view raw text
MR. PINTCUS ON TRAINING. s Jacob Pincns, who is one of the most inter- 33ting figures on the American turf, will soon go back to England to renew his training operations there. Pincns is also a celebrity in the old country, for, since winning the Derby with Iroquois, the only American horee that ever won the "blue ribbon" of the English turf, he has been much in the public eye both here and abroad. When asked the relative merits of the system of training that exi3ts in the two countries, Pincus said: "The training differs only in a matter of detail, the main idea being about the same. , There are many things admirable to be said on both sides. The main point upon which train- , ers on both side3 of the ocean agree is that a horse must be thoroughly fit to stand the ordeal of a great race, to keep pace and have something left at the finish when the supreme moment comes. To give a horse the necessary prep for a great effort there must be no namby-pamby training. The horse must be asked the question in earnest, and his trainer must know his ability to the inch, so that he may be sure there will be no faltering when the final effort is made. If a horse breaks down in a severe trial, it is better that he should do so then than in the race, for in that event the money would be lost that would have been wagered had he Euccumbed to the inevitable in his trial. "The methods of the different training systems differ somewhat in the matter of the discipline that exists in a training establishment. And in that sense I think onr English friends set us a very good example. The stable boys, the apprentices and other attendants around a stable are kept to the strict letter of the law in the matter of discipline, and the riot act is soon read if there is any deviation from the rule which the trainer has laid down for the guidance of bis help. The lads who exercise go to bed and rise at a certain hour; they are well taken care of and kindly treated, but if the letter of the law is not lived up to there will be something doing in the way of punishment that causes them to beware of the day when they infringe again. "The exercise lads are carefully taught the handling of their mounts. Good hands in a lad are particularly desirable, and the careful training that an English lad receives I think has a great deal to do with the improving or spoiling the temper of a racehorse. A vicious lad is almost bound to make a vicious horse, and a steady-headed youngster, who has been well advised regarding the use of his hands, will give a horse a good mouth, and the pulling, hauling and jerking of a horse, which is so trying to the patient trainer to see, will be avoided. The lads on the other side have a smart appearance while exercising; good, serviceable breeches are used while working, and the effect when seen on the course is much more pleasing to look at than the untidy look of a lot of boys with misfit and unkept riding apparel. "The decision of the English judge is absolute, and the English racing crowds accept his verdict without question. In tho close finish for the Cambridgeshire of 1897, in which Mr. Keenos St. Clond II., trained by me, was placed second, there was not a murmur, although it looked as if ho wub miroly first by the post. Sloan thought ho had won an English classic at last, and, seatod in my trap a bit beyond the finishing line, I was ranch surprised when Compreya number waB hung up instead of our horses. It was a groat disappointment, for St. Cloud II. was well supported, and his backers would have taken down a pot of English sovereigns. St. Cloud II. is a horse of a fine turn of I s speed, and a mile and a furlong being just his clip, he ought to stand a lot of beating in the Brooklyn and the Suburban. "I am not prepared to speak definitely regarding my plans during the coming racing season in England. I have several good offers to train. I have several horses of my own which you may be sure will receive my earnest attention. Among them, a two-year-old by Orian, I fancy will earn brackets before the season is over." New York Sun.
