Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05
'H0UR[ESS RET|RES
At END0 OF SEASON
Maj. August Belmont's Crack
Four-Year-0Id to Be
Sent to Stud.

Ma. August Belmont's great four
year old Hourless is fast rounding into
racing condition down at Belmont
Park, says the New York Sun. This
| handsome big son of Negofol is being
pointed for the Metropolitan handicap,
which will be his first start of the
wear, He will also start in the Subur-
ban and in five or six other big events
if all goes well. This season will see
the last of Hourless as racing
machine. as he will be retired to the
stud in the fall.
There is not great deal of money
for the older horses" said Trainer S.
c. Hildreth in discussing the future
of his crack colt. ct does not pay to
take chances with horse that will be
SO valuable as a sire: Hourless has
seven or eight engagements that 'he
will keep if he remains fit, and then
he will be retired. I look for him to
go through the season without. a de-
feat"
by long odds the greatest colt he ever
trained during his long career on the
turf, during which he has handled
some of the greatest horses in Amer1-
can turf history. He believes that If
Hourless were asked to run mile
against time in the fall of the year.
when he is at the top of his form, he
could cover the distance in 1876 pro-
vided the track conditions were to his
liking.
The veteran trainer also thinks well
of Omar Khayyam. the only rival Tor
the honors in the three-year-o!d d.
vision that Hourless had last year.
Z !,
colt 1 ever saw in my life," said Mr..
Hildreth. For his size he certainly is
a wonder, but he never should nave
beaten Hourless last year. l made
for the Brooklyn Derby at Aqueduct
He had run we'll at the Belmont Park
track in heavy going and l thought
that he could go in the mud. but III
have to admit now that he is no mud
horse.
Is Tremendous Strider.
that he slips and slides all over the
track unless the footing is firm and
sound. When he is fully extended he
stretches out like giant eagle. ne
strides close to twenty-four feet On
the other hand, Omar Khayyam is
little fellow and he keeps his feet un-
der him. so that he can run on any kind
of track. Hourless never had
chance in the Brooklyn DERBY De-
cause of the slippery going. but he
never should have been defeated In the
Lawrence Realization, when Omar
Khayyam got the verdict by nod.
Butwell made a hash of that race. He
took the colt wide going around the
turns and then dropped his whip just
as they were turning into the stretch"
Hourless has filled out somewhat dur
ing the winter, and he has grown tall
er. He now stands Is hands ~ inches.
He already is close to racing form.
Yesterday he galloped mile in LAB 3-5,
hard held all the way.
Mr. Hildreth thinks Hourless is a much
Better colt than was the great Fftz Her
bert, which he regards as the second best
colt he has trained. F'itz Herbert's record
is far more impressive than that of Hour
less in some respects. Fitz Herbert won
fourteen stakes as three-year-old.
among them the Suburban handicap,
Jerome handicap. Lawrence Realization
and the Coney Island Jockey Club stakes.
Like Hourless, Fitz Herbert had one great
rival. This was Olambala, which finished
second in most of the events that Fitz
Herbert won.
Like many other horsemen, Mr.. IIildreth
is profoundly superstitious in some things.
He is absolutely convinced that dire mis-
fortune would follow If he were to allow
a picture to be taken Of any of the horses
under his care. He has no objection to
snapshot taken while the horse is in mo-
ton. but nothing can induce him to pose
one Of his racers in front Of camera