The Portland daily press., 1892-01-28

are human beings, and the training that
one horse will thrive on will kill an
other.
In view of this can tell you only in
a general way what |, as a trainer, do
with horse to fit him for racing.
The first thing to do is to get your
horse, of course. In the selection of a
yearling there are as varying tastes
among horsemen as there are year
ings. 1t has become truism that
''race horses come all sizes, shapes and
colors," and the history of the turf
shows that many weedy colt that
went a-begging for buyer has turned
out well, while many a good-looker
that was knocked down at high
price, turned out no-account.
In selecting a youngster | go good
deal on looks. want a compact, we'll
built colt, with good legs, and l don't
want him too leggy; don't like to see
too much daylight under him. AS to
weight carrying qualities, I've seen
them carry weight in all shapes. I'm
not so much of a sticl1ler for size as
many horsemen are, because some of
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small or only medium size. Luke
Blackburn, which / consider the best
horse ever trained, was little fellow,
only fifteen hands one and a quarter
inches high. Charlie Gorham was
little chap, and La Tosca as yearling
was only little over fourteen hands.
'Blood will tell," and it pays to get
well-bred ones. Naturally, am pref
udiced in favor of the get of st. Blaise.
have never yet seen st. BlAise colt
that wasn't worth something, that
could not run some kind of a race. l
liked the get of The In-Used, and always
felt sure of getting a good one among
the Bonnie Scotlands and Billets. The
influence of the dam counts, too, and l
like to get colts out of mares that have
not been drummed to death racing. l
think that a mare that is retired when
she is four or five years old, and has
not been raced too much before, has
better success in the stud.
believe in buying yearlings in the
spring and breaking them early, not
later than August 15. While I was with
the late August Belmont l always broke
them about the middle of July, that is,
got them accustomed to saddle, bride
and bit. I never bothered with a roller
or breaking tackle, but would put
bride on at once, take the colt out OF
the stable and put a boy right up.
My favorite practice was to take them
as soon as they arrived.
I always gave them four or five
weeks work, trotting and cantering,
and, in all, about three months train
ing before they were tried. Hurry
ing youngsters is, in my opinion, apt
to make them crazy. They can't
stand it. They get worked up and nerv-
Gus, and if you hurry them right along
at their work they get no chance to
quiet down. If they are broken in the
middle of July, a good time to try them
is the latter part of October. l always
tried them thoroughly as yearlings SO
as to weed out those that didn't give
good promise of being race horses. L
usually tried them two or three times
at three-eighths of a mile, and after
that I'd breeze them along for half
two or three times. If the first trial
didn't satisfy me I'd give them rest OF
L
day and try them again, and If that
didn't do, would wait three or four
days or maybe week and try them
again. Of course the track makes all
the difference in the world in trial,
but on a good, fast track good year
ling should go in 81 seconds. The best
trial ever had was in SO seconds, over
our track at Babylon (Mr Belmont's
farm), done by FLY that was sent
abroad, Magnolia, by The Hl-Used, out
Of MAGNETISM. She carried 19S pounds
i md tnat colt Snab can show trlaI
in 81 seconds can generally beat FLY
racing. After I've tried them let up
on them and turn them out for the win
ter. l always take their shoes off-off
all the horses, old and young. 1t is
beneficial to their feet, giving them a
chance to spread and grow.
AS to bucking-it is better for their
shins to ''buck'' while they are year.
lings; they get tsore sooner or later, any
how, and it is just as well to get all the
little troubles and hindrances one can
over before the racing begins. Il their