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BILL CORUM— As president of Churchill Downs, he will be host to huge Derby crowd today. . I ; Nashua Tops Ten-Horse Field I In 52,500 Kentucky Derby Woodward Colt Meets Summer Tan Again in Richest Running of Classic Will Rule Odds-On Choice With Arch Rival Second in Demand and Swaps Third By CHARLES HATTON CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 6. — This is the hour of decision and a time for greatness. Ten of a possible 125 horses, culled from the many thousands foaled two years ago, and representing telescopic centuries of selective breeding and horsemanship, have been named for for this, the eighty-first and- most lucrative of all the Kentucky Derbys with 25,000 added, the richest added money event in the world. Heading the field for this epic mile and a quarter is William Woodward, Jr.s Nashua, ridden by "Heady Eddie" Arcaro, who has won five of these extravaganzas and who visualizes this one as "one of the toughest Derbys I have ever been in." Opposing the brassy son of Nasrullah are Mrs. John Galbreaths Summer Tan, who has offered him stubborn resistance since they were juveniles; the Cain Hoy entry of the Blue Grass winner Racing Fool and the Derby Trial hero Flying Fury, Rex Ellsworths Santa Anita Derby winner, Swaps; the Arkansas Derby winner, Trim Destiny; the Santa Anita Derby second, Jeans Joe; the improving Nabesna; the "dark horse," Honeys Alibi, and the Florida Derby runner-up, Blue Lem. Odds Will Probably Drop If all of the 10 named overnight turn up in the post parade for this Derby, it will haye a gross value of 52,500, and net its winner 08,400. This not to mention a ,000 gold cup, one of the most elaborate trophies in racing, which will be presented the winner by Kentuckys governor Lawrence Wetherby. Apart from the ,00,000 guaranteed the winner there is 5,0.00 second money, 2,500 third, and ,000 fourth. Nashua is expected to be 4-to-5 on the official program for the day, and probably will be less when the favorite players finish with him, in a pool which opens at 9:30 a.m. Summer Tan will be the second choice, Swaps the third in a race which Nashuas peole see as much more "open" than it might appear on paper. Owner Woodward, for example, does not think any horse is odds on to win a Derby, and jockey Arcaro has considerable respect for Summer Tan and Swaps, saying of the former "I fail to find much difference between them on the basis of their past performances," and of Swaps "he is no horse to take chances with." Of course, the fascination of this Derby is a return engagement between Nashua and Summer Tan, whose rivalry is one of the bitterest since Man o War and John P. Grier. They now have met five times, with Nashua returned the winner on four occasions, most recently in their breathtaking duel over the last frenzied yards of the Wood Memorial. Nashua was voted * Winner to Receive 08,400 Purse in 81st Presentation Of Downs Ten-Furlong Event the title among those of his generation last season, when he won the important Hopeful and Futurity, these two fixtures at Summer Tans direct expense. The discrepancy in their class is infinitesimal, and even the sage "Mr. Fitz" cannot find more than a head difference in them. Matter of fact, Summer Tan, currently called "the horse of destiny," was voted by a coterie *~ of handicappers "the most likely to succeed" in his division at three this year, and he was rated a pound better than Nashua in the Experimental. Mr. Average Fan takes an iconoclastic view, however, convinced that four out of five is conclusive evidence of some distinguishable margin of superiority, and that is the way the odds will be. Saturday. Debutante Also on Program The Derby has a secondary feature of 0,000 added in the Debutante Stakes for two-year-old fillies. It will doubtless be witnessed by the largest crowd to see a race for this sex all season, though "for the most "part the 10 entrants are an anonymous lot. Birch and Cherry, the Clifford Mooers coupling, are expected to rule the choices for this dash at about 2 to 1. There is a . quite general rail strike, nevertheless more than 25 special Derby grains are arriving in Louisville, the first of them from Memphis yesterday morning. Additionally the air lines have scheduled many extra sections of their flights, and to all indications the Derby attendance will mark a new record, exceeding 100,000. Under the terms of the Derby each of the entrants will attempt to carry 126 pounds a roaring "mile and a quarter without any water." The first horse to pass through the entry box, at a fee of 50, was the California threat Swaps, who won so impressively here last week end. His entry was received at 7:12 a. m. In the draw for post positions Blue Lem, who gave Nashuas less confident patrons quite a turn in the Florida Derby, drew the rail position. The going was muddy for Con ti rued on Page Thirteen KENTUCKY DERBY GOLD TROPHY that will go to the owner of todays Derby winner. i . . , i Nashua Heads Ten-Horse Field In 52,500 Kentucky Derby Woodward Colt Is Odds-On* Choice Over Summer Tan and Swaps in Ten-Furlong Test Continued from Page One that engagement, but Blue Lems people are sure that he is impartial in the matter of track conditions. The Cain Hoy colt, Flying Fury, drew number two, and then come Nabesna, Honeys Alibi, Nashua in number five, Trim Destiny, Racing Fool, Swaps, Jeans Joe, and on the extreme outside, Summer Tan. The latest weather forecast for Saturday is for showers, though the going today was dry and fast. Swaps was the only one of the entrants to indulge in anything other than mild exercise this morning. The Californian was timed a handy five furlongs in 1:02%. With Flying Fury and Racing Fool combined as the Cain Hoy entry, .the field comes =to nine interests. Riders for the Derby aspirants were contracted several, days ago and there is no change in their status. Chris Rogers w,ill ride Blue Lem, with "Convertible Conn" McCreary on Flying Fury, Johnny Adams astride Nabesna, Willie Harmatz booting Honeys Alibi, Eddie Arcaro on the favored Nashua, Lois Cook aboard TrimDestiny, Hank Moreno on Racing Fool, the sensa- j tional Willie Shoemaker on Swaps, Steve Brooks atop the mud runner, Jeans Joe and the familiar Eric Guerin on Summer Tan. Await My Old Kentucky Home Refrain The colts all have completed their train- ing in satisfactory fashion. Nashua andi Summer Tan could not be better, and both their connections have a healthy respect for Swaps. In fact Eddie Arcaro on the favorite says, "if he gets loose, he could win it all." A change in track conditions would improve the chances of both Swaps and Jeans Joe without hindering much those of Nashua and Summer Tan. Willie Shoemaker is no longer "Silent Shoe;" by the way. He has an abiding faith in his mount, and all week has been quite vocal about it. All now are marking- time for the nostalgic refrain of "My Old Kentucky Home." Their connections have done all they can for them. Now they are on their own, and they will succeed or fail on their own merits. Trainer Loyd Gentry, one of the youngest of his profession, is authority for it that Harry Guggenheims tandem of Racing Fool and Flying Fury came out of their recent successful qualifiers in fine fettle. Except that he feels the latter could have done with more experience in winter racing before attempting the Derby ordeal. Owner William Woodward, Jr., is well pleased with the progress his Nashua has made since coming here, and while the outsize son of Nasrullah won the Florida Derby in the mud, he hopes for dry footing this Derby Day. Sherrill Ward, the horsewise young man who trains Summer Tan, could not be more pleased with the Heliopolis colts condition. He reports the rakish bay now has orien- tated himself and fully settled down in his unfamiliar surroundings, and he came out of his recent six furlongs breeze in 1 : 14 without the slightest trace of weariness.! In point of fact it was a far better work than it looks on paper, for another horse breaking off in front of him, pulled up midway the stretch and his exercise boy Jimmy Middleton, was forced to stand up in the stirrups to avoid a collision. The fact that Johnny Adams was engaged to ride Nabesna Thursday gave implicit information that the lucky Hasty House Farm had abandoned any thought of having a starter in the race. Alibilt "stopped with his mouth wide open" in the Blue Grass Stakes, and Prince Noor ran an inexcusably bad race in the Derby Trial. Racing Fool and Nashua were paddocked between races Thursday afternoon, neither showing the slightest washiness. Swaps, who is a flower watcher, and Summer Tan had previously been to this area, acquainting themselves with the new surroundings. Trainer, "Mickey" Tenney, incidentally, himself plates Swaps, whose race last week end gave many residents of Derbytown the impression he is going to require an exciting amount of catching in the history making mile and a quarter this Saturday.
