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Churchill Downs 1 By Charles Nation 1 1Anent Anent the Tijdes of Men and Horses Gen Dukes Defection Disappointing Jota Jota Better Than Oaks Suggests SuggestsDERBY DERBY DAY Derbytown Ky 10 AM May 4 The pennants are flying on Fourth Avenue and snap ¬ ping in the breeze from the twinspired rooftops of the ancient Downs A band is in the innerfield trying to compete with a ground wind that twists the music of whatever it is they are playing so that one bar is muted the next a crashing crescendo Thousands already are swarming through the turnstiles But over at the Calumet barn in the quiet of the backstretch the atmosphere of anxiety that pervaded the premises since last Wednesday has given way to an abysmal gloom It is like a wake Gen Duke has just been withdrawn from the Kentucky Derby And as Mayor Jimmy Jqnes says A horse only gets one chance to become a Derby winner One may philosophize thats horse racing Nevertheless a sense of the keenest personal disappointment is felt as word of The Gen ¬ erals defection spreads from stable to stable to the little knots of hangers on along Central Avenue and finally to the dressy happy crowds queuing up before the entrances Frankly this writer had thought there was a better than 5050 chance he would start So had Ben and Jimmy Jones yesterday Then that heat de ¬ veloped in his hoof when he tried to do something on it this morning morningThe The Markeys and the Joneses made the only de ¬ cision possible in the circumstances sending the less renowned Iron Liege postward to go it alone What now one wonders What of The Generals chances in the Preakness second of the Triple Crown events If he cannot train satisfactorily Tor the Derby is there time enough to mend his hoof and have him at the top of his form two weeks hence The fact his injury is not localized is not encouraging And then again trainer Jones doubts if Barbizon can be quite fit enough in the interval between now and the Bun for the BlackEyed Susans though he is back in work It would be an unforgivable injustice to either of these splendid colts to start him when he is not prepared to do himself full credit creditIron Iron Liege Put On the Spot SpotThus Thus while Gen Duke and Barbizon will live to fight Bold Ruler Gallant Man or whoever another day the dominion Mrs Markeys colts held a week ago will be threatened when the nostalgic refrain of My Old Kentucky Home rolls across the Downs this afternoon and again when they play Maryland My Maryland on the old Hilltop A great deal depends on Iron Liege For weeks it has been speculated he is intrinsically best of Mrs Markeys colts Now it is up to him himWhen When racing men were not discussing the Derby in its new aspects this morning they were reviewing the Kentucky Oaks As the field for the 83d running of the Derby for Fillies went mincing to the gate yesterday little Tommy Oliphant remarked to us This is a good field and the Oaks is a great race It has not been pub ¬ licized like the Derby Few of those in the crowd down there in the stand appreciate it But it is a great race raceTo races s To Soto and Berkes lathey bay LoriEl goes the honor of winning the stakes this year This daughter of Eternal Reward is not low on that quality horsemen call bottom That she has some depth was evident earlier in the season when she was beaten less than a length competing with colts in the Arkansas Derby In the Derby eves mile and onesixteenth she followed Nile Lily like a shadow to the head of the stretch went to the front when that daughter of Roman com ¬ pounded and won off by herself She has a background which would delight a Sunday supplement editor for Mike Soto paid the princely sum of 700 for her as a yearling later selling an interest to Berke Soto is part owner trainer and a diamond cutter cutterPoint Point Cain Hoy Pair for Acorn and Oaks OaksWe We always go to the paddock to inspect the Oaks fields stopped to chat with Captain Guggenheim and Woody Stephens and stayed on to admire Jota Jota This brown daughter of Double Jay is as channing a bit of blood as we have ever seen and we are afraid that we are a perfectionist in these matters Her race was disappointing She was forced wide on the first turn in trouble when Pamper Me stopped her in the middle of a bold run in the upper stretch and had no chance thereafter This is a serious filly as we took her to be when we watched her at Saratoga last sum ¬ mer Stephens is shipping to New York from here and you will hear from Jota Jota and Nile Lily in the Acorn and CCA Oaks if all goes well in the interim interimE E Gay Drakes Swoons Son who reminds us of Mickey Walker the Toy Bulldog could not have been more impressive on his return to competition than he was in the Churchill Downs Handicap Carrying top weight of 128 pounds making all the running and repulsing challenge after challenge from Sea O Erin and Star Rover he accelerated beautifully when Dave Erb clucked to him near the end He looked to us amiable aware and able When we sought out Lex Wilson to compliment him on putting down his charge in such resplendent bloom and condition he opined modestly that Good horses make good trainers If Swoons Son is limited as to distance ratio he does have class He is the Englishmans beau ideal of the mile Guineas type indeed could readily be mistaken for My Babu a bay Guineas winner we saw at the Gaekwar of Barodas in Ireland and who now is in stud at Les Combs Spendthrift in Kentucky It is to be hoped that Drake will show him to eastern enthusiasts sometime during the season seasonTurf Turf ana Hugh Fontaine has no immediate plans for Needles now in residence over at Pimlico Barbizon continues to progress Trained late yesterday morning doing things with a verve Three genera ¬ tions of the house of Fitzsimmons were represented Derby Day Mr Fitz an inveterate moviegoer until the advent of TV says The late show keeps me up nights Trouble is they save the best for the last Johnny Adams tells us son J R luckily escaped his fall with only a few sore back ribs Chuck Connors piece on prep races struck some sympathetic chords Truly as Mrs Gene Markey observes Gen Duke has a grand head Can only have inherited it from his granddam Easy Lass Bull Lea and Wistful have plain frontis ¬ pieces The Duke is a big little horse scarcely 153 at the wither
