DERBY PROSPECTS

PASCH FAVOURITE

G. RICHARDS CONFIDENT

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, May 7.

"Can Pasch be beaten?" and not ["Can Pasch win the .Derby?" is the [question that is being asked about the ! winner of the Two Thousand Guineas, 'who is a firm favourite for the great [Epsom race on June 1. This son of Blandford, who has already sired four Derby winners, has raced twice only in his life, and has won both events. Gordon Richards, the great English rjockey, has declared he will win thei ! Derby. . • .'.:■■.■''■• ' DIFFERING OPINIONS. Among the points in Pasch's favour is that his action is eminently well suited, to the peculiarities of the Epson? track. He gallops rather too • high in front for the approval of all the purists of style; yet he, appears to hit the ground with the minimum of force, and his quick, almost bouncing, movement is well adapted to hard going. It is also to be borne in mind that at Epsom he will know more about racing than he did at either Kempton or Newmarket. After seeing Pasch. win the Two Thousand Guineas,. Fred Darling was lost in admiration for the performance of a colt who could accomplish such a big thing with so limited an experience of the stem business of racing. "It is difficult to believe," he said, "that until lately this colt has never had the advantage of having had two good horses galloping alongside him."

That Pasch did not come out last : season may have been a blessing in ■ disguise for him, though it is easy xo ; imagine the anxiety of his trainer ; when the colt all but split a pastern in ; the spring. 1 Opinions differ strangely as to his ; conformation. A number of sound judges of the thoroughbred declare that he falls a good deal short of the ideal type of classic winner, but their ; criticisms of his make and shape count for nothing against his remarkable brilliance in action. The Blandfords have demonstrated in a most convincing manner their, suita- i bility for Epsom, and it now appears that the family has a first-rate chance , of adding to its .Derby successes. The Guineas form has often been turned ; topsy-turvy at Epsom, but. it is regarded as impossible to claim that any of the colts he has beaten has a good ; chance of turning the tables on him at Epsom. , A GOOD-LOOKING COLT. Second favourite at the moment is Portmarnock, who was regarded as Pasch's, most dangerous rival in the Two Thousand, and who ran fourth. Scottish Union, who was second in the Guineas, ranks third favourite. He is a colt for whom nobody can but help having a great liking, for he has size, length, range, and quality. He stood out as the most handsome member of the Guineas field. He is expected to improve, but at the same time Pasch will also improve, so many people accept the Two Thousand form as it stands between the first and second. The only excuse B. Carslake had to make for Scottish Union in .the Guineas was that for the greatest part of the journey he had nothing to race in company with him, being nearly out in the centre of the track. Against this we. have, to set the'fact that . stared about him a lot. 'He is still only a baby in racing and ran as green as could be," was Gordon Richards s comment. Next in the betting at present are Pound Foolish, Glen Loan, Golden Sovereign (owned by Sir Abe Bailey, who recently had his second leg amputated and is coming to England from South Africa to see his horse run against' the advice of his doctors), Mirza 11, Cave Man, and Khan Bahadur. Mirza 11, third in the Guineas, lost ground on the hill at Newmarket, and it is not supposed that he will fare any better over the longer journey at Epsom. Should the , ground be on the soft side at Epsom some startling changes of form may occur. Pasch will need to prove that he is as good on soft going as he is on top of the ground. AG A KHAN'S HOPE. Cave Man, Sadruddin, and Challenge, who are all to run in the Derby, filled the first three places respectively in the Chester Vase this week. This corresponding race was taken by eventual Derby winners in Papyrus, Hyperion, and Windsor Lad, but it seems doubtful Whether history will be repeated this year. Cave Man is a nice type of horse, who appeared at his best. He went off in front, was steadied, and then took the lead again, holding it thereafter and winning by one and a half lengths from the fastfinishing Sadruddin, who was in turn three parts ahead of Challenge. If the Aga Khan is to win his fourth Derby it seems that it will have to be with Khan Bahadur. This . son of Blenheim ran only twice last year, winning at York after finishing third to Unbreakable at Goodwood. He was a baby then, and hardly appeared at the time the Epsom type.