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— - 4 ► J. C. LAWRENCE— Sent out Gideon to win the Silver Fox Purse at Jamaica yesterday. 1 I | ! , , , ! i i : ; f ; 1 1 - - - Vanderbilt Absolves Guerin of Any Blame Didnt Do Anything Wrong# Owner States; Blames Bumping for Loss JAMAICA, L. I., N. Y., May 4.— Alfred I Gwynne Vanderbilt today absolved jockey Eric Guerin of any blame whatever for the ; defeat of his hitherto unbeaten Native - Dancer in Saturdays Kentucky Derby. "I cant see what he did wrong," Vanderbilt • said. "Eric had no way of knowing I that he was going to be hit by a horse ; deliberately going and getting him at the - first turn. It wasnt as though two horses 3 were driving for the same hole in a big | field. Eric was doing just what he had ■ been told to do, and there was no reason 1 to expect that it was going to result in his s being bumped. Perhaps I should have told ■ him to drop back farther, in which case he - would have avoided trouble, or perhaps I 1 should have told him to go to the front at ■ the start, but I didnt. As it was, he was 5 beaten a head in a fast race. "Naturally," Vanderbilt continued, "Im i not happy about being beaten when I think I had the best horse, as the chart caller r wrote, but Im not blaming anybody but t the horse that hit him." Vanderbilt said that Native Dancer came : out of the Derby in fine condition, adding I that his suspicious ankles still didnt trou- ble the colt, however tney might disturb D the colts critics. "We havent made any definite decision 1 as to his next start," Vanderbilt said. "After " all, he isnt even back from Kentucky yet, but well probably start him in the g Withers before the Preakness." The Withers ~ mile is to be run at Belmont Park on May 16, while the Preakness this year will !j be renewed a week later, Vanderbilt also commented on Native Dancers bloodlines, remarking, "Those Kentuckians keep talking about his short pedigree, because they know he isnt going g to stand in Kentucky. Theyve even circu-t " lated stories that he would stand there, but hell be at Sagamore Farm in Maryland. As for his being short bred, Polynesian n didnt run in the Derby, but he beat the ? Derby winner in the Preakness and that colt wasnt catching him when he bowed t a tendon. They also seem to forget that Native Dancers granddam produced five ? stakes winners and was duly honored out there."
