The Washington times., 1936-05-01
14MayGo
In Derby
Race
By DAVIS J. WALSH

LOUISVILLE, KY, May /.
Westward, northward, southwark,
eastward and from intermediate
points, the eternal tide Of q ma
ton took its course into town to.
day for the sixty-second running
of the Kentucky Derby at
Churchill Downs late tomorrow
afternoon, an annual invasion
that usually piles up about half
the people on the cutters and
the rest in them. This time, it
looked a bit like an "off" crowd,
probably because Of the stock
market tremors, there being some
hotel cancellations and the crou'
piers at the night spots having
the unhappy look Of men who,
Unexpectedly, are asked to en-.
dure their own boredom.
But on the surface, anyhow, it
was the same old day-before
atmosphere. Cars with distant
license plates formed an endless
queque down Fourth Street from
the city limits.
More Kahn Expected
In fact, the only thing that
seemed sure not to arrive before
nightfau was an honest opinion
on the II possible and IA prob.
able starters in the Derby. The
boys, in other words, weren't
waiting for the old May pole
dance at Bryn Mawr this after.
noon; they were doing it in front
Of the Brown Hotel last night,
only here they call it the run.
around. Anyhow, it's beginning.
to look now as though the hot
test tip on the Derby is going
to come from the weather bureau.
1t rained here on Wednesday.
It rained again on Thursday. The
weather sharks say it Is going
to rain some time today, the
result being that everybody is
taking an exception for every
choice they name. Most Of them
continue to say Brevity, il and
provided-it doesn't keep raining
for the next "a hours. The track
is heavier than q sinners con-
science right now and fast run.
nerS like Brevity, Indian Broom,
He Did and perhaps Sangreal-
who have been working close to
the track record for three-quar.
tiers and seven-eighthS Of q mile
might figure to lose this par.
ticular edge in the muck.
Indian Broom, Of course, has
showed that he runs in the wet,
but he's a little horse and 1875
makes a large total Of pounds.
On the other hand, the come.
from-behinders, namely, Bold Ven
ture, ColdStream, which can run
on any track; Teufel, Grand Slam,
deminite mudder; Sangreal
again, Forest Play, which likes its
mud, and The Fighter win have
to be figured on an off track.
Brevity Getting Play
Brevity still is getting the play
as ranking favorite but, Il horse
raising teaches anything except
the profound folly Of the thing, it
is this: When in doubt around
Kentucky derby, look out for E.
r. Bradley.
He came down here from Lex.
ington talking about Banister.
But by now everybody else is talk.
ing guardedly but with . certain
respect about Bien Joli. The
Colonel is quite man at stealing
the show any time the boys begin
to weaken on their original choices
and start babbling about an open
race, openly arrived at. Barring
the fact that Trainer Pete Coyne
continues to insist that Brevity
can run in anything, from q sand
pit to a field Of clover, there
donesn't seem much to steal here,
at that.
The official entries started 60
ing through the box early this
morning, with the deadline due
well before noon. Those already
mentioned, with Gold Seeker and
q thing called SilaS, look the part
of probable starters. Among those
who may go, if only for the airing,
are Forest Play, Merry Pete and
Holl Image.
Among Those Present
Meantime. the lighter side of an
otherwise dark situation has been
furnished by Mr.. Babe Ruth, who
came all the way down here to
see the races and has spent his
time stalking gloomily over the
golf course in the rain. However,
the unfortunate case Of Mr..
Barney Ross, the prize fighter, has
also afforded its modicum Of
amusement by rushing into print
to pick the fighter only to dis.
cover that Mr.. John Dempsey, the
ex-pugilist, has beaten him to it.
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