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GRAND COLTS IN CONFLICT f Omar Khayyam Defeats Hourless by Inches in Thrilling Finish. t Horses and Riders Do Their Best ! for Three-Eighths of a Mile of Desperate Endeavor. I t New York, September 15. Omnr Khayyam is tlie champion three-year-old of 1917. This was de- vided at Belmont Park today when he beat Hour- loss in a contest that lias been looked forward to by the natrons of racing the country over. Before j the race opinions were so divided that there was little to choose between them. After the race j It was a case of "I told you so" coming from all those whose inclinations were with the winner, i Such experts as James Kowe would not even ven- tnre an opinion. "It is too hard for me" was . his answer to the question. "They are botli good horses and either one would look well in any- bodys stable." Albert Simons was sweet on , Hourless, while Jesse Lcwisohn supported Omar Khayyam. So it was all along the line, many r taking Hourless, believing that Hildreth would j r have liis horse absolutely fit, which he evidently was. Buekboard was added, thereby taking a , small part of the purse. In their preliminary canter through the stretch, both horses appeared f to perfection and unquestionably prepared to the proverbial minute. 1 It was not until an hour before post time that Richard Carman decided to ride Buxton on Omar Khayyam. In a conversation witli Butwell, who had ridden both horses, he was much undecided . which horse was the better, saying that one was a free running horse, alluding to Hourless, while he j said Omar Khayyam was a horse which had to be j driven to do his best. ! "1 would not know which to bet on," was his . concluding remark. A strong wiiid blew across the track, which j was head on in the early stages of the race and favored the horses after they turned out of the j backstretch. Hourless ran in bandages behind, , whjilptJnnc,. Khayyam was clean throug.hpji.ti . . SENSATIONAL FROM START TO FINISH. I From start to finish it was a sensational race j and. for .the last quarter of a mile, it was horse against horse - and rider against rider to their ut- most? Not a head separated the pair. Kvery nerve j vns strained and every muscle extended in botli man , and horse. For a moment in the stretch Hourless . homed to have a head advantage, but a moment j later Buxton shook the whip at Omar Khayyam j and he appeared to get a nose in front. It was a i case of one head bobbing up and then the other. The result was so close that the judges only could decide, being a case of the horse dropping his nose over the finishing line at the deciding moment. The first mile of the race was slow, owing to the , head wind and the inclination of botli riders to " wait behind Buekboard. , The latter was permitted to lead until turning for home, where Omar Khayyam made his move, followed . by Hourless, the latter being on the out- , side. They were no sooner straightened out than they linked up and the sensational finish followed, the like of which can only be compared to the celebrated dead heat between Henry of Navarre and Domino of years ago. An imaginative view of the final three-eighths can be gathered from the fact that the last quarter of a mile was run In twenty-four seconds. This is almost beyond conception, considering they had traversed a mile and a quarter . in 2:03 against a head wind. While Omar Khayyam will hold the honors for the year as a record, it would be unfair to Hourless to speak lightly of him with barely a three- , inch difference between them. Many seem to think ! that if the race were run over again in a weeks ; time, Hourless might beat him, as Omar Khayyam was better seasoned. Hildreth remarked some days ago that he would like his horse better conditioned, lie evidently knew the only leak that would beat Hourless. if he was beaten. ! Sam Hildreth said he was satisfied with the ride Butwell put up on Hourless, but regretted that in a slight collision at the head of the stretch But- : well lost his whip. "I think Hourless might beat , him in another race in a week or two, but it was ! a great horse race." GREAT FINISH IN STEEPLECHASE. The Brook Cup Handicap Steeplechase, at three miles, was won by Skibbereen. with his stable-mate Expectation a nose away. Skibbereen made the pace for his stable companion Expectation, which ran second, under a steadying pull for the first turn of the field, then joined the leader and the Widener pair ran within a length of each other for the next half mile. St. Charlcotc made a move when starting for the second time round, but could not head the leaders. In the last half mile Skibbereen took a decided lead, but shortly after Expectation moved to him and the pair took the last jump but one almost as a team. After they landed Expectation drew away and appeared all over the winner, but St. Charlcotc threatened in the final drive and Franklin went to work again on Skiber-een, in case of an accident. He made up ground quickly and soon closed the space between him and his stablemato, finally getting up in the last stride to beat him by a nose, with St. Charlcote only a length away. It was one of the most sensational finishes seen in a steeplechase this year and totally unexpected, botli by the public and the stable connections, Expectation being looked upon as the better horse of the two. Victor Ij. Muuoz, sporting editor of "El Mundo," and the foremost sporting authority of Cuba, was an interested spectator. Senor Munoz is making his annual visit to the world series baseball games. Nightstick, showing marked improvement over his previous races, took the measure of a band of fair platers in the opening dash. His connections are said to have backed him heavily and were rewarded handsomely, but were forced to protect the Broomstick gelding. H. Fink bid him up to ,800, an advance of ,100 over his entered price, but failed to secure him. Among todays visitors was Admiral Cary Grayson, lie is a great admirer of the thoroughbred and came expressly to watch the Hourless-Omar Khayyam contest. Admiral Grayson is also private physician for President Wilson.
