EARLY RACING DAYS.

Waikato Times, Volume 103, Issue 17365, 29 March 1928, Page 4

EARLY RACING DAYS.

INCIDENTS OF THE PAST

A WORLD-FAFVSOUS SPORTSMAN

GOOD HORSES UNDER REVIEW. Among the spectators at Flcmington last Saturday .who saw Gothic win the Newmarket brilliantly in adverse circumstances was an old friend of mine, Mr 'Mock" Crawford, one of the best, judges of the thoroughbred in the world, writes "Touchstone" in the Australasian. When 1 first met Mr Crawford in South Africa during the Boer War he was already well known as a clever veterinary surgeon and a shrewd owner of racehorses. We renewed our friendship 18 years ago in India, where he raced a lew horses of his own and managed the Turf affairs of one of the Indian magnates. As most students of English, racing are aware, Mr Crawford is now the ruling spirit of the British Bloodstock Agency, and manager of two of the most famous studs in England. It was while Mr Crawford was domiciled in Bombay, where he earned a great reputation as a veterinary surgeon and specialist in foot troubles, that he had a nice compliment paid to him. While competing in the Chester Cup Happy Man fractured the pyramidal process of the pedal bone. For weeks lie could not put his foot to the ground. Mr Crawford happened to be on a visit to England at the time, and, being the very man for I lie job, was persuaded to operate. He split Happy Man's hoof Lo cause expansion, and so allow the bone to drop into position. The operation was a v complctc "success. Happy'Man subsequently ran second in the: Chester Cup with 9.0, with 9.7 won the King Coal Slakes, two miles, at Manchester, and wound up by winning the covclad Ascot Cup. As a thankoffering for the recovery of Happy Man, the owner, Mr Hardy, presented Mr Crawford with a silver replica of the Ascot Gold Cup. Do not imagine ".lock" Crawford told me all these things; he is the last man to say a word about himself to anybody, and he will not thank me for this publicity.

A Potential Derby Winner. Mr Crawford, of course, was particularly anxious to have a good look at Gothic, for Mr Sol Green's horse is a half-brother to Kincardine (by Gay Crusader), who won ail of the live races he ran in last season (one a walk-over) as a three year old, including the SI. James Palace Slakes at Ascot, and the Column Produce Stakes at Newmarket. Then Mr Crawford saw a good deal of Gothic's sire, Tracery, when the son of Rock Sand was at the Cobham stud. It is interesting at this juncture to recall the fact that the South American breeder, Senor Unzue, paid Mr August Belmont the huge sum of £s3,Duo tor Tracery after the horse had made a name at Hie stud hi England. Though bred at the Nursery stud, near Lexington, Kentucky, Tracery was sent to England as a yearling, and remained there unLii be was shipped to the Argentine in 1920. Tracery's notable successes on the Turf and at the stud in England are 100 well known to need any recapitulation here, and the late William Allison regarded it as one of the best achievements of a busy life among blood stock, when, four or live years ago, he induced Senor Unzue to transfer a three-fourths share of Tracery to a syndicate of breeders, mostly British. This was a deal quite mit of the ordinary, but as Tracery died a year or so after his return lo England Hie 30 plucky subscribers to the syndicate received a poor return for their outlay of 1200 guineas each. Admired Gothic. It is almost superfluous to say that Mr Crawford felt in love with Gothic. I do not profess lo know what he thinks of it, but with the exception of the English Derby winner, Papyrus, probably Gothic is the best son id' Tracery now living. Even in the present depressed state of Turf affairs in England —where excessive taxation is playing Hie douce with breeding and racing—Gothic would, no doubt, realist: a very high price, if put up '.or sale. However, let us hope thai if Mr Green is induced to part with Gothic, the son of Tracery will remain in Australia; and in a good stud, lie afforded the opportunity to become another Comedy King. By the way, Mr Crawford endorsed the opinion of most of us when, after looking over the Sires' Produce Stakes runners, he pronounced them a nice lot of Uvo year olds. It may interest those wiio are trying lo pick the next Derby winner that one English visitor —or perhaps I should say Scottish —selected Stand By's half-brother Stanza, as the best of the lot, on appearance. In his laudable desire to win a high-class event, Mr Creswick appears to have sacrificed his chance of winning a two year old handicap with Stanza for on Saturday the Devizes colt beat Stalden at level weights, and conceded 31b to The Gay Mutineer and Martimah. In the Alma Stakes at Caulfield a week earlier, Stanza in receipt of a stone from Mariimah (third), and 191 b from Stalden (second), ran nowhere! But if Stanza develops into a Derby colt, as appears probable, Mr Creswick will not mind missing the handicap events. Three Angry Trainers. Apropos of my remarks last week concerning Pal Kelly and Moorcbank, there is another story 1 have told before which is worth retelling, if only to illustrate the methods employed 30 or 40 years ago by trainers. In those days horses were frequently tried out by the light of Hie stars. An order could lie obtained to gallop at Caulfield aI. any hour of the day or night, hut, happily, this custom has Jong since gone by Hie hoard, and no horses are now admitted to the course before a fixed day-light hour, 'the year Moorebank reigned as favourite for the Caulfleld Cup I was an eyewitness of- a diverting little comedy. With one or two others r had "received information" —as the police say—that a trial was to come off,, and the night being stilling hot, strolled over to the course shortly after midnight. About 4 o'clock in the morning W. Clare and I At. Carmody, with the Tasnuuiian I horses, Promised Land, Chaldean, Silvermcro. and two others whose name's I cannot recall, made their appearance in the sheds on the Bond Street side. I The trainers named promptly locked I the gales after their horses had enI torcd the course. .

.lust as the horses were ready to gallop, who should arrive on the scene but Pat Kelly. lie had, it appeared, tried to enter by the gate at the.opposite side of the. course, with Moorebank and Bridegroom, bu! this also had been locked by Lho rJ'as-

manians. Apparently they had'made up their minds to have a nice quiet gallop all to themselves. To this end they had received permission to use the course proper at 4 o'clock, being, of course, quite unconscious of the fact that Kelly had obtained a permit for a quarter-past 4. When Kelly eidcavoured lo force bis way in the fuc began. Kelly's stuttering brogue added piquancy to the uncomplimentary remarks addressed lo Carmody and Clare, whose cutting retorts also carried more than a suggestion of a Dublin slum. Off In Semi-Darkness. While the Irish debate was proceeding, the Tasmanian horses jumped off in liemi-rfarkness, Carmody and Clare being so occupied in telling Kelly what they thought of him, that they missed the gallop altogether. Tito excitement must have extended to the. bovs for Promised Land's rider, instead of kephig on the course proper, as tiie horses turned into the straight, ran on to the sand track inside, and Chaldean easily defeated the others. Kelly and his horses at last gamed admission; but, to crown all, he, • too, managed to miss his own trial, for he was still exchanging compliments with Carmody and Clare, while Moorebank and Bridegroom were trying conclusions over a mile and a halt, a trial that resulted i.i a win lor the flistnamed. In those days cup horses frequently galloped the full distance of the race for which they were being prepared. The modern racehorse probably would not stand a prepautioii or that kind; anyhow he does mil enough on shorter gallops.