Opportunities of Skillful Trainer: Meets Many Famous Men, and with the Applause of Public Comes, Daily Racing Form, 1919-01-24

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OPPORTUNITIES OF SKILLFUL TRAINER Meets Many Famous Men, and with the Applause of Public Often Comes Monetary Reward. "While at times many tilings connected with the trainers profession seem to be perplexing, disagreeable and unsatisfactory, it is fortunately not always," writes Charles Bi Brossman. There are manv excellent gentlemen, owners of horses and others who back them occasionally, with whom it is a delight to associate. "In no other profession has a man that must work fcr a salary the opportunities of becoming intimately acquainted with so .many of the, famous, mibstaiitial, forceful men of -the nation, Railroad magnates. captains, of industry, eminent, profes--slonal eleiritiesi; bankersbrokej-atand -vjoojiarluii. maiilpuhUoM. all seek an introduction to the trainer of a famous horse that has just won, a valuable or important event. After the trainer, by patient, careful, persevering work for months gets the horse .good and ready and wins one of the important stake events, it is a pleasure, thrill and satisfaction, unlike any other, that reaches down into the innermost corner of the heart to see thousands of excited, well-dressed, happy-faced men and women wildly gesticulating, jumping up and down, waving their handkerchiefs, throwing up their hats anil shouting like Indians, while the band plays some appropriate selection in honor of the winner and to glorify the victory. . "The late W. C. Whiney was one of natures noblemen, magnanimous, generous, appreciative of merit and a shrewd, conscientious, high-class sportsman; His equal las scarcely lieen found, either in this country or abroad. While Secretary of the Navv he conceived and designed the system whereby the United States could have an efficient, modern navy, and the magnificent work accom-, plished bv our marine forces during the last great war is but one additional testimony to his memory. One spring, on account of change of stables and weather conditions, hfc horses were affected with some prevalent epidemic that ran through the whole stable and prcventec it from winning any races until later in the season. It was not until the season was well advanced that one of his horses won a small stake vorth ,500 to the winner did he get to see his colors come down to the wire in front. In recognitioi of the care and attention the trainer had bestowed upon the horses during the sickness and hinging them around in winning condition, upon winning his first stake of the season he gave as a present ,000 to the trainer and 100 to each of the caretakers and stable lwvs connected with the establishment, and there were about thirty of them in all. Therefore, he gave away in presents to the people that were working for him more thai the value of the stake he had just won. This is just one instance of his lilerality and many more culd be enumerated. FIDELITY HAS ITS REWARD. "This all goes to show that every once in a while there is an owner that will stick by his trainer through a bad season, appreciate fidelity and reward it in a substantial manner. There is no other occupation which a man is placed in a IHisition rapidly to gain weiltli if lie is competent, careful anil lucky, for the element of luck runs through TiinTr," successful business mans enterprises, numerous assertions to the contrary notwithstanding. A trainer also, it times, wins a lot of money with bad horses. A number of years ago I shipped early in the spring t Benning track. Washington, D. 0., to commence i campaign in the east. I had a two-year-old in the, stable that had shown fast trials as a yearling the Tall previous, but as a two-year-old he never seemed to be able to negotiate more than three-eighths of a mile, and then would stagger on -about one-eighth farther by the sheer force of momentum. There was a two-year-old race in the book at one-half mile in which I decided to start the tolt. When the entries came out there were two high-class stake colts entered in the race, and then about one-half dozen slow ones, not so good as mine, according to the work they had done on the Benaing track. Some of them had rim second and third in other races, and this was my colts first tart. I was confident that he had no chance to win. but thought he might be third. So, when I weiit into the betting rings, after saddling up, to look at the prices, I found there wa9U0 to 1 against my colt to run third. I therefonvfbet 0 on him to , so as not to let him rnri loose, where I thoaght I had a. ,chanee to win a bet, and went out ani watched the rape. "The starter sent them away quickly anil to a good start, my olt right up. lapped on the two good horses, for ibout three-eighths of a mile, when he commenced to wabble and fell back, but still far enough in alvance of the others to easily win third place, and I cashed 50 on the race. Now, as I was winnir from a small investment, I bet the 00 on sorie other horses that I thought would win in another race at 3 to 1. and cashed that bet. I kept, on winning every day during the remainder of tbe meeting, and then we shipped up to the New York tracks, and I continued to win more than I lost even hiy until in about three weeks time I had accumulated 8,000 above all of my expenses from ti bet on a no-account horse, without running any of my good horses, thereby giving mo an opportunity to get them into better condition for the great battles that were to come later in the season. Therefore, it will be seen that a shrewd, observing trainer always i,as a chance to get hold of a nice bunch of money, even if his equipment is not extensive. If he only is in a position to take advantage of his opportunities, in no other line of endeavor are such opportunities offered, even in other professions of far greater pretensions."


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1919012401/drf1919012401_1_5
Local Identifier: drf1919012401_1_5
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800