New Britain herald., 1929-05-04
FIVE HORSES ARE DERBY fAVORITES
One Hundred and Fiity.Nine En.
 tries Nominated for Event

New York, May 1 R-With the 55th running of the Kentucky Derby over the Churchill Downs course only two weeks away, the historic race has taken the appearance Of a tive-horse affair.
 One hundred and fifty-nine colts, geldiEgs and Allies. the smallest field since 1925, have been nominated for this years turf fixture and when past performances and pre-derby work outs are siulmered down the race takes on a decidedly mid and far western hue. Only one eastern horse appears to be in the class of Blue Larkspur or Nol:ear from the middle states or Uaisapur and Ervast from the Pacific coast. Clyde Van Dusen, eastern owned but western trained. is the main hope of the Atlantic sea- board.
 Since the official nominations were disclosed the middle of February, Blue l.arkspur, which sports the colors of the Idle Hour farm of Col. E. R. Bradley. has ruled the favor. ite. The son of Black Servant Blossom Time has been out once this year. running in a neck victory over Clyde Van Dusen.
 As a two-year-old the Bradley colt won s66.970. including such rich events as the juvenile and national stallion stakes at Belmont and the Saratoga special at Saratoga. He finished second to Jack High in the hopeful stakes at the same track Incidentally Jack High was the only leading three-year-old not nominat. ed for the derby.
 Under the tutelage of "Marse Henry" Thompson. the little master of the Idle Hour stables, Blue Lark spur wintered we'll. Thompson twice has saddled a derby winner. He sent out Behave Yourself and Black Servant in 1921 and they finished one-two. Five years later he saddled Bubbling Over and Baggenbaggage and they finished in the same order Clyde Van Dusen. chestnut son of Man O War, is owned by Her. bert P. Gardner of Amsterdam, N Y. He achieved much of his sue. cess as a two-year-old on midwest. crn tracks. As a juvenile he wor $55.76S, including the Kentucky Jockey club stakes, valley stakes al Fairmont Park, Idle Hour stakes al Lexington and the orphanage stage. at the one-day meeting held at Idle Hour farm late in the fall. Clyde Van Duser. trainer for thu Gardner stable, is hoping for heav, going on May IS, for his name-sak. is considered chiefly soft tracl racer. In his performance in tht Frankfort stakes against Blue Lark i spur, the son of Man O War SO away poorly and then took the lont way around but finished with a rusl that almost defeated the pride of tn, Idle Hour farm.
 Voltear. a western bred horse, bu now running for the Dixiana farm o Lexington. has become one of tn, real threats within the last few day because of his sensational perform ] aISC III lHC C6dpCdhs stakes at Havre de Grace. Volteal was a great runner as two-year old and wintered we'll at Tijuans where he was second to Naishapu 1T the derby.
 Where the west will finish depend, on Naishapur. a son of Omar Khy yam, the only imported colt to wifi the derby, and Ervast. Baron Long'i great colt. Both are winter horses Naishapur won the Tijuana derb! and finished second by head in tn. $100.000 Coffroth handicap. Ervas has been brought along slowly ant recently boosted his reputation b, turning in a mile of 1:36 2-5 at ri juana before" leaving for Churchill Downs.
 A sixth potential contender. Ro Euish Eye. owned by Bath h-House' John Coughlin of Chicago, was with drawn from the classic yesterday Roguish Eye pulled up lame afte working the derby distance Wcdnes day end was scratched out of thu race