The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-12
THE CALIFORNIA DERBY
Great Struggle for Three Year
Old Supremacy.
THE PROBABLE STARTERS
There Will Be at Least Eight of Them.
First Tenor and Formero Will
Fight 1t Out for First
Place
Special Dispatch to the Standard.

Special Dispatch to the Standard,
San Francisco, March 1.-THE third re-
newal of the California Derby stakes
takes place next Saturday and great
struggle for the S-year-old supremacy is
anticipated. The first California DERBY,
in 1897, resulted in a win for Scarborough.
rank outsider, who beat Scarfpin, the
favorite, by scant head after a desper-
ate battle. Last year the fast at faint
hearted Traverser won this event from
the start to the finish. with the Brutus
colt Borga, a close second
There will be at least eight starters this
time and the field will be of the best cal
iber that has yet faced the starter. Three
of the most prominent candidates are
First Tenor, Formero and Survivor Cor
sine. who gave promise OF being dam
gerous element, has gone wrong. and will
not even be a starter. 1t looks as if the
Derby field will be as follows:
First Tenor, Thorpe. 122 pounds: Obsid-
ian, Piggott, 122 pounds; Formero, spen-
GER. 122 pounds; Olinthus. Shields, 122
pounds; Sam MclIeever, Hennessy, 122
pounds Los Medanos, -----, 100 pounds;
Survivor Skeets Martin, 1872 pounds,
Limewater -, 122 pounds; Espionage,
-, III pounds.
The racing public has an excellent line
on the various candidates and it is ex-
pected that First Tenor and Formero will
fight it out for first place First Tenor
and Formero both showed trst-class quail
hai a at ct m ThItrc lo,-
Adolph Spreckels 106 pounds. beat First
Tenor length in a race at mile and
and eighth, while yesterday Formero beat
Adolph Spreckels a head at a mile and Il
sixteenth in AS, which is very good time
for the Ing.eside track. Adolph Spreck-
els carried Ill pounds to Formeros 103
pounds, or in d nutshell, Formero was
meeting Adoph Spreckeis on II pounds
better terms than First Tenor did II
must be borne in mind, however, that
Formero got fully five lengths the worst
of the start, which would bring the two
colts very close together. At mile
Formero should win, but at a mile and
quarter First Tenor is given preference,
as he finished like a cyclone in his last
race. and despite the great difference in
weights. would doubtless have beaten
Ado.ph Spreclels if the race had been a
furlong longer 1t must not be over
looked that Adolph Spreckels is the horse
that ran a mile and <>lrter over the
Oakland track in FOG with the same
weight uD that. he carried in his race
against First Tenor. ,
Survivor may prove dangerous but
still he does not show to such advantage
as either First Tenor or Formero. To be
sure, he beat Adolph Spreckels rather
clevery at a mile. but Pat Dunn's Der
by candidate carried only 81 pounds to
Spreckels 106.
Sam McKeever was regarded as having
a royal chance at one time. but the colt
has done nothing in public since he went
amiss.
George Baldwin is giving Los Medanos
thorough preparation and he is undoubt-
eddy better colt than is generally con-
sidered still he can hardly be expected
to take the measure of either First Tenor,
Formero or Survivor.
Burns & Waterhouse will also send OBJ
sidian to the post and NJ J. Kelly, who
is "prepping" the of Stromboli has
great expectations of his charge. who is u
capital weight packer His work has been
most satisfactory and Obsidian may prove
a factor in the race.
Ointhus can be expected to run a true
race and weight should not be a bother
to him, but the distance may prove lit
tie beyond him, although he has shown
rare gameness al all distances less than a
mile.
Espionage captured the California Oaks
but it is rather too much to expect the
filly to win the Derby.
Limewater is a very fair colt, but has
not displayed the Derby class.
The California Derby is at mile and a
quarter for a guaranteed stake of $500.