Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-29
T|T[E.TO ETERNAL
0vtRB|L[Y KELLY
Huge Crowd Sees Two-Year.
Old Racing Title Decided
at Laurel Track.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

A new king of thoroughbreds was
crowned yesterday, when Eternal, the
handsome brown colt owned by wv.
McClelland of Kentucky, triumphed
over Billy Kelly. the ungainly but
game gelding raced under the silks
of Commander j. K. L. Ross of the
British royal navy before one of the
largest crowds that ever jammed the
stands at Laurel Park. Close to rec
ord time for the six furlongs was
made, the mark being 1.12.
The race was special match for
the two-year-old turf title of the
season, and earned for the victor the
John R. Mclean memorial cup, in
addition to netting the American Red
Cross $4,000 in liberty bonds.
1t was a contest well worthy of
champions. OFF to an almost perfect
start. after being called back to the
post following a false break, it seemed
to a majority of the spectators that
one horse in motion. 1t required
glasses to determine that Billy Kelly
was slightly in the van.
Eternal Takes Big Lead.
Eternal was not long to be denied,
however, and before the middle of
the backstretch had been reached the
son of Sweep and Hazel Burke had
pulled ahead until daylight was show
ing between him and his doughty
rival. His nervous antics in going
to the post did not belle his perfect
condition. He was full of running
and obtained his lead of two-nearly
three-lengths with no urging from
Andy schuttinger, his pilot.
Billy Kelly's hackers, and they far
outnumbered those of Eternal, were
not dismayed, however. Neither was
Earle Sande, who rode him. They
knew the gelding's habit was to race
home stretch. There was yet time.
Rounding the turn there was little
change in their positions, but when
the head of the stretch was reached
Sande settled down to overhaul the
flying Eternal in the same manner his
mount had done on all but two occa-
sions of his racing career. Kelly
knew the time had come and he re-
sponded in his wonted game fashion.
An eighth of a mile from home day.
light still separated the horses. Creep
ing up gradually. but steadily, kelly's
nose was on EternaPs hip a sixteenth
Of a mile from the finish. The geldtng
was gaining stride by stride. Then
Schuttinger called his whip into play.
Stung by the lashes on his flank
Eternal produced what of reserve he
had in him, and fifty yards from the
line Kelly. with his nose a short neck
back of EternaIs. ceased to gain, de-
spite furious applications of the
quirl1 by Sande. It was in this posi-
ton they sped over the mark.
Beaten, But Not Disgraced.
Billy Kelly had met his Waterloo.
He tried when the time came. He
tried hard and never stopped trying,
but his rival was too good for him.
He had met better horse, better yes
terday at any rate. The remarkable
gelding of Dick Weeles-Glena was
beaten, but not disgraced, and when
the colts returned to the judges stand
the vanquished was accorded an ova-
ton second only to that given the
victor by the more than 10000 race
enthusiasts who witnessed the Cruel
ing struggle. The event attracted
many from Philadelphia, New York
and more distant points. They came
to see a real horse race, None was
disappointed.