The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-01-29
RACING UNsHoD HORSES.
Australian Trainer Says They Ar,
Lenuths Easter

O'SS tSy STG
Lengths Faster.
New York Sun: The shoeing or rather
plating of race horses is a question widely
discussed In England just now, especially
since J. Brewer, the Australian trainer
and e~x-jockey, has aired his views. He liz
of tEs opinion that too much attention
cannot be pNd to the matter, and that ip
the shoeing None centers the great sue
cess of the ractr. In years gone by, shoe
ing used to be studied in a perfunctory
manner, the system adopted being rather
or the happy-go-lucky order. When the
results came out all right they were TAX
EN- for granted, and no great effort was
made to shape them beforehand. Almost
all trainers then worked on the same
plans, and they won In turns. Sometimes
one was found to be more clever thar the
other.
In a recent interview in SPORTING
Sketches, Brewer unburdens himself thusl
Light plates are, Of course, put on raoa
horses before they are sent out to gallon
for money, their ordinary working shoe,
being temporarily discarded. One cannot
be too careful in this respect, or no cash
will be won. A small advantage makes q
lot of difference at the winning end. Light.
ness is trumps and nothing beats the
aluminium plating. Every ounce you take
off q horses feet is pounds off hia back
A man does not run for money in heavy
boots, that is, If 1t is his own money ~
is struggling for.
I'm Australia I have often run horseI
without shoes when the going was good,
not greasy after rain. They are lengths
better when they run barefooted and the
difference Is not likely to be fully appre.
clated except by sportsmen who test II,
practically on their w account. And,
mind you, this is no mere theorizing with
| nothing ar stake For inSfapra c,tcH
horses as The CRATER, Battalion-one o.
the best horses that ever came to England
from Australia-and Tornado, which ]
trained at EPSON, ran without shoes wheH
they won. Why, I might beat ScepteI
with a good platter If that famous mare
had heavy shoes on. There was such an
Illustration In the Duke Of York stakes. II
was a narrow squeak and Il ml2ht have
been a piercing Shrek II those .orkins
shoes had been. a trifie heavier.
of course, the old selling s; Dlechas.
ers wear big, heavy shoes. TIL: ), whep
they are not t. ying. Such risi.. are Ger.
tainly not taken when the nc ~ Is on,
because If the pot boils over, = waste Of
steam may cause a blow UP. generally
speaking, race horses are not aiken to
the biackSmith's, as are ordinaI. horses,
to be shod, since the blacksmit., goes tc
them, and the work is done in TIER box,
Needless to say, it Is very skilfuily and
carefully performed as a rule. Horses are
not often pricked in shoeing; that may be
an excuse for something else in exceptional
cases-for we do not al %ays hear the
truth about flyers in the paddock, when
we are itching to bet. even If we go about
with our ears open instead of our mouths
la characteristic attitude. Why we do not
more frequently experience a disagreeable
taste is another of those great sporting
problems which continue to worry us in
moments of dependency after backing
several horses as If to the manner born.
Oh, yes, we do know our luck.
Il use very thin thin plates, and when ]
pin my faith in a crack do not run him
without them. / de not van a slip-up
round the last turn when my champion
is taking his place and when ] stand ia
win more In a minute than I car afford
to lo1e in six month";"