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*».,,,.,.., Ireland Hugh Lupus Seeks 2,000 Guineas By TOM COOPER Dublin Correspondent, Daily Racing Form DUBLIN, Ireland.— The Irish Two Thousand Guineas, first of the classic races of the season, is to be run at one *».,,,.,.., mile nute at at The The Curragh Curragh mile nute at at The The Curragh Curragh on Wednesday. This years race is more than usually intriguing, as its result may throw some light on the clouded puzzle of the English Derby to be run. one week later. Most attention will be focused on Lady Ursula Vernons Hugh Lupus, at one time joint joint favorite favorite for for the the joint joint favorite favorite for for the the English Two Thousand Guineas with the eventual winner, Our Babu. It may be remembered that in the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket last October, Hugh Lupus and Our Babu fought a desperate finish in which victory went to the latter by the shortest of short heads. In his first race of the current season Hugh Lupus followed the fashion of the leading classic colts in both England and Ireland by getting himself well and truly beaten by Ballymartial at The Curragh. Despite this defeat his chances in the English Guineas were considered bright, until the colt himself took a turn in proceedings by displaying a strong aversion to the airplane carrying him across the Irish Sea. His antics necessitated the return of the plane to Ireland and Hugh Lupus did not go to the starting gate for the first English classic race. Hugh Lupus conqueror at The Curragh, Ballymartial, was prominent for most of the journey and finished with his stable campanion, Flying Story, within a few lengths of the winner, Our Babu. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that Hugh Lupus might have finished in the money over the Newmarket mile, which would be more in his favor than six furlongs at The Curragh. However he runs next Wednesday it is planned that Hugh Lupus, willy-nilly, shall travel by boat and rail to Epsom for the Derby. The field for the Irish classic race will be further improved by the presence of at least three runners from the powerful McGrath stable. The probable starters are Pana-slipper, one of last years best two-year-olds who has yet to run this season; Bally Damian and Flying Story. It is possible that Ballymartial may replace one of the three colts, the most likely being Flying Story. Whichever of these two colts is started it must give a clear line as to the relative merits of the English and Irish three-year-old colts. The value of the Irish Two Thousand Guineas as a line on the Epsom Derby has obviously been appreciated by the shrewd judge cf racing, Prince Aly Kahn. He is sending Zinosca over from France to take his chance. Zinosca s running at The Curragh should give the stable a fair idea of the chances of Hafiz n., who is currently third favorite in the antepost betting on the Derby. Irish interests in the Epsom classic received a real boost last week when the Paddy Prendergast-traJned Daemon cantered home eight lengths in front of his closest opponent in the Chester Vase. This race has often proved a good trial for the Epsom classic, such horses as Hyperion and Windsor Lad coming to mind as having won it before going on to their Derby triumph. Daemons chances- are hard to summarize, as he has appeared only three times on a race . course. Backward as a two-year-old, Daemon started once and failed to be in the first three, but he easily won his two races this year. As he will not start again before the Derby we shall have no more chance of estimating his ability on the race course, but can examine his pedigree, which is excellent. Sired by Niccolo Dell Area out of Kyanos, by Blue Peter, Daemon is closely related to Neocracy, the dam of Tulyar. Neocracy is by Nearco, a half-brother to Niccolo DellArca, and is herself a half-sister to Kyanos. Niccolo DellArca has yet to sire an English classic winner, but must be capable of doing so. A brilliant race horse in Italy and Germany, Niccolo DellArca won the Italian Derby by 20 lengths. He was retired to stud in Italy and spent the first six years of his career there. During that period he sired several Italian classic winners, of whom the best was Daumier, now at stud in Kentucky. He has had a fair measure of success since coming to stud in England and is the sire of many winners, including* the brilliant filly, Bebe Grande. Breeding counts for more in the Derby at Epsom than in any other race we know of, and unlike some of the other fancied candidates, Daemon possesses all the credentials on this score. Seldom have the neighboring Dublin mountains re-echoed such thunderous cheering as on a wintry day last week when Quare Times won an unimportant hurdle race at Leopardstown. Although the race was of little account, the occasion, we believe, was historic. Never before has a Grand National winner returned triumphantly to the race course within two months of his Aintree victory. Certainly not in a hurdle race. Even the most staid racegoers rushed around to the unsaddling enclosure to give a real Irish welcome to the smiling rider Pat Taaffe, trainer Vincent OBrien, and Quare Times. Earlier that afternoon Quare Times, and Careys Cottage, who finished third in the big Liverpool event, were paraded before the huge crowds in the jumping enclosure at the Royal Dublin Society spring show. It was a wonderful and well-deserved eve-of-wedding send-off for Pat Taaffe. First man down the stairs from the owners and trainers stand was a usually calm, but now excited Tom Dreaper to congratulate his stable jockey. As pleased as anybody else was Dan Moore, owner-trainer of the runner-up to Quare Times, who was thus deprived of a four-timer in the evening. Cheering news was conveyed to Moore, confined to his sick bed, by telephone from the course, that three of his runners had collected the first three jump- Contimiod on Page Forty-Eight
