Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-02

had first come up from Be,air. It had been
raining lightly and had taken an umbrella
out with me- When the rain stopped / put 1t
down on the ground without bothering to
close it. lot of yearlings would have SHE'D
away from it, but when Gallant Fox got fash
of it out of the corner of his eye, he just
naturally had to find out all about it. So he
walked over, just as calm as you please, and
nosed around it. Then, when he had found
out everything there was to know about it, he
gave it his o. K. and went his way. 1t didn't
interest him any more.
LIE was like that about everything-and
he never quite got over it. Right through
his career, whenever he was going to race
at a track that was strange to him. I'd have
to show him everything there was to see. I'd
have him led into the paddock a couple of
times and let him stand in one Il the stalls
to what that like. He wa, ted to see
everything for himself.
Probably he was more curious as year.
ling than later on, but he saw so much that
year that was new to him. He had to find
out about everything we did in teaching him
to race, and after he knew about it, and it
was old stuff to him, he didn't seem to think
about it any more. We thought we had shown
him everything he might be interested in
the barrier and all the rest of it-but when he
went out to run his first race, it his
curiosity that beat him.
He got interested in the other horses that
were standing there at the post with him.
and what they were doing. His jockey tried
to snap him out of it, and get him off with
the others when the barrier sprung;
but Gallant Fox got away next to last. He
had been too curious. But when he saw the
other horses running down the track he started
after them. He wasn't curious then he was
trying his best to catch them. At the finish
he was gailoping over them, but the effort
had come too late and he finished third. The
way he made up ground convinced me he was
all right. was beginning to agree with Mr..
Woodward-that we had a champion on our
hands.
That first race didn't quite satisfy the colts
curiosity. He was stin interested in the horses
about him when he went to the post for his
second race, the fremont Stakes over his home
course at Aqueduct. And again he forgot to
leave the barrier. Some of the best two-year-
oldS in the country were in that race. Sarazen
III finished first, and Mokatam came ia second.
Soon after Gallant Fox started he got into
pocket on the rail, and in that position he
couldn't possibly get through But for his
curiosity he should have won both of those
races
That finished his curiosity at the post He
knew what was what after that and he went
on to win the Flash Stakes at Saratoga and
later the Junior Championship at Aqueduct
But, though he didn't win it, I am satisfied
that the best race Gallant Fox ran as a two
year-old was the Futurity. Whichone and Hi
Jack finished ahead of him, but he wasn't
beaten far and those seven furlongs down the
Widener course at Belmont are a very good test.
Following his Junior Championship victory he
was given q rest for the remainder Of the
season.
Gallant Fox had trick that he pulled again
and again during the two years I trained him.
got wise to 1t quickly enough and found
way to beat him at it, but we never succeeded
in changing him. When the colt was getting
o stiff workout, such as he had to have in the
intervals between his races, ne absolutely re-
fused to concede any start to his work horse.
Whatever horse it was had to toe the mark
with him and break on even terms.
It is practice in training stake horses to give
the work horse good start 1t spurs on the
stake horse and he works hard to overcome
the handicap. We tried it with Gallant Fox,
letting the work horse canter half furlong
down the track and then starting both of them
at once. But would Gallant Fox go after him?
Nothing doing! He'd canter along like he was
wondering why the other horse didn't stop and
wait for him to catch up. We tried it again
and again, but Gallant Fox Just wouldn't do it,
Perhaps he though 1t would be rubbing it IN
to give his stablemate . start and a licking as
well.
WHATEVER his reason, the fact remains
- that the only way we could get really
satisfactory trial out Of him was to use two
horses. We'd start one away with Gallant Fox
and let him battle the big bay for the first half
Of the distance. Then another horse, which
had been cantering ahead and was fresh, would
take up the task and race Gallant Fox over the
rest Of the route. That usually worked all
right, but several times had to many
at three horses to get good trial out Of our
colt
We bought . horse named Flaming for the
special purpose Of helping the colt get ready.
The arrangement worked wen for Gallant Fox,
but not 80 well for Flaming. He's resting up
now.
Gallant Fox wintered well after his FIRST
campaign on the turf and was in excellent
condition for his first test as q three-year-old
the Wood Memorial Stakes at Jamaica.