The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-05-09
KENTUCKY DERBY
HAS BEST CLASS
IN ITS HISTORY
Picking Winner Of Classic Is
Difficult Matter,

LOUISVILLE, May 9.-In Sun BHsr
and War Cloud. tho former the biggest
money winning thoroughbred OF amy
age on the American turf last season
the latter winner Of the 10000 walden
stakes ht PimCO In November and q
colt tho experts " the east have picked
~ the llkellest OF tho 2year- oldS Of 1871
10 distinguish himself as n distance run
ner- tho forty fourth Kentucky Derby
has attracted what appear to be- the most
formidable Of the forelgn-bfed S-ychf-
oldA that will race on this Eldo Of the
Atlantic this season,
In Escoba, Extcrminhtor. Free Cutter.
James 4. Clark, S0well Combs, Everest.
Aurum and one or two others u has
drawn group OF the smarteht Ameri-
can bred g-yenr-old colts that Will
race west Of tho Appalachian divide.
Sweep, olive Wood, Plum ana viva
America also among the elHbles. It
bids fair 10 bring to tho post u filly oi
the quality OF Regret, which In 1915, un-
der tho Silks OF Harry Payne Whitney
sf New York, upset the forty'year trad
tlon that winning a Kentucky Derby was
= task above tho powers Of any racer Of
the softer sex
And since 1t Ia generally conceded that
In tho colts Sunbriar, Escoba, seweH
Combs Freecuttor ana War Cloud and In
the flllies Atslanta, Rosy O'Grhdy, Emf
lade, OlIvs Wood and Plum, and, possl-
bly, one or two others. for there are
many good nllies In Kentucky this spring
nd all OF them arc elgIble-the Forty
Yourth Derby will attract field gener-
of It's predecessors ever drew, next Sat
urdhy'n race has nothing OF tho look OF
p cut-and- dried affair.
All Starters Ready.
None OF these horses seems 10 stand
Out over its fellows And every pOten-
tial starter II ready for the COlurs The
weather. all over the country. has heen
all tho most exRctlng trainers could have
asked these ten or eleven weeks, and no
man with Derby horse In his stable
has neglected his opportunities one
and ali fealEcd long ago that IL would
be worse than useless TO send an unready
horse to the post this spring In Churchill
Students OF Derby form who remember
Ben Al! and Bleu wing Ieonatus and
b)rhke Carter. Typhoon II and Ornament.
ns well ms tho moro recent struggles be
1ween old Rosebud and Hodge, George
Smith and Star Hawk. Omar Khayyam,
Tiokot. Midway and Rickety are In unanl-
NOUS agreement that picking n winner
from this lot In going TO be a difficult NJ.
fair. II tho states were up no Speculation
of knowledge and experience would ac-
ccpt shorter price than 4 10 for his
money.
As II Is agreed thst thn field that will
take part In this springs renewal OF the
Derhy SurpnHses Rs regards class any
Derby field OF tho past. 1t ls equally Ger.
Rain that the crowd that assemblies al
Ghurchlll Downs next Saturday to wit
pess the race will be tho biggest and
most representative gathering the new
Louisville Jockey club has ever been
oalled on TO snterthin.
Derby Popularity sprssda
The popularity OF the Derby has stead
Fly widened these fifteen or twenty years
ln the last four or five seasons II has
ooms TO be regarded as Americas Ercat
national turf event To-day II bears the
same relation TO racing In the United
States that tho derbies OF Epson and
Newmarket have for upward OF IA century
borne 20 the racing In great Britain. Ir
oil parts OF tho country interest in rs
annual renewals is taken.
From every point OF the compass
north. south, east and west lovers OF the
thoroughbrod and OF racing flock to wit.
American race OF as great value--the
Preakncss, which Ia run at Pimllco. and
which like the Derby. Ia gAllop for
3-year- olds exclusively. also Is n SIS O0C
race
Interest In tho impending Derby I,
ksener than usual perhaps because Of
1.-The International character OF the poten.
tial starters. There IL something pecu-
Hairy appealing in the so-called struggles
between the equine representatives OF
eastern and western racing stables nc
matter what the nativity Of the compet-
ing horses may he. and from the way
things are shaping up today. II looks
will develop one OF the most interesting IL
battles between east and west that has
been witnessed at Churchill Downs In
years.