Dorothy Davis of San Francisco and enclosed was a pro ¬ gram of the April 22 card at Golden Gate In the fourth race was a fouryearold filly by Welcome Pass out of Pretty Ann and her name is Peerage It was her third start Though they meant well seemingly C S Jones Sons neglected to check with The Jockey Club or the rec ¬ ord books to see if the name was available No name can be duplicated for 15 years So now a new name must be given the first youngster by Pedigree and a happy Ken ¬ tucky Derby to those who selected Peerage PeerageUntil Until the Derby running on the weekend there will be many attractions to occupy the attention of visitors in Louisville One is the National Museum of Racings exhibit of paintings bronzes and turf trophies in the heart of Derbytown It is at the J B Speed Museum and will remain there until May 15 At Saratoga last summer C V Whitney president of the museum decided that it would be a good idea to ship some of theitems to various tracks where prominent races are being held This is the first of these exhibitions away from the permanent home of the museum at Saratoga Springs and the officers are keenly awaiting the re ¬ sponse of racing fans as it is an expensive matter to ship the valuable paintings and other relics from one part of the country to another It is surprising how few paintings of Man o War are in existence today but those in Louisville will have an op ¬ portunity to see Frank Voss likeness of Big Red as a twoyear old and also Martins painting of the finish of the Kenilworth Cup in which Man o War defeated Sir Barton These are but two of the 20 paintings that are on exhibition here The Speed Museum is offering one of the most valuable exhibits of turf paintings and trophies ever shown in this country Many people who visit Louisville for the Derby are unable to attend the Sara ¬ toga meeting hence the local showing showingIrvin Irvin Cobb once said Here at least is one spot on the map where for one day anyhow the spirit of commercial ¬ ism runs second to the spirit of old tunes One thing in old times which we moderns miss is the winter book where in January a player could name his Derby choice and even make a wager Someone in Washington con ¬ ceived the idea of a 50 tax stamp and whether we like it or not the danged thing worked so well there is now no winter book The hot stove league once a gettogether organization of national proportions always awaited the revised whiter book lists to renew their arguments on Derby possibilities Its agin the law to talk about such things today We are amused when some fellow tells us to hush our buzzy about such practices and then rushes to a window to take 8to5 on a horse that was 20tol last February We learn that Nordlicht will be flown back to France via Brussels on a Pan American Airlines plane Saturday morning In recent years this stallion has been standing at the Belvoir Farm of William D Pawley at The Plains in Virginia Pawley and C T Chenery own him in partnership When Hitlers forces swept over France Nordlicht and some prized broodmares were confiscated and taken to Germany By chance our Army finally captured the horse and brought him to this country and at a sale at Fort Meyers he was bought by the partners Nordlicht was barred from the stud book The Jockey Club ruled that the get of Nordlicht from thoroughbred mares who had been regis ¬ tered in the American Stud Book would be allowed only to race in this country No public announcement has been made as yet but it is believed that this son of Oleander who is 11 years old is being sent abroad so he can be registered in the French Stud Book and that later he will be returned to this country Nord ¬ licht comes from one of the most succesful families in the world today but like Preisrichter and also Taj Akbar he was not ad ¬ mitted to the American Stud Book
