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REFLECTIONS by nelson dunstan NEW YORK, N. Y., June, 16.— During recent years hundred of books on racing and breeding have been published in various countries, but few of them dealt with the subject that most of our readers inquire about — and that is the training of thoroughbreds. This writer has received hundred of letters from men asking where they could learn something of the fundamentals of training. Until this time we have always recommended Keene Daingerfields "Training for Fun— and Profit, Maybe." It ended there however for the Kentuckian, who is now a prominent steward in Illinois, had been the only one of our American trainers to take time out and tell of the methods he employed in the days when he was campaigning a string of horses. Now there is another book on the market and it has been written by the veteran Preston M. Burch. The articles that appeared in a breeding weekly have been put together in a book titled, "Training Thoroughbred Horses," and in all the field of racing and breeding there is nothing more timely or welcome. It should be said here that it was written "with the -assistance of Alex Bower" and, in our opiion, that adds to its value. For Bower is a skilled writer on racing matters and has the ability to piece together the thoughts of a man who is busily engaged with jthe training of such a large stable as Burch handles. For quite a few years, as everyone knows, he has been the trainer of the Brookmeade Stable of Mrs. Isabel Dodge Sloane. AAA In his foreword, Burch modestly says, "If some one little thing in this book helps a young trainer in, some way I will feel fully repaid for the time and work- that I have put in with Mr. Bower in getting these facts" together./ We can say that the young trainer and also those interested in training will get a few hundred pointers Preston Burch Writes Book on Training Training Thoroughbred Horses Timely Noted Trainer Tells of His Methods Good Advice for Those New to Ranks rather than the one little one Burch speaks about. Preston Burch has had more than 50 years of practical experience in the training of horses. His father was a successful trainer before, him, in fact, he says, "I have always considered my father a great trainer of horses and I have tried in a small way to emulate him." The "small way" is hardly in accordance with the facts for in 1950 the Brookmeade Stable led all owners on the American turf when they won 100 races, were second in 94, third in 61, and earned 51,399. Burch was born in Augusta, Ga., in August, 1884, and learned the fundamentals of his profession under his father, William Preston Burch, and Green B. Morris, one of the outstading horsemen of his day. Those were the years when trainers did a great deal of the work on their own horses, for veterinarians, were few and far between and did not have the standing that they have in racing today. From that knowledge came the "know-how" that was to be the foundation of his long career. AAA Burch bought his first horse in 1902, a gelding named Stuyve, and it is not surprising that he says "nothing-will - make a man learn a business faster than to have his own money invested in it. From that humble beginning he came on down through the years and while-we cannot quote all of the details, he was the man who selected the horse named George Smith for John Sanford and that was the horse who went on to win the Kentucky Derby in 1916. two years ago, Burch saddled Bold, winner of the Preakness, and last year lie won the Florida Derby with Sky Ship. This is the man who has now written this little book of 13 chapters that will prove a gold mine for younger men aspiring to the job of training horses. The first three chapters are on selection of racing material, breaking yearlings and training two-year-olds. He starts out by saying, "It should be understood at the outset that there are no hard and fast rules for the selection of young horses to be used for racing. There are certain considerations that may be used as guides for selection, but they are only general priniciples and it will not be unusual to encounter exception to them. In selecting yearlings as prospective- race horses a trainer considers some basic points." Burch goes on to say what he would avoid in selecting young horses and also the points that he would seek. Suffice to say he would avoid choosing a yearling With too straight pasterns, a narrow head, small eyes and still other points. AAA Following the chapters on yearlings and two-year-olds, Burch follows with others on three-year-olds and older horses; mud horses; grass horses, and steeplechasers; the condition book; stable management; feeding; care of the feet; minor injuries; miscellaneous ailments; racing strategy, and owner-trainer relationships. In these chapters the noted trainer gives practical advice on the use and misuse of blinkers; grass racing; the proper way to cool out a horse; the workout of older versus younger ones; training horses for long races, and the treatment of bucked shins and other subjects too numerous to mention. He often breaks up his continuity by telling of his own personal experiences and also that of other famous trainers. He says that the two beset horses he ever trained — and he has trained some mighty fine ones — were George Smith and General Thatcher. Often his re- Continued on Page Thirty-Nine [ REFLECTIONS By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page Forty-light marks" are accompanied by drawings which bring out his points clearly. There are drawings, for instance, of a horse with a normal hock and alongside one with a sickle hock. Then there is another drawing of a Jiorse with a cow hocks and also one of a horse that toes in and another that toes out. These drawings make the book more interesting throughout. It is difficult in a column of this length to do full justice to 120 pages of solid material such as Burch has given here. AAA One of the most interesting chapters to this writer is "Racing Strategy," in which Burch tells of the training of Colin and Uncle, and he goes on to tell of the very few instructions that are necessary to give a boy such as Eddie Arcaro. In this chapter he also says, "At times a trainer can analyze a race beforehand and noting that his horse is the only one with speed he may instruct his boy to take a slight lead and make the pace as slow as he can for as long as he can. This was the strategy used by trainer John Gaver, of the Greentree Stable, in his instructions to Ted Atkinson on one occasion. Atkinson carried them out as no one else could have and beat Ponder with Capot in the 1949 Belmont Stakes. Ponder was eating him up at the finish, but his move came too late. Atkinson had nursed his horse across the finish line. This was about as pretty a ride as I ever saw." Burchs book is replete with these little anecdotes, but each one is used to describe a point that the author Is making. Generally speaking, the racing world, has been waiting for a book to go side by side with that by Keene Daingerfield. Burch has supplied us with that work and, as we said above, this is likely to be a standard and authoritative volume on the subject of training.
