The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-05-04

With the forty-fourth running of the
Kentucky Derby only two weeks away
speculation as to the outcome OF the
$4,000 classic is becoming keener
with each succeeding day. This year
the event carries an international
aspect through the present among
the sixty-nine eligibles of twenty
horses that we're bred and foaled on
foreign soil. Consequently the dope
sters are having their troubles in at
tempting to forecast the result.
Will England again beat America?
Last year Omar Khayyan. an English
bred colt. triumphed, marking the
initial success of foreign bred colt.
Sun Briar. Papp. War Cloud and JACK
Hare, Jr., are the choices OF eastern
turf folk, while Escoba, Freecutter,
James T. Clark, Everest and James
Foster are the potential ones among
the patrons of racing in Kentucky.
At the present writing the talent
seems to be divided between Sun
Briar. the most formidable of the
foreign representatives, and Escoba,
native bred runner. The event will be
decided at Churchill Downs on May
IL. It is the most important race for
runners on this years program.
kentucky is enjoying record-break-
ing running season this spring. The
season of sixty-eight racing days is
now we'll under way. 1t started with
the Lexington meeting, and will corr
tinue through the Latonia meeting in
mid-July. All told half million dol
lars will be distributed in stakes and
a. lott OY,
OF the state. The Lexington and
Churchill Downs tracks will contrib
ute nearly 100000 of this amount.
while the Douglas Park and Latonia
tracks will furnish the remaining
100000. The climax of the season
will not be reached until the scene of
racing shifts to Latonia with It's
wealth of rich stake offerings and its
splendid clientele of patrons-a Glen
tele, by the way, which will be swelled
considerably by the presence of many
who have been accustomed to pat
ronize racing in Canada, where the
sport has been suspended on account
of war conditions.
We have never been able to under
stand the weird mental reasonings of
club owners will give local boy a
serious try-out. How many ball play
ers do you know Of who have scared
to fame on the home town ball club?
A prophet Is not without honor save
in his own country. This bit OF
ancient wisdom seems to pc most ap-
plicable to baseball.
More often than not the home"
team is represented by players from
all parts of the nation except the
very part 1t is fighting for. The Oak
land team of the Pacific Coast league
Is proving an exception in this respect
this season. Whether it was due to a
desire to economic or whether the
youngsters really showed exceptional
ability isn't known, but it is fact that
the team is composed principally of
local striplings-and Is winning more
games than it is losing.
The teams crack battery Is COM
posed Of two home town boys, Caldera
and Murray. The former Is a south.
paw pitcher and looks like a genuine
scintillant. Another local prodigy who
will bear watching is Chicken Hawks, !
an infielder who Is just out Of high
school. Hawks is said to be the fast
est man in the Coast league. Croll
and Christensen who perform around
the middle Of the diamond are Oak /
land lads.
And what do the fans think about !
the clubs policy in giving the home /
town boys chance to star in major i
league company? Why they are so
disguised that instead of attending in |
lots of 1000 as was their wont in |
previous seasons they are merely turn
ing out in crowds of 1000 and 5000
There Is no reason in the world why a
ball player can't play just as well
in his own home town as anywhere
else.