Evening star., 1952-04-27
18th Running Of Race
Saturday May Have
Field Of Z 10 IS
By John ChondIer
Assoeioted Press Sports Writer

LOUISVILLE, April 26.-ThI
18th running of the Kentuck,
Derby is on tap next Saturday a
Churchill Downs. with some IL tt
IS three-year-olds expected tt
enter Americas most colorfu
horse race.
However. after most of the ma
jor pre-Derby races around tht
country, there still is no col
which stands out as did Citation
Count Fleet or Whirlaway. JUS
like year ago, when 20 horse.
scrambled for the 500, ,000-addec
prize, the boys are hauling out the
old wide open" stuff.
But two colts seem to rate al
the head of the group-Blue Mar
and Hill Gail. Blue Man is from
the East and Hill Gail from nearby
Lexington. Also. there is growing
speculation about several others
with good possibilities. such as
Master Fiddle, Sub Fleet and Cold
Command.
There still are a lot of never
say-die owners and trainers
around, gripped by the thought OF
the rich purse and glory that
goes with a Derby winner. They
recall that last May, after Count
Turf showed nothing much during
his Florida winter season and his
New York spring campaign, the
Count Fleet colt was good enough
to whip 10 other horses for Jack
Amiel on Derby Day. Then he
lapsed into obscurity again.
Cost $1,000 to Start.
This thought has eight or 10
owners still dabbling with the
Derby idea. But it costs $1,000 to
start a horse in the mile-and-
one-quarter classic and that's a
lot just to see your silks flashing
around Churchill Downs.
For the first time the Derby
will go on nation wide television
hookup, so much of the excitement
which seizes the 100000 crowd at
Churchill Downs will grip many
thousands elsewhere. Post-time for
the race will be 4::30 pm. (ESTD
A more accurate line on the
probable starting field will come
after Tuesdays Derby Trial at
one mile. A lot of trainers regard
this race as $4,000 workout, SO
1t isn't customary to take the Trial
winner as the one to grab the
Derby roses the following Satur-
day. In fact. Citation is the only
horse to win both the Trial and
the Derby.
Here are the PrObables.
The probable starters in the
Derby include Blue Man, from the
White Oak Stable of A. w. Abbott; :;
the Calumet Farms Hill Gail;
Dixiana'S Sub Fleet: the Ny
helyn Stables Master Fiddle, CO.
owned by Mr.. and Mrs. Nicholas
Martini of New Rochelle, N. Y,
and Mr.. and Mrs. Meyer Major of
Washington, D. c.: c. V. Whitney's
Cold Command. Sam E. Wilson,
jr'S Gushing Oil, Alfred Wander
bits Cousin, Bayard Sharp's Han
nibal, Mrs. Marion Dupont SCOTS
Pintor, Jack Amiel's Count Flame,
Mrs. Gordon Guiberson's Arroz,
j. G. Browns Brian Boru, The
Emerald Hill Stables Eternal
Moon and c. F. Heinecke's Let
Live.
Calumet also has Top Blend
and Whitney has Turks Cap in
the possible list. Clifford Mooers
said he'd start Kingly in the Derby
Trials, then decide.
Another possible is Mrs. Mildred
F. Underwood's Brown Rambler.
claimed recently for $500. Brown
Rambler won the Shandon purse
at Keeneland Thursday.
Still another is Alate, a Cali
fornia horse owned by the Mission
Stables of San Gabriel.
Hill Gail May Me Choice.
The Derby crowd is expected to
make Hill Gail a slight choice over
Blue Man. This is natural, for
Eddie Arcaro rides Hill Gail and
the son of Bull Lea is trained by
Ben Jones. Arcaro and Jones have
never lost a derby when they
teamed together. They scored
with Lawrin, Whirlaway and Cita-
tion.
Jones has saddled more Derby
winners than any other trainer,
with five. while Arcaro is the lead
ing Jockey in this race, having
four winners. Ben also saddled
Pensive and Ponder, while Eddie
rode Hoop, jr. to a derby victory.
Calumet Farm, operated by Mrs.
Warren Wright, will be seeking
a win by Hill Gail that would give
Calumet its fifth Derby for another
record.
Hill Gail. winner of the Santa
Anita Derby, has been working
out in sensational time. The colt
was shipped to Keeneland and
beat older horses in the 6-furlong
Phoenix Handicap April 10, equal
ing the track record.
Cold Command upset Hill Gail,
however, in seven furlong race
April Is, and Jones skipped the
Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland
Thursday. This burned many of
the Lexington crowd, for the
Calumet Farm is next door to the
track. But Jones wants another
Derby and has his own ideas.
Blue Man is here with a big
and the Kentuckians
are giving him plenty of respect.
Conn McCreary, who rode Count
Turf to his Derby triumph in 1851
and Pensive in 1914, rides Blue
Man.
Master Fiddle Wins Support.
Master Fiddle, to be ridden by
Dave German, also came with a
late surge to win the Wood
Memorial and gain a lot of Derby
support. Sub Fleet won i'm
presSively at Keeneland after being
unraced during the Florida season.
Owned by Charles r. Fisher. Sub
Fleet probably will be seen in the
Trial, with Steve Brooks aboard.