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DIVIDED OVER RESULT OF SPECIAL RACE Merits of Billy Kelly and Eternal Still Being Dis ¬ cussed by New York Turfmen New York November 9 Though the special race between Billy Kelly and Eternal is nearly two weeks past the interest that still exists in that event is astonishing No matter where one goes where horsemen congregate the Billy Kelly Eternal race is always brought up and opinions are still much divided on the merits of the two horses horsesSome Some experts claim Schuttinger outgeneraled Sande Others claim that Billy Kelly was not quite at his best and allude to the wound below his ankle as proof of their assort ion the supposition being that his trainer could not have prepared him as well as he would have done if the injury had not been there Qu te a number also assert that had Sande kept his mount closer to Eternal in the early stages of the running tlie result would have been different differentLooking Looking back at the race there were several in ¬ cidents in connection with it that would indicate that Billy Kelly is the best horse In the first place Billy Kelly was stepped on in a prior race by Leochares and cut just below the ankle on his near hind leg At the time his trainer II O Bedwell did not think it serious but later discovered that it would need mere than ordinary treatment The injury bothered the youngster for several days and finally resulted in an o en wound Being super ¬ ficial it did not ston Billy Kelly in his work to any great extent but Bedwell was worried fearing possible infection infectionOn On the day of the race Bedwell asked permission to send the horse to the post with a bandage which was to be removed by his foreman after the horses had reached the post The request was granted This indicated that the wound was still open and liable to gather sand and grit before the race was started startedFor For the first sixteenth of the running both Schut ¬ tinger and Sande appeared to have waiting orders the two being little more than heads apart A moment later Schuttinger sent his colt to the front with a decided burst of speed and in less than an eighth there was a length and a half of daylight between the pair with Sande hand riding Billy Kelly to keep him within range rangeAD AD SHORTENED TIP GAP GAPFifty Fifty yards from the finish Billy Kelly had re ¬ duced Eternals lead to possibly half a lenrth and was hanging a trifle though still gaining slowly Eternal was giving up his best with bulldog courage as was Commander Ross gelding Both horses were showing the result of their efforts and it came down to a question of rider against rider as both horses ncede i help Billy Kelly did not gain much more than an inch at every stride for the last fifty yards but there is no question he was gaining and while he was beaten at the post by half a neck there is little question he would have worn Eternal down had they had a few more strides to go goMost Most of the older and more conservative horsemen expressed themselves after the race as believing Billy Kelly was a trifle superior to Eternal and that he would prove It next year The supporters of Eternal differed claiming that had Eternal hugged the inrail at the turn for home he would have won by a greater margin This argument is offset by the fact that Billy Kelly went even wider than Eternal as lie came up on the outside Sande evidently preferring that position to taking a chance of either a shutoff or being deprived of the use of his whip hand handThat That Sande made some mistake in his ride was gathered by the scolding Bedwell gave him after the race What he did contrary to the wishes of the trainer is Bedwclls affair He may have been alone in his opinion as the only observable error Sandu made was in permitting Schuttinger to steal away a couple of lengths in the first threesixteenths of tho race It was that sudden move of Sclmttingers Hearing the eighth post that had much to do with the result It takes a mighty good horse to make up two and a half lengths on another good and game horse in the last threeeighths of a three quarters dash A stronger more alert and experi ¬ enced rider than Saude would hardly have allowed Eternal to steal away Could Sande have kept Billy Kelly within a length or even a length and a half of Eternal in the first threeeighths there is little question he would have beaten him himIt It will be interesting to watch the careers of both Billy Kelly and Eternal as many wagers have already been made that the one will beat the other the first time they meet Billy Kelly having the decided preference at a mile or a greater distance
