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DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 1918 Sensational Omar Khayyam the Most Pronounced Failure Tippity Witchet Papp and Westy WestyHogan Hogan Also Fail to Run Up Upto to Expectations En eh year records its failures and disappoint ¬ ments as well as its successes and surprises In this repect the year 1SI1S was no exception in so far as tile turf was concerned The most pronounced fail ¬ ure and biggest disappointment was Omar Khay ¬ yam the sensational threeyearold of 1917 Last year Omar Khayyam was declared to be one of the greatest horses seen 02 the American turf in a dec ¬ ade or more Only Major Belmonts great rolt Ilnnrlcss was considered in a class with Omar and the majority of turfmen and followers of racing placed Mr Viaus horse ahead of Hotirless despite the latters defeat of Omar In the celebrated special race at Laurel in the fall of the year While they were willing to concede that Ilouflcss was a won ¬ derful colt they argued that Omar was greater because the son of Marco was able to show the surae highclass performances irrespective of track or other conditions while Ilourless was strictly a fast track racer and not able to show his best in muddy or heavy going goingHe He that as it may one thing is certain and that is Omar Khayyam by a succession of superlative achievements on the various race courses of the country established a reputation as a thoroughbred of the highest class entitling him to inclusion in the select list of Americas greatest race horses From the time that Omar Khayyam won the Ken ¬ tucky Derby at Churchill Downs until he was re ¬ tired for the year bis was a triumphal procession many of tlfe most important races of the year going to his credit Besides the Kentucky Derby Omar won the Brooklyn Drrby Saratoga Cup Lawrence Realization Stakes Travers Stakes Ken ner Stakes Pimlico Autumn and Havre de Grace Handicaps His record for the year included nine winning Rices out of thirteen starts two seconds and two unplaced and his stable earnings amounted t 19070 placing him second to Sun Uriar on the list of winning horses of the year Surely yearSurely with such a record it was expected that Omar would return to the races this vear nnl further enhance his fame and reputation His first start of the year when he won a mile race at Pim ¬ lico ill his own characteristic style led everyone to believe such would be the case However un ¬ believable as it seems to be the great Omar won only one more race during the year and was not only u big disii i ointment to his owner and trainer but to the turf world in general No one seemed able to explain what happened to the brilliant racer of last year The fact remains nevertheless that he was first but twice in ten starts and won but the paltry sum of S4475 compared to 49070 of last year The hope of every true lover of a good horse is that Mr Viau will experience the pleasure which will be shared by all turfdom of seeing Omar Khayyam return to the races next year the Omar of 1917 1917PAID PAID BIB PRICE FOR TIPPITY WITCHET WITCHETAnother Another distinct disappointment of the year was the brilliant tuid popular Tippity Witchet He was another of the Omar Khayyam type a sturdy and fast racer able to carry heavy imposts and run i long distance whether the track be fast or other ¬ wise Tippity was nearly as much a sensation in the twoyearold division last year as was Omar among the threeyearolds John Sanford thought so much of Tippity that he paid 20500 for him after the little fellow had won eight races in suc ¬ cession It was surmised at the time that Mr Sanford had bought Tippity with the winning of this years Kentucky Derby in view Whether or not that was the reason that prompted the Amster ¬ dam turfman to purchase him It was agreed on all sides that lie was a bargain even at that price Certainly it appeared so at the time Tippity going into winter quarters with a record of four ¬ teen winning races out of twenty starts and with stable earnings of 17403 to his credit creditWhatever Whatever hopes were entertained for Tippity in the racing of this year were dashed to the ground when the little fellow appeared on the turf but three times winning once and finishing third on the other two occasions occasionsPapp Papp the Futurity winner of 1917 and third on the list of leading moneywinners of the year with 41011 to his credit the result of having won seven races out of eighteen starts was another that failed this year to race ui to expectations of his owner and the public Many keen and astute jtulgcs predicted great things for Papp as a three yearold nearly everyone conceding him a place near the top when that division was under discus ¬ sion Such was not the case however Papn retiring for the year with but one victory in nine attempts attemptsThe The speedy Westy Hogan is still another of the really great horses of last year that failed to live up to the reputation lie established in 1917 Ho faced ti starter hut seven times this year and won only two races while last year he was successful in ten out of eighteen and earned for his owners 19811 19811Escoba Escoba Lucullite Spur and several others may be included in the list of the years disappoint ¬ ments as none for one reason or the other failed to come un to the high expectations entertained of them because of their performances of the year before beforeTwo Two really great horses of 1917 that failed to ap ¬ pear in the racing of this year were Hourless the great rival of Omar Khayyam and the miracle horse Old Rosebud This fact in itself was a keen disappointment to the turf world but only in the sense of being deprived of the nleasure of see ¬ ing these two great thoroughbreds in action can they be classed among the disappointments of the
