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Judges Stand 1 By Charles Hatton i Needles Seen as OnetoBeat in Derby Speedy Count Chic May Prove a Factor Past Renewals of Downs Classic Recalled RecalledCHURCHILL CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky May 4 Needles the Whitney entry Count Chic That is the way it looks to us in this Kentucky Derby Needles shall have to pick up his weight 126 pounds since winning the Flamingo and the Florida Derby with a fivepound homebred con ¬ cession but he did not appear to require any such allowance in either event and we believe that he will be there to rectify any mistakes in this Run for the Roses The Whitney colts are both nice horses Our preference is Eddie Arcaros mount Head Man though he has been beaten a couple of times in recent days He is more impartial about track conditions than is his stablemate Career Boy And he is bred to get the trip Beyond that we can only say that Arcaro likes him We put Count Chic in there third for the reason he is a speed horse who may get loose from the field and prevail the rest of the distance Many shrewd handicappers consider that this Derby is set up for a front runner From what we have seen of him Fabius has shown no disposition to carry 126 a mile and onequarter though he did win the Derby Trial hands down On past performances he can stop as fast as he can start startTo To all present indications this will not only be the richest of all the Derbys but it will attract the greatest crowd Transportation accommodations in and out of the Falls City are at a premium and the management cannot recall when reserved seats have been in greater demand despite TV and radio Some years ago the Downs club was hesitant about telecasting its race but experience has shown that it grows apace each season nevertheless whether because or in spite of this form of public relations The proceeds revert to the American Red Cross At the moment the crowds are pouring into Louisville and Bill Corum and Tom Young are setting the stage It promises to be one of the most stirring renewals in the long annals of this mile and one quarter quarterSaw Saw George Smith Win 1916 Thriller ThrillerIn In the vein of remembrances of things past this will be the steenth Derby we have covered A native of the Downs area we saw our first Derby when the lathy black George Smith won by exciting inches over Star Hawk who was virtually left back in 1916 Thenceforward we say Omar Khayyam Exterminator Sir Barton Paul Jones Behave Yourself Morvich Zev Black Gold Flying Ebony Bubbling Over Whiskery Reigh Count Clyde Van Dusen Gallant Fox Twenty Grand Gallahadion Shut Out Count Fleet Pensive Hoop Jr Assault Jet Pilot Citation Ponder Middle ground Dark Star and many other horses of the Downs under the garland of roses It is a peculiar race in a way in that it is a sprint of a mile and onequarter and does not necessarily follow that the best horse invariably wins We shall always think cynically perhaps that with a little better luck Star Hawk an imported Sun star colt racing for A K Macomber should have beaten George Smith that Upset the only horse to beat Man o War would have downed Paul Jones with a more alert ride that Black Servant would have defeated his stablemate Behave Yourself except for waiting tactics he was beaten inches and that Gallahadian was lucky to get through on the inside all the time against Bimelech In the case of Clyde Van Dusen he had an assist from the elements The heavens opened with one of those sudden thunderstorms about 15 minutes before post time and made the track a fit site for a regatta Water was standing three feet deep on the clubhouse turn When he came to the paddock Pony McAtee took one look at Clyde Van Dusen and began to be doubtful McAtee always liked horses of a stature that could look out through the transom of their stalls And Clyde Van Dusen was only about 152 at the withers But he was reassured that this was nevertheless a runner He went to the front before Blue Larkspur and Mack Garner at the start and never looked back backAssault Assault Had an Easy Time of It ItGarner Garner was beating a tattoo on the highly fancied Blue Larkspur before they got to the sixfurlong pole One of the easiest of all Derby winners was Assault He could have been on the lead going into the club ¬ house turn and when Mehrtens turned him loose en ¬ tering the stretch opened up eight lengths without the slightest difficulty Each Derby etches a new chapter in the history of this time mellowed event and the continuity is always interestingly varied variedWhat What the race this week end will bring we do not know and shall not pretend to but it ought to be very entertaining As we say Needles must be our choice on the basis of his previous accomplishments There will be no holding Floridians if he does win Actually the son of Ponder was conceived in Kentucky at Calu ¬ met Farm though people in the Everglades State are resentful when reminded of this They naturally like to stand on The Jockey Clubs absurd technicality that a horse is bred where he is foaled Why we can only guess Perhaps it is for purposes of registration fees and the furtherance of homebred races such as they theyContinued Continued on Page 47 D JUDGES STAND STANDBy By CHARLES I1ATTON Continued horn Page 48 D Dare are of tener than not As a French impres ¬ sionist would say A horse is a horse is a horse horseTurfana Turfana Final payment for the 56 Selima is due June 15 One of the com ¬ petitors in Laurels horsenaming contest wants to call the colt Dan Patch for the noted pacer of some years ago Tony DeSpiritos riding career appears to have come to an end Roosevelt had a press party the other night Career Boy would risk a further infection racing in soft going Brownie Leach has published a bale of literature on this Derby All roads will lead to Pimlicp following this week ends classic Lou Pondfield is on hand for it Everybody has steaks and a refresher Also a convivial time Those are not really American Beauties in the Derby floral wreath Depends upon what the flor ¬ ists have that are fresh and flourishing There will be a showing of racing watercolors here in the fall Keenelands Duval Headley expects to attend the Derby DerbyJ J Samuel Perlman will as usual be on hand for the Run for the Roses There are plans for more accommodations at the Downs William McKinley Cook is rid ¬ ing in rare form here Laurels parade of carriage elegance in imported cars has attracted a lot of attention The Mercedes Benz is really wavyr as they say You can imagine Les Combs elation at the news a Royal Charger Gilles de Retz won the 2000 Guineas Royal Charger is syndicated at his Spendthrift stud Roger Poincelet still thinks Landy Lawrences Buisson Ar ¬ dent would have been more of a factor ex ¬ cepting for interference Buisson Ardent is by the American stallion Relic and ranked with the best in England and France last season
