view raw text
COMING THREE-YEAR-OLDS PROMISING Question of 1918 Championship Is Open One Half Dczen Candidates Given Good Chance, New York, December 21. So open is the question of three-year-old supremacy for next year, .that every trainer who has a youngster of prominence, is confident it is going to be the champion. Walter Jennings believes War Cloud will be beaten only through accident, while Sam Hildreth. holds that Lucullite. if he recovers permanently from his , accident at Saratoga, -will be hard to beat. Sun-Briar, according to Henry McDaniel, Is the superior of all coming three-year-olds and Maxey Hirsch has just as an exalted opinion of Papp. And so it goes all down the line, everyone Raping, even if not thoroughly convinced, that he has the- champion. Mr. Joyner thinks .highly of La n ius nnd Preston Burch, who has Tippity Witehet, while he dout say he has the best youngster, is convinced lie has a mighty good horse, one that will give a splendid account of himself in any company. It is natural to suppose K. I. Alexander, owner of Eseoba, expects great things of his. horse, and C. T. AVortli-ington is not at all backward In his declaration regarding Viva America as. the best filly. So many excuses can be offered for defeat of the best two-year-olds of this year and so many meritorious victories applauded, that some horsemen believe the 1017 crop does not furnish a single representative that can be compared with Omar Khayyam and Hourless. Taking coming three-year-olds in rotation. Sun Briar performed best, but his future, owing to ringbones, may be uncertain. Papp is a promising horse, but he has a disposition that is not amiable and there are those who do not believe he will go a long route, having been known to tire in races. The records show there Was an excuse for this, as Papp had to overcome many difficulties in the early running of many of his races. EXCUSES FOR WAR CLOUD UNNECESSARY. War Cloud is one of the few youngsters for which excuses are unnecessary. He started in six races this year and won four. While he did not beat the best youngsters in training, his improvement in the autumn season was such that owners generally look upon him as a dangerous 1918 candidate. He can run in any kind of going and is thoroughly honest. Summing up, trainer Walter Jennings says: "War Cloud won four of his six races, had much bail luck in the Hopeful and possibly does not like the Belmont Park course over which he was defeated by Jack Hare Jr. for the Nursery. He may be a far better horse next year." In alluding to Jack Hare Jr., some think it is improbable he will figure well with horses like War loud. Sun Briar, Pipp, Lucullite,.- Lanius and Tippity Witehet. He is a, good horse, but will not have a liberal following next year when meeting the other good ones until he has -shown more merits over a long route. This he may do, as trainer Frank Weir has been known to accomplish the almost impossible. Old Rosebud is an instance. Taken as a whole, the three-year-old question is one that calls forth a difference of opinion from many sources. Handicappers like Edward Soule, Colonel James, Harry MeKcnna and others of ability, qualify their replies wlien nsk,ed for an opinion concerning the merits of coming three-year-olds. Like owners and trainers, they differ in their opinions. "We must wait and see how the horses winter, and what they do in their work before a definite conclusion can be drawn," they say. "We have ideas but that is all, for many changes can come in a horse between his two and three-year-old form." They are unanimous in the opinion that there were at least a half dozen good two-year-olds out this year, but refuse to draw comparison with either Hourless or Omar Khayyam.
