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JAMgS FITZSIMMONS The dean of American trainers is saddling Wheatley Stables Bold Ruler in todays Kentucky Derby a race he already has won with Gallant Fox Omaha and Johnstown Crack Field of Ten Competes In 153300 Kentucky Derby Gen Duke Bold Ruler Round Table And Gallant Man Named for Classic Condition of Calumet Cot Key Factor in Downs Route Test 109200 for Winner WinnerBy By CHARLES IIATTON IIATTONCHURCHILL CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky May 3 A brilliant field of 10 the fittest and the fastest of 9000 threeyearolr has been named for the 83d running of tie 153300 Kentucky Derby first and most famous of the American classics In the minds of the gay thousands assembling in liquid sunshine on the legendary Downs today this will be the toughest of all the Derbys The qualifications were never higher The Easts Bold Ruler Kentuckys Gen Duke the Wests Round Table Gal ¬ lant Man and Federal Hill all can make the watches sing They collaborated in breaking records in events of the impor ¬ tance of the Flamingo Florida Derby Blue Grass Stakes and Wood Memorial A reci ¬ tation of their attainments sounds a little prodigal It is like a roll of drums And now they come to the most searching test of their careers careersAccompanying Accompanying them to the post when the old familiar suspenseful refrain of My Old Kentucky Home floats across the Downs will be Mister Jive Shan Pac Bet ¬ ter Bee Indian Creek and Gen Dukes running mate Iron Liege It is significant that capable as they are these are dark horses in the Derby The events leading up to this history making mile and one quarter the most exciting two minutes in sports have shuffled and twisted the odds oddsTrial Trial Outcome Changes Picture PictureThe The Calumets were staunch favorites when they went to the postfor Tuesdays mile Derby Trial in which Federal Hill buoyed up the hopes of Louisvillians and Gen Duke dashed those of many of his supporters Second at a respectful distance Gen Duke came out of his engagement with a bruised heel Clouds of anxiety and an uncertainty he would be a starter hung over the Calumet camp even as he was entered for the Run for the Roses Trainer H A Jimmy Jones said He is 1000 per cent better this morning We had him on the track and he showed no trace of favoring of his left fore onyhis new bar plate We plan to breeze him a little open ¬ ing him up a quarter or so tomorrow morn ing before the Derby betting windows open I would like to take up to 45 minutes of post to decide but we will make a de ¬ cision before play begins I agree with you he handles himself well and looks bright as can be now Derby observers reflected that Lawrin in 1938 had a similar injury never ¬ theless proved the winner But the disturb ¬ ing news of his foot left something to be desired combined with Bold Rulers sensa ¬ tional six furlongs spin in 111 finds the Wheatley colt sharing favoritism with the Calumets at 2tol in early lines linesPresident President Bill Corum of Churchill Downs is confident that a concourse of true Derby proportions consistently and conservative ¬ ly estimated at some 100000 will tie pres ¬ ent for this presentation of Americas greatest turf drama The crush of visitors will include thousands from coast to coast and Canada among them Secretary of the Todays Running Regarded As Toughest of All See Support for Federal Hill Treasury George M Humphrey Kentuckys Governor Albert B Happy Chandler who presents the tall stately Derby trophy and fully a dozen other governors and U S senators The crowd converging on the twinspired stands is a cross section of Americana on a racing holiday Long range weather forecasts are optimistic optimisticIf If all the field of 10 actually compete the winner will find enduring f amej a gross purse of 110800 109200 net and the cherished gold cup at the end of the quar termile long homestretch that little little piece of dirt where the race of their lives is run runTrack Track conditions are a piquant consider ¬ ation for the Calumets and for Round Table this week end Trainer Jones says Iron Liege thinks mud is chocolate ice cream We cannot think he would much fancy racing Gen Duke in a bar plate in going which might ball up beneath his hoof Indeed it was with reluctance he plated the colt in this fashion And it ap ¬ pears essential to Round Table that it is weather clear track fast here on the Downs at post time 430 Central Daylight Time this Saturday Though the race now is televised live nationally by CBS this has not adversely influenced the volume of attendance and play Indeed last Derby days wagering reached a new alltime sidereal high of 4360232 There is no standout in this years highly contentious field and it would not be at all surprising if more tote records were established establishedConsidering Considering the element of exceptional speed which has been introduced into this Derby and the fact the weather bureau clin perceive only a quarterinch of rain within the next five days it is perfectly possible that the mile and onequarter track record will go by the boards The present rather challenging mark is Whirl aways 201 established when he won the Derby by eight consummate lengths in 1941 Plain Ben Jones who has a fancy Derby record saddled Whirlaway in that epic performance Now he is general man ¬ ager of the Calumet racing stable his son Mayor Jimmy attending the training de ¬ tails Jones and Jones have sent forth no fewer than six winners of this first of the Triple Crown events The artful and artis ¬ tic jockey Eddie Arcaro who rides flashy opinionated courageous Bold Ruler also will be attempting to better his record Five times now he has pulled up in the disputed territory of the winners circle after the Battle of Roses RosesIronically Ironically enough it was Gen Duke about whose chances of starting some take a despondent view who had the luck to Continued on Page 38 D Ten Seek 1 53300 Kentucky Derby Name Gen Duke Bold Ruler Round Table Gallant Man EightyThird Running Seen s Toughest of All Status Of Calumet Colt Big Factor FactorContinued Continued from Page 1 draw the No 1 post position His stable mate Iron Liege is in No 7 Willie Har ¬ tack probably will have his choice of mounts and probably will select The Gen ¬ eral with Dave rb handling Iron Liege though no boy was claimed for either colt Again ironically the colt named for the Souths Civil War hero is among the least likely to advantage from the rail position though it could save him some valuable real estate He customarily dawdles during the early stages pouring on the speed where it counts in the final two furlongs furlongsThree Three Speed Merchants on 0 us tide tideThere There are no fewer than three genuine certified speed merchants just outside Gen Duke in the gate Mister Jive Fed ¬ eral Hill Hound Table Then in No 4 comes Gallant Man whose relentless stretch challenge gave Bold Rulers backers such a turn in the Wood Memorial Mid ¬ way the field near the firm crown of the track we find Indian Creek Mrs Ada L Rices late runner and toward the outside in No 8 there is Bold Ruler whose ad ¬ mirers hayeltecome so legion almost over ¬ night owing to his public trial and Gen Dukes misfortune misfortuneMister Mister Jives presence in the Derby is rather fortuitous He was flown to the Downs as a sort of opportunistic after ¬ thought when his Canadian owner J L Appelbaum learned that the invincible Calumets had been humbled by Federal Hill in last Tuesdays trial This seemed to expose them as vulnerable But history tells u that no fewer than six colts who were beaten into second place in the short annals of the Trial went on to win the Derby itselfl And it may give provincial Derby towners pause to reflect that only three Trial winners brought off a double in the Rose Run RunHedley Hedley Woodhouse has been named to handle Mister Jive this rather fateful week end with the familiar Willie Carstens on I the lively Federal Hill the veteran Ralph Neves on Round Table Willie Shoemaker substituting for the suspended John Cho quette on Gallant Man George Taniguchi astride Indian Creek and of course Heady Eddie Arcaro on the favorite As an in ¬ teresting aside there is also a fatherand son combination riding in the 82d renewal of the Derby with Johnny Adams on Bet ¬ ter Bee and son J R Adams aboard Shan Pac Better Bee will go away one of the ranked outsiders at about 30 to 1 despite his resolute finish in the Trial in which he earned third place placeEach Each of the competitors comes up to this mile and onequarter under 126 pounds patently ready to give the maxi ¬ mum of his potential with the possible ex ¬ ception of Gen Duke and Jimmy Jones said of him when his injury showed that he had completed his training Each en ¬ trant comes recommended by a good show ¬ ing in hislatest sally Bold Ruler fought back to win the Wood from a grim Gallant Man Gen Dukes race in the Trial would looked good on most horses Iron Liege gave it the old school try in going that Erb thinks he disliked until The General took up the futile pursuit of Federal Hill The Lussky colt ran the mile in 136 under 122 pounds and worked on out the Derby route in 204 faster than many Derbys have been run Round Table knocked a second and threefifths off Keenelands nine furlongs mark in the Blue Grass In ¬ dian Creek was running on heartily at the end of the Trial Shan Pac was beaten off in the Blue Grass but obviously satisfied his connections who are prepared to pay 1500 to start him Mister fives Long Is ¬ land form is rather equivocal but his peo ¬ ple want convincing he cannot cope with this field fieldFrom From this distance it has all the most exciting aspects of a real shooting match every stride of the 10 historic furlongs The questions move on to a more debatable plateau so to speak How will they per ¬ form under 126 pounds going the classical route of a mile and onequarter Will the early speed defeat the highly fancied Bold Ruler Or set it up for the Calumets These are the 100000 guaranteed ques ¬ tions We shall have the answers in a few hours
