DERBY ROMANCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 798, 19 October 1929, Page 6

DERBY ROMANCE

PHAR LAP’S PURCHASE INTERESTING INCIDENTS Costing only 160 guineas as a yearling in New Zealand, Pliar Lap gained fame when he won the A.J.C. Derby, and a stake of nearly £7,000. Phar Lap is raced on lease by lus trainer, I£. R. Telford, who persuaded Mr D. J. Davis to purchase the horse. Mr. Davis describes himself as a novice so far as the racing game is concerned, but ho has faith in Telford judgment, and a condition of the purchase was that the horse should be leased to Telford. At first there did not seem any great prospects of Phar Lap being a galloper out of the ordinary, but after his win on a suburban course here, signs were forthcoming that Phar Pap would some day make a name for himself on the Australian turf. Pliar Lap has done so in a comparatively short time. The lists of Derby winners are replete with romances. Phar Lap is by the Radium horse imported Night Raid, whose dam, Sentiment, was by Spearmint from Flair. In 1906 Spearmint and Flair were three-year-olds, and were in the same stables, Major Eustace Loder owning Spearmint, while Flair carried the colours of the Australian sportsman. Sir Daniel Cooper. In the same stable was also Admiral Crichton, and he and Flair were considered better Derby aspirants than Spearmint. Admiral Crichton lost his form at the end of his two-year-old career, and Flair, who won The One Thousand Guineas. was selected to represent the stable in the Derby. Spearmint was not considered seriously. The plans were, however, badly disorganised by the breakdown of Flair, after her One Thousand Guineas victory, and then the stable called on Spearmint. His preparation was expedited, but it did not mini-

mis© his effort on the day. for Spearmint won by a length and a-half, in record time. 'When they had finished racing, the stable-mates. Spearmint and Flair, were mated, and they produced Sentiment, the dam of Phar Lap's sire. Memorable Races There have been many wonderful races for the blue riband of tiie turf in New South Wales, and it is not necessary to go back more than a few years to call the most outstanding to memory. What greater finish could there have been than that in which Heroic. Nigger Minstrel, and Spearfelt, passed the judge in that order with only heads separating them. It was a finish that stirred the most hardened of the professional backers. Sir Dighlock set up a tremendous lead. Heroic first tackled and passed him; Nigger Minstrel joined Heroic; and then Spearfelt drew level. For the furlong the three were head and head, and it was only the judge who was competent to declare the winner. Manfred’s Derby provided its thrill at the start, when the wonderful three-year-old was left, in ordinary circumstances, hopelessly. The field had covered the greater part of a furlong before lie could be prevailed on to leave the barrier, but he was so superior to his opponents that he had the race won before the top of the straight i was reached. Trivalve’s win was the culmination of a mighty run that snatched the prize from Winalot just as success seemed assured. In that year it was a question of great judgment on the part of Trivalve’s rider, the veteran R. Lewis. . , . Prince Humphrey won in somewhat similar fashion, defeating Mollison, who was tiring in the last furlong. But Par Lap’s success stamps him as worthy of comparison with any of his predecessors, • for he won easily and established a record.