Here’s How to Pick a Racehorse

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6840, 22 April 1932, Page 4

Here’s How to Pick a Racehorse

IF HE’S LYING DOWN WHEN TRAINING FOR BIG RAGE, HE’S THOROUGHBRED The following was written by Warren Brown aud published in the San Francisco Examiner on March 21:— Phar Lap, the Australian, in winning the Agua Caliente Handicap, has brought a very desirable new interest to the year’s operations of the thoroughbreds. Any thoroughbred that can win 50,500 dollars in times like this is, at once, a remarkable animal. .But that is only one of the many remarkable qualities of Phar Lap.

Race-goers hereabouts can hardly wait now to see this invader tossed in against more representative competition than the Agua Caliente Handicap afforded. From Liine to time, since Phar Lap’s arrival at Agua Caliente, I have been reading some of the opinions of the experts on (he matter of training. It was all wrong, most of the experts said, for Phar Lap to start in the Agua Caliente Handicap without having appeared under colours in some previous, or testing race.

It. was all wrong, I suppose, merely because no one had ever adopted that procedure before. Filar Lap caught my fancy very early in his training preparations for the Agua Caliente Handicap. One day there arrived here a picture, the caption of which read: "Phar Lap Trains for Agua Caliente Handicap.” It. was a picture of Phar Lap lying down and taking things very comfortably.

Now, I wouldn't, have paid any further attention to the picture had it, been of a wrestler or even one, of Camera’.' Opponents, since lying down is one of the best things they do. But here was a thoroughbred, presumed to be getting ready for (lie race of his life, and he was lying down when photographed, probably bored to death with it all.

l’har Lap had come over hero from Australia for the purpose of winning a race, and he couldn’t win the race until March 20, so he saw no reason, I sup-

pose, for getting excited about it until March 20, There, mates, is a thoroughbred! One of the numerous race followers that make up the population of our city couldn’t, see Phar Lap at all. “That .Australian jockey won’t know where lie gs when the Americans givo him the works,” he said. Indeed, lie had plenty of authority for his statement, and at the same track on which the race was contested. And this all brings us back to the point that the jockey, Elliott, is no chump himself. He was content to let the field get away and bunch itself. He kept out of that. When he made his move, lie made it around the field, and once ho got past the field lie did the one thing best calculated 1o keep Phar Lap out of trouble. He stayed in front. Thcro never yet has been any record of a thoroughbred “getting the works” when he was so far out in front that none of the rest could catch him. All told, these visitors, Phar Lao, his trainer and his jockey, did a noble job for strangers in a strange laud, and on a track that has to be reckoned the strangest of all. Phar Lap didn't beat much in I hat Agua Caliente Handicap, it is true. But there is no record that lie exerted himself a heluva lot in winning.

Consequently bright days loom ahead at Washington Park and elsewhere when the Australian meets up with Twenty Grand, Mate and some of the others with pretensions to route running ability. Take it from me, though, if you see a picture of Phar Lap in training at. Washington Park and find him lying down as the photo is taken, don’t bet too much on Twenty Grand.