KENTUCKY DERBY 73 



numbers the crowd suffered little in comparison with previous 

 Derby Days, from ten to fifteen thousand people being present. 

 The track had been deep in dust, and the light showers of the 

 morning made the track a little slow and soggy, but by no means 

 sloppy or muddy. 



Col. M. Lewis Clark was presiding judge and Secretary Price 

 his associate. 



Thirteen bookmakers were in line and there was business for 

 twenty. 



Lieber Karl's Memphis performances had made him the hot- 

 test tip that in recent years has started for the Derby. Although 

 all of the trainers at Louisville had been confident that Plaudit 

 would win the Derby, as shown in the reports of the Louisville 

 correspondent of The Record, the Memphis tip was brought up 

 so hot and strong by the Southern delegation, that, with few 

 exceptions, Plaudit's sturdiest friends succumbed and sadly con- 

 cluded that after all the Memphis Hindoo would beat their pet. 

 The most notable exceptions were Dr. J. D. Neet, who bred 

 Plaudit and who was there to pull for the colt; "Brown Dick," 

 who trained him as a two-year-old, and Willie Simms, who 

 was to ride him. Albert Simons, his trainer, felt the responsibility 

 too keenly to commit himself to an expression of opinion and 

 John E. Madden, the owner, had gone to New York two days 

 before with Plaudit's half brother Glenheim, of which he is said 

 to have a higher opinion of even than Plaudit. Major Thomas, 

 who owned Himyar when Plaudit was sired, did not come down 

 from his Lexington home to see the great son of his great sire 

 perform. 



The bookies had nearly all come from Memphis, and were 

 thoroughly imbued with the belief that no horse on earth could 

 beat Lieber Karl, and that every dollar they bet against him 

 was thrown away. Hence they tentatively put up 9 to 20 Lieber 



