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News From England Nearula Favorite For Epsom Derby By CLIVE GRAHAM London Correspondent, Daily Racing Form LONDON. England. May 14, Nearula has settled down as firm first choice for next months Epsom Derby. If all goes well with him, he is unlikely to be seriously challenged in the betting. He will not run again before our major classic, so there is, therefore, no possibility of a defeat. It remains to be seen, though, whether he is relatively as good at one and a half miles as he has proved himself over shorter distances. The The writer writer clings clings to to the the The The writer writer clings clings to to the the opinion that the Derby distance will be too far for him. We saw a first-class trial in the Chester Vase last week, when Empire Honey by Honey way got the better of R. S. Clarks Good Brandy by Rockefella by a neck. The runner-up was giving the winner one pound, so they are virtually inseparable. , This race, run over one mile, five furlongs, was an excellent test, for the pace was really hot from flagfall. "Manny" Mercer rode Empire Honey and Douglas Smith was on Good Brandy. Douglas appeared to take matters somewhat easily. But the colt had only twice worked at a distance farther than one mile, and, thinking at the head of the two -furlong stretch that he was going to win easily, he let the colt down. Mercer put Empire Honey under full pressure, came at Good Brandy in the last eighth, and appeared to take him by surprise. At the wire. Good Brandy was running on again, and he had the advantage once more 10 yards after passing the winning post. More unlikely things could happen Continued on Page Thirty-Nine ! r r » ; l as $ e ,_ at ,t L_ ._ j ;e n L_ ;_ his is ,h n it for 3r st »d " his is the ie ly the ie 10 10 no js. | Graham Reports | j it Continued from Page Three t than that these two colts will again fill J the first two places at Epsom. Premonition fell from grace when out- J speeded at Sandown Park by Bandoola, after a falsely run race. The winner, a son of Vatellor, is trained by Marcus Marsh and J will take his chance in the Derby with 1 J Charlie Smirke riding. The trainers view [ is that in such a moderate year any horse | with stamina and a top-class jockey could , easily be given a winning chance. There ; i are some more tests due to be held this week and most importance is attached to the Lingfield Park Derby Trial Stakes one j | ! and a half miles Saturday. This is the ! . race chosen for the Queens Aureole, who I , j will be opposed by Mountain King and 1 ! , Prince Canarina. Mountain King is a big slashing colt by Chamosraire out of a Rhodes Scholar mare. He worked brilliantly at Newmarket last Saturday, and then proceeded to bite off the top of his grooms finger. So he seems somewhat of an awkward customer. Wilwyn returned brilliantly to winning , j form at Kempton with a victory by eight i lengths in the Victor Wild Stakes. Owner i Bob Boucher is still undecided whether r future plans will allow him to take his s horse back to America in a second bid for y the Washington, D. C, International at t Laurel. Boucher is attempting to syndicate the horse. It is possible, if syndication is s taken up, joint owners might not agree to 0 risking a trans-atlantic air journey so late e in the season. Old Hyperion was responsible e for yet another big race when the five-year-Old - Eastern Emperor won the Chester r . ! Cup. This is one of our major handicaps is for stayers. A 45 -pound Cheshire cheese ! ! goes to the owner of the winner. i The Kempton Park Jubilee Handicap went to the five -year-old Durante, who i was winning for the second successive : year. He is a son of Dante, winner of j the 1945 Derby. Dante is the sire of the ; | Italian three-year-old colt Toulouse Lau- I j tree, who h?s been entered for the valu- ! ! able King George VI and Queen Elizabeth i J Stakes at Ascot in July. I The threat from France this year seems is to be less than at any time since the war. r. | I We agree with Tim Vigors that the Irish ;h J horses may prove a greater force especially ly in the two-year-old department. Paddy Prendergast brought a couple of two-year-at r- olds over to Chester, and both won. One of of them was a filly called Sixpence, who is a a sister to Ballydam, who was exported to to America 18 months ago. The general quality ty of two-year-olds seen in action so far has as not been particularly striking. Call Girl. rl. winner of three successive races, is prob-io b- ably as good as any. She is a most attracts tive daughter of Court Martial, sire in in America of the Rokeby Stables Shing.
