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BILLY KELLY THE BEST TWOYEAROLD His Wonderful Kacins Eecord Entitles Him to the Title of Champion of 1918 New York November 21 It is doubtful if there has been in recent years such a diversity of opinion as to the champion twoyearold of this year and which one is likely to be the champion threeyear old The more one ponders over the question it be ¬ comes more bewildering there have been so many youngsters that have been placed at the head of the list at different periods of the year In the early part of the year there were few who did not believe that H K Knapps filly Elfin Queen would be the superior of all twoyearolds be they colts fillies or geldings Shortly after aiong came Blue Laddie from H P Whitneys stable and he per ¬ formed so impressively once or twice that lie was looked upon as a worthy champion for coveted honors Then came Dunboyne which beat Klfin Queen so decisively that at once he was heralded the premier Cresson a filly from Mr Whitneys string also had been a consistent winner and while she had not met much high class opjKisition ill her races she showed stake quality more than once onceSumming Summing up the eastern racing field folk reached Saratoga with an undecided opinion which was the star twoyearold It was generally ad ¬ mitted that the west did not have a colt or filly the equal of any of the three or four topnotchers f the east Neither did the westerners think they had much cither for they were agreeably surprised when Billy Kelly won his first race at Saratoga beating such horses as Lady Bosebud and Star Realm That the Kcntuekians did not think much 3f his chances is gathered from the fact that he vent to the post at 12 to 1 with little or no support either from his stable or those who are supposed to know something about a horse But two days later he came along again and beat one of the astern stars in Dunboyne at practically even weights It was that race that put Billy Kelly on the eastern map so far as possibilities were con erned Since that time Billy Kelly has beaten all omers and the general opinion is that lie is th peer of the youngsters of 1918 But there are some that swear by Eternal while Dunboyne looms up prominently when one delves into the records as Joes War Pennant the colt that Commander Ross purchased from A K Maeomber There is no juestion that the indicating finger points to Billy Xelly Eternal Dunboyne and War Pennant as being the four best of the year Looking yearLooking over the records of thesis four oiie cannot iclp but determine in favor of Billy Kelly Not only has he run more races than customary for twoyearolds but he has won fourteen and was second upon two occasions once when he was beaten by Star Hampton and in his special race with Eternal at Laurel Stnr Hamptons victory was more or less of a fluke while hi the special ace with Eternal Schuttinger clearly outrode Sande mil but for the early lead secured by Eternal through the efforts of Schuttinser Billy Kelly would have won wonEternal Eternal is a wonderfully speedy colt but whilr Me won the Hopeful antl other stakes he has no record to compare with that of Billy Kelly KellyWAE WAE PENNANT STEELING COLT COLTBut But turning back to Dunboyne lie beat Eternal it Aqueduct and if no one else believes Dunboyne an beat Eternal his owner and trainer does and leclare they will back their opinion when the time comes for a meeting next year Then War LVmiant has to be reckoned with This is a sterling colt and while his achievements are not yet con ¬ vincing on paper having beaten little compared with the opponents Billy Kelly has vanquished he is a colt so well thought of that Commander Itoss paid a high price for him to carry his colors in the important threeyearold events of next year to which Billy Kelly will not be eligible l lecause ecause he is a gelding geldingIf If a vote were taken among racing ftdk which horse was the best of the four Billy Kelly Eternal Dunboyne or War Pennant it is certain that Billy Kelly would get the verdict verdictIn In the division of fillies Elfin Queen practically stands out in this class though what she may do with Terentia Milkmaid and Cresson next spring is a question Unfortunately both Elfin Queen and Cresson went wrong early in the year in fact Mr Kiiapps filly did not figure after the first Aqueduct meeting having been shelved for the season early in August She was sent to the post in the United Hotel Stakes at Saratoga but failed miserably and was then nut in the hands of the veterinarian As for Cresson she won five races for Mr Whitney parly in the spring w l was looked upon with much favor bv her trainer James Howe but she de ¬ veloped velopedsome some trouble and in her last appearance it Saratoga she was decidedly sore both before and after her race in the Saratoga Special for which both she and Blue Laddie were sent out though neither were considered near their bsrst by their trainer They finished nowhere so to speak and have since been retired until next year yearOne One thing is certain there will be at least a half dozen highclass threeyearolds out next spring that have been seen in this section not counting those which might develop in Kentucky during the lull of the winter
