view raw text
Purses Lean and Far Between Lanzani points out that his countrys best races are . worth only about ,000, and a classic horse, of which there are necessarily few, could conceivably win 0,-000 in a year. if fortunate enough to make a clean sweep. It is the usual thing to find a solid choice at about 1 to 3 in such races, while the average race attracts fields of three, four, or five starters. As many as eight is looked upon as a maximum. Such appurtenances as race announcers or film patrols are not used as they are considered too expensive. The track at Milan is a mile and a half oval, and our visitor considers it mach too large for patrons to get a close up of the sport. He believes that this is one of the reasons that thoroughbred racing in Italy is losing ground to the harness variety. While Lanzani is convinced that his country and the others in Europe are "very late" by comparison with America in matters of racing and breeding, a decision reached after close study, he has not yet convinced himself that our training methods are superior. He concedes that our sprinters run faster than the Italians, but to get actual first hand information on training methods he would like to work for a while, without pay, for a local trainer. Prior to his arrival in Chicago, Lanzani paid a visit to Kentucky breeding farms and expressed himself amazed at the.evident superiority of modern American methods. One product of Italy now in * this country is rated tops by Lanzani. This is the stallion Daumier, who now stands at the Stallion Station of Lou Doherty at Lexington. Of him, Lanzani said: •"He has the blood of Nearco, and Donatella. Is there , any better anywhere?" r
