“Citation?[1] Good horse. Cigar?[2] Very good horse. Phar
Lap? Ahhhh…. the boss tells the story all the time. When Phar Lap came to
Caliente it was the biggest he ever saw. The world’s greatest horse… and boss
tells how he just jogged that day at Caliente and buried them all. Ah, boss
loves telling these stories. Nothing was ever as big as when Phar Lap came
here.” John Gholston 1996[3]
After
a bulldozing run of weight for age victories, Phar Lap prepared for his one and only handicap race – 1931
Melbourne Cup. Before the weights were
released, it became a guessing game as to what huge handicap would be imposed
on Phar Lap. By the end of June, no
one really knew what exactly that weight would be, they just knew it was going
to be somewhere near Carbine’s 1890
weight carrying record.[4] Then
it was announced, and it was a crippler. Although no real surprise, having won
the Cup so easily the year before with 9 stone 12 pounds (62.6 kg); 15 pounds
(nearly 7 kg) over weight-for-age. Phar Lap then went on to score 15
consecutive weight-for-age victories including an amazing VATC Futurity Stakes
and a second Cox Plate. A year older and
even more dominant, nobody blinked when Phar
Lap copped a record handicap of 10.10 (68 kg) to be hauled over two miles.[5]
Carbine won in 1890 with 10.5 (65.7 kg) and
130 years later that hefty weight still remains a race record by a winning
horse.[6] Whether
or not the VRC meant to do it, their handicapper, Jack (J.H.) Davis[7] now
made it nigh impossible for Phar Lap
to continue racing in Australia by imposing this enormous 1931 Melbourne Cup
weight. It should be noted these weights were released four months before the big race so Telford and Davis
could, if they so wanted, like how Winx
was managed, have run Phar Lap in
just weight for age races until the cows came home. And in doing so, would have
very likely overtaken Sun Beau’s
world earning record. Unfortunately, particularly for Phar Lap, both Davis and Telford wanted another Melbourne Cup and
to the horror of those closest to Phar
Lap, the pair were not about to be swayed.
By
the time the 1931 Melbourne Cup rolled around in early November, the spring
carnivals in NSW and Victoria were beginning to take their toll on him. Jim Pike
and, particularly, Tommy Woodcock both wanted Phar Lap withdrawn from the Cup, especially after his struggling
win over Concentrate in the Melbourne
Stakes. Dismounting, Pike immediately
started explaining to Telford that something was wrong with the horse. Pike’s
concerns echoed those Woodcock had been expressing since the Cox Plate. It all
amounted to Phar Lap urgently needing
a rest or, at the very least, an easing off of his work load. This included Telford’s
heavy training. Unfortunately both Pike and especially Woodcock’s pleas
continued falling on deaf ears. Rather than heeding any advice and immediately
withdrawing Phar Lap from his
remaining races that spring, Harry Telford instead chose to ignore his champion
jockey with 25 years’ experience and his devoted strapper who was almost
married to Phar Lap. Telford figured
his best course of action was to train Phar
Lap even harder. Woodcock was furious.[8]
In stating his reasons, Telford only inflamed tensions still further between trainer and strapper. Explaining to Woodcock, the public had too much money on Phar Lap, Telford felt he would be lynched by such a late withdrawal. Having withdrawn Phar Lap so late from a race once before, the mail Telford received after that stunt had him dead in all manner of gruesome ways. The other reason why Phar Lap was not taken out of the 1931 Cup turned out to be far more prosaic. David Davis wanted his name on a Melbourne Cup. Seeing his once struggling trainer win one the year before stuck in Davis’ craw and he was not about to let this opportunity simply be forfeited for the sake of a few extra pounds the horse was being asked to carry. Well, 26 pounds above his 9.1 weight for age weight to be precise. So instead of thinking about Phar Lap’s welfare, as usual Davis appears to be thinking solely about David Davis. On top of this, Telford had been told by the VRC there would be consequences should Phar Lap be withdrawn so late. What those unspecified consequences could really amount to remains a mystery because even before the Melbourne Cup run, there would have only been the weight for age Linlithgow Stakes and C.B. Fisher Plate remaining of his scheduled spring races. These, in all likelihood, were to be Phar Lap’s last races in Australia. The heated discussions between Telford and Davis about sending Phar Lap to America would have placed their champion out of the auspices of the VRC. At the heart of Phar Lap running in the 1931 Cup, it really boiled down to what Harry Telford and, more particularly, David Davis decided. Woodcock was genuinely appalled by their unanimous decision to race Phar Lap for two miles around Flemington, with 68 kilograms. Worse than thinking this was unfair, Tommy Woodcock thought both Telford and Davis stupid, greedy and, above all, cruel.
Much
to Woodcock’s increasing concerns and extreme annoyance saw Harry Telford
instructing Jack Martin to gallop Phar
Lap strongly on the Sunday morning. He then repeated the dose on the
Monday. A day before the Cup run, Telford still believed there to be nothing
wrong with Phar Lap and still refused
to be swayed by Woodcock’s continued pleading. So, true to the Harry Telford
training book, he decided to give his horse another gruelling trial. Carrying
nearly nine stone, doing fast runs against two galloping companions, Telford
forced Phar Lap around Braeside’s
dirt track. When Tommy Woodcock found out he almost blew up like Mt. Vesuvius.
Telford replied defiantly, “I’m Phar
Lap’s trainer and I know what I’m doing.”[9] By this stage of
their heated proceedings, Woodcock stormed off to the stable, muttering to
himself, thinking Telford’s self-assessment of his training skill, to be
bullshit. Later Woodcock admitted he almost burst into tears thinking of how
Telford was treating “Bobbie”. Miraculously and, in many ways, unfortunately, Phar Lap appeared to pass Telford’s
tortuous trial with flying colours. As it transpires, he may have passed
Telford’s Braeside trial but it all but wore him out completely for the big
race the following day.[10]
It
was lucky for Phar Lap, Jim Pike and
Woodcock were such good mates and Pike respected Woodcock’s opinion. And why
not, Pike knew, like everyone else in racing, the strapper’s devotion to Phar Lap? Woodcock pleaded with Pike not
to strain Phar Lap in the Cup and the
champion hoop replied, “Don’t worry
Tommy, I won’t knock your pal about.”[11] True to his word but contrary to the
instructions given by Telford, Pike made no effort to keep in touch with the
eventual winner White Nose, running
48 pounds (21.8 kg) under Phar Lap’s
weight. Plodding in eighth behind horses
Phar Lap would otherwise trounce was
telling. It displayed almost a contempt Pike held for the VRC in general and
probably VRC chairman Lachlan Mackinnon in particular. Jim Pike also made it
very clear his lack of esteem for David Davis.
Neither was Pike too thrilled by the poor judgement displayed by Harry
Telford.
Phar Lap was to compete in the coming days
in the greatly depleted weight for age fields of the Linlithgow Stakes and C.B.
Fisher Plate. The four horse race of the Linlithgow won by Windbag sired Chatham and
the two horse Fisher Plate won by Limond
sired Veilmond and ridden by Jim
Pike, demonstrates the Phar Lap
effect on these races. By the time Phar
Lap was withdrawn officially due to teeth trouble[12],
both these races had been all but destroyed by owners shifting their horses
away from “The Red Terror”. Ironically, the appalling Melbourne Cup result
worked in David Davis’ favour in finally demonstrating to the obdurate Telford
that keeping Phar Lap in Australia
would be foolish.
Many
Australians already held an unkindly opinion of David Davis. Looking upon him
as a shifty jumped up nobody who was lucky
enough to own our national treasure. The established Sydney and Melbourne
business communities never warmed to him, the racing club officials dealt cordially
with Davis because he happened to own the best horse in Australia. The
public never trusted he would do the right thing by either Phar Lap or the struggling Telford.
It would have been nice to be more popular and more welcomed among those
who presided over racing but for David Davis, it was never essential. Here was
a confident, optimistic man who operated successfully and very comfortably in
his own skin with or without the approval of others. However, after the 1931
Melbourne Cup and Phar Lap’s subsequent
withdrawal from the remaining spring carnival races, the jungle drums were now
beginning to bang out some alarming news.
The
press started reporting Davis as secretly organising for Phar Lap to start racing in America. These growing rumours were gathering
momentum and finally came to a head. While Davis and Telford kept batting the
question of America backwards and forwards, in reality Davis had been ignoring
his trainer for some months. The horse
was now in joint ownership and David Davis always considered himself the senior
partner and that was the end of it. As far as he was concerned, Phar Lap would be sent to Sol Green’s
Underbank for some well-earned R & R and then “Adios Amigos”. [13]
Well
before the 1931 Melbourne Cup, David Davis had been setting the wheels in
motion for Plan B that did not include Australia. He began discussions with the racing
committee of the Agua Caliente, holders of the world’s richest horserace, the US$100,000 (about AUS£20,000) Agua
Caliente Handicap in Mexico. Unlike 1929,
when Sol Green sent his champion colt Strephon
off to England, chasing glory in the Ascot Gold Cup, with Davis and Telford it
was all about money. David Davis understood more money could be made quicker in
America than in England. He also knew the biggest pot of money up for grabs
would be the Agua Caliente Handicap in Mexico. He made it very clear to
Telford, should Phar Lap be
successful in this race, America and then the world really was their oyster.
They could name their own price and already Davis was receiving offers of
appearance money just to put Phar Lap
onto west coast racing club programmes.
In 1931, nobody in Australian racing really
thought about American racing. Or at least not in terms of thoroughbred racing.
Maybe Andrew Robertson was more au fait with American breeding and the American
racing scene than most in Australia and New Zealand. Having imported the 1914
Adelaide Cup winner Hamburg Belle and
1915 Australian Cup Lempriere[14]
along with 50 other thoroughbreds and 150 standardbreds over a decade from the
States, Andrew Robertson saw the wisdom in Davis’ thinking. Very few Australian
or New Zealand horses in the past were ever sent over to America to race.[15]
Those which did were not overly successful. While it could be seen as parochial
pride to think Phar Lap was possibly
the best horse in the world, a trip to America would answer that question. If
what they all suspected to be true, Phar
Lap being the greatest horse at that point in time, stake money alone would
be astronomical. David Davis had done his sums, and those numbers were looking
very attractive.
Australasian public may have displayed little
affection for David Davis, yet it was he who made Phar Lap an international name. It was Davis who ignored the
traditional English route trod so successfully by Merman and very unsuccessfully by Sol Green’s Strephon. Davis threw tradition out the window and looked in the
other direction. The highly publicised failure of Strephon in England, only a couple of years before, and his
subsequent lowly forced sale for only 200 guineas, also aided in Davis not
wanting to tread the same anglophile path. Telford later admitted he would
never have even thought to take Phar Lap
to America[16].
There would hardly have been an owner in Australia in 1931 who would have considered
taking Phar Lap to Mexico. Yet to
most Australians, it mattered little just how good Phar Lap could become, it still made David Davis exceedingly
unpopular among the Australasian racing public by taking Phar Lap away from our shores.
Davis
had never been overly popular, even in his own stable. Woodcock remained cool
towards him. Telford treated him like a live snake let lose in the house. Jim
Pike always thought him one of the most miserly owners he ever rode for. After
Pike’s “ordinary” 1931 Melbourne Cup ride, his American owner was livid. Davis immediately
swore he would never use Pike again, which included taking him to America. Pike
disliked Davis, for not only was he stingy with all those looking after Phar Lap, particularly Woodcock, the
American displayed little genuine affection for Phar Lap other than him being a cash register on legs. So when Davis made
it plain he did not want Jim Pike accompanying them to America, it saved Pike
the trouble of telling him where he could stick his shipping ticket. Yet even
if Pike and Davis had been on the very best of terms, Jim Pike still had absolutely
no intention of going to America. Ever.
The
Melbourne Cup marked the end of Phar Lap’s
illustrious racing career in Australia along with Pike’s involvement. It had been one of the most legendary
and enduring of all partnerships. While there have been some classic
partnerships over the years, most recently Luke Nolan and Black Caviar and Chris Bowman and Winx, Jim Pike and Phar Lap
are bound forever together through time. Despite that, the one thing Pike was
absolutely adamant about before the 1931 Melbourne Cup, was never going to
America. Not Phar Lap, wild horses or
money could induce Pike onto a boat. He suffered from such chronic seasickness,
he had genuine fears he may not be alive by the time they docked in San
Francisco. The mere thought of spending three weeks trapped on a boat, draped
over the stern railing like a wet towel chundering[17]
into the old Pacific Sea[18]
was not going to happen. If Billy Elliott was so keen to go sailing off to the
US, as far as Jim Pike was concerned, he was more than welcome to it.
Before
embarking on America and Mexico, there would be a stopover in New Zealand.
Harry Telford decision not to be part of this trip had been forced by
circumstances. The Telford’s increasingly ill baby daughter Louisa died a few
months after her birth from nephritis just before Christmas. He was not about
to abandon his wife Elvira in their most desperate hour of need. Even though it
is debatable as to how much genuine assistance Harry Telford could give his
wife either on a practical or emotional level.
On top of everything else, Braeside was already in trouble. Most
trainers put up with owners they would prefer not having to deal with. If there
is one overriding bugbear of trainers, it would be interfering owners.
Especially those who believe they know what they are talking about. The owner
who insists upon instructing jockeys, wanting their horse trained a certain way
for a particular race and generally making the trainer’s life a misery.
Telford
insisted on buying and owning horses rather than being like Jack Holt, Frank
McGrath or Lou Robertson and train for wealthy patrons. With complete belief in
his own abilities as a trainer, breeder, owner and manager, Telford handed over
responsibility of training Phar Lap
to possibly the one person in the world he trusted to do it properly– Tommy
Woodcock. He was the only person in the world with whom both Davis and Telford
knew Phar Lap would race for. It had
happened before and they were under no illusion it would very likely happen
again, without Tommy Woodcock’s personal attention, Phar Lap was just as likely to collapse into a heartbreaking pine
for his favourite person in the world. Also their young strapper would be under
the watchful eye of his brother Hugh Telford. As it turned out, while
Woodcock’s memory of Harry Telford was often mixed with vinegar, his
recollections of Hugh Telford and his wife Violet was one of continual praise
and affection.[19] What is certain, Phar Lap recuperated and was a very fit
horse when hauled onto the Monawai
for their three week trip to San Francisco.[20]
In an era of Prohibition, Tijuana provided easy
access for thirsty Americans. An alcohol soaked Shangri-La for the rich and
famous just over the Mexican border from San Diego. Affectionately known as “Satan’s Playground”[21],
before there was Las Vegas, there was Tijuana.
From 1919 to 1933, alcohol, casinos, prostitution and gambling on horse
racing were all forbidden in California.
Tijuana was perfect. For every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction and the immediate reaction to such anti-fun legislation as the
Volstead Act[22] was
to create a purpose built pleasure haven of wild parties, casinos, prostitutes,
booze, drugs, golf and horse racing just out of the reach of American
authorities. “Prostitutes, drugs, golf
and horse racing” – not four words you usually see in a sentence together unless
you are Tiger Woods but hey, welcome to Agua Caliente. Americans in desperate need of a stiff drink
and an illicit shag could escape and indulge themselves to their heart’s
content. You could gamble on the horses
during the day, at the crap tables, roulette wheels and poker at night or just lose
everything being mugged in the street on way the home. This beautiful, duty
free resort of Agua Caliente (Spanish for “Hot Water”) were constructed around
natural hot springs and health spas. Adding a magnificent 500 room hotel, huge casino,
world class golf course, horse track, Olympic sized swimming pool, deep sea
fishing, wild game hunting, lush gardens, tropical aviaries, bungalows, music,
dancers, escorts, private radio station along with an airstrip, direct rail
link and booze flowing like fountains. For many, this was heaven on earth. Especially for Americans having to suffer through prohibition.
Despite
adverse press from the antigambling, anti-alcohol biased US papers and the Agua
Caliente Jockey Club gathering a den of thieves reputation, owners and trainers
flocked there for the highest stakes in North America. Many American horse owners were industry
leaders, mobsters and movie stars drinking and cheering from the brand new Agua
Caliente grandstand. In an American society where many of these people would rarely
associate, business tycoons mixed freely with movie stars, sports elite and
gangsters. Hollywood cowboy Tom Mix was a steward for the Club while
heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey could be seen starting races. Bing
Crosby, Samuel Goldwyn, Jack Warner, Al Capone, Charlie Chaplin, John
Barrymore, Clara Bow, William Powell, Babe Ruth, Wallace Beery, Buster Keaton,
Al Jolson, Carole Lombard and Jean Harlow were all regular visitors to Agua Caliente.[23]
It is where film star Rita Hayworth was discovered by visiting Fox movie
executives.[24]
Many
of America’s best known celebrities owned or had shares in race horses. The Agua Caliente Jockey Club kept upping
their stakes until the Agua Caliente Handicap became the richest race in the
world when it hit a $100,000.[25] The Handicap started life over a decade
earlier as the Coffroth Handicap.[26]
When the race moved from the old Tijuana Racetrack, which had been prone to
flooding, to the new Agua Caliente resort, so too did the name of their premier
race change and raised the winner’s purse even higher. While the Agua Caliente
was a place where deals were done and money was won and lost in huge amounts,
the Jockey Club was also influential on racing communities beyond the west
coast. In the 1930’s horses around the world were still being lined up behind a
rope barrier which would spring up, releasing the horses. Many times, just to
get horses in some order and a straight line was like herding cats for the
frustrated starters and jockeys. In large fields with a few highly strung
thoroughbreds on the verge of a nervous breakdown, it could be a nightmare. This method of starting important races was
sometimes viewed as unfair and could lead to a false start.
The
Agua Caliente introduced the starting gate to horse racing. This device allowed
all the horses to start in unison. Starting from their individual box, the gate
would burst open. The calmer your horse, the more chance you had of starting at
all as being hemmed in a box with gates bursting open tended to unnerve highly
strung horses even more than the rope starting barrier flying up in their face.
For many owners and trainers, the starting gate was a small price for a uniform
start with that huge $100,000 carrot dangling there. Small wonder it attracted
David Davis who started eying off his old home as the way to the future for
their champion. Despite parochial gasps from the Australian racing community
and disapproval from Australasians in general, Davis was fully aware of just
how lucrative this move to America could potentially be. Harry Telford may have
been lukewarm to the idea of seeing Phar
Lap in America but the thought of his horse earning twice or even three
times what earned in Australia was undeniable.
What
they could not have foreseen was just how quickly California embraced Phar Lap. The moment Davis agreed to the Agua Caliente
committee for Phar Lap to compete,
Californian racing clubs all started clamouring to feature Phar Lap on their programs. Even before Phar Lap stepped one hoof on American soil, he was famous as the
second greatest stake earner in world racing history[27]. Of
course what the Americans really wanted to know, was Phar Lap as good as he was reported? Or more the point, could he successfully
compete with the best American horses? While many of the American racing
scribes suspected he may, little did they anticipate just how brilliant and how
instantly popular Phar Lap would
become in California. An American racing writer on
seeing Phar Lap for the first time at
Agua Caliente Racetrack wrote,
“With his magnificence, he looks like something moulded from
a sculptor to the classical measurements of a war horse from another age. Phar Lap
came out, a proud and lordly beast, striding confidently through a lane of eye
popped humans- an inspiring thoroughbred if ever there was one. He gave the
horse fancier a thrill from the hardened trainer all the way down to the
lowliest groom. The professional gambler forgot his figures to look upon
something in the flesh, the like of which he had never seen before. Phar Lap
left them speechless.”[28]
Imported
American standardbreds lay the basis for Australasian harness racing. However
the importing of thoroughbreds had always been skewed to the United Kingdom and
Europe. The first Australian horses to make their way to America for fortune
and fame were Darebin,[29] Sir Modred[30] and 1893
Melbourne Cup winner Tarcoola. They
all did stud duty in the States and 1891 AJC and VRC Derby winner Stromboli raced successfully there.[31] Then
there was Phar Lap. Even the most biased American commentator
could scarcely believe such a racing machine existed. In some cases, their journalists
pondered if such a horse ever existed. From
the moment Phar Lap was lowered gently
to the docks at San Francisco, he caused a sensation. His brilliant chestnut
colouring gleamed as he commanded attention like few others. However his
incredibly placid nature and the relaxed way in which he dealt with people milling
around him also made Phar Lap an
instant favourite. Californians started naming their pets, prized cattle,
sheep, goats, yachts, motor boats, a street and even a racing goose and a toad
in the Casino Toad Race[32]after
Phar Lap as they went mad for the
Australian wonder horse.
While
the American racing press and west coast bookies were looking at Phar Lap, many of the trainers and
owners were looking at Billy Elliott and his short stirrup riding. It is a fallacy to think Elliott was waiting
around for the Agua Caliente Handicap to be run. By the time he rode Phar Lap in the big race, Elliott had
already ridden ten races for other American stables. In one instance, his
riding managed to squeeze a 100 to 1 long shot, Good and Hot into a very close second against the favourite.[33]
Trainers were highly impressed and Billy Elliott started being inundated with
offers from American stables to ride for them. They hailed him as good as any
of the best American jockeys.[34]
One has to wonder what they would have thought of Jim Pike, Bobby Lewis, Billy
Duncan or Darby Munro? Billy Elliott was now looking at any riding commission
he wanted.
Despite
all this popularity, Phar Lap was
still presenting as something of an enigma to the west coast racing community.
After a 13,000 kilometre journey via New Zealand, they expected Phar Lap to be put into heavy training
for the upcoming Agua Caliente Handicap. Journalist, bookies and touts kept
almost constant vigil and as far as they could tell, Phar Lap still appeared to be on holiday. Apart from long,
leisurely rides with Tommy Woodcock that looked more like sightseeing than
training, nibbling grass and playing, there appeared to be no serious track
work being done at all. American trainers openly scoffed at the Australians,
thinking how could this horse be a superstar if this was his training regime? Many started to doubt the gelding would even
be a threat.
It
became an open secret Tommy Woodcock disliked the gruelling, often monotonous training
methods of Harry Telford, thinking them in many ways too brutal. He was however
the first to admit many of Telford’s ways perfectly suited Phar Lap’s incredible constitution and apparent ability to absorb these
long and arduous training sessions. Later in life, many people noted Woodcock
also trained his horses hard. But in the case of Phar Lap, whom Woodcock considered more of a pet than a racehorse,
many of the techniques he applied stemmed not from Telford but what he learned
from Lou Robertson and other more skilled trainers while out at Underbank. The very secretive Robertson, known as “The
Oyster”[35]
built a reputation of being able to somehow condition a horse to the minute for
a race without either racing them in public or even apparently training them too
hard privately. This was of course a myth, for when it was required, Lou
Robertson would train his horses as hard as any one. Robertson still managed to
often stump fellow trainers, touts, bookies and press when one of his 25-1
first up runners suddenly flew home behind a huge, clandestine betting
plunge. Woodcock, historian Bill
Whitaker, Eric Connolly, Dave Price, Bobby Lewis along with a legion of others
all named Lou Robertson the best conditioner of horses they ever saw. Woodcock, like Bill Whittaker also named Tommy
Smith as the best of the manager/trainers they ever encountered.
“I’ve
never seen a better horseman than Lou Robertson. He was a genius. Tommy Smith
is the greatest organiser, the best stable manager.” [36]
Working
so closely with the enigmatic Robertson at Underbank gave Tommy Woodcock an
inside view as to how the skilled Hall of Fame trainer operated and worked his
horses. It was an education very few in racing were privy to. It was also a learning experience he could
later use on Phar Lap when he had full
charge of him in America. Robertson’s ability to bring a horse up to peak
fitness without overtly training it, or in Telford’s case, training the legs
off your horse, proved invaluable to young Woodcock.
“Right
throughout his career Lou Robertson has shown himself to be a regular wizard at
getting horses fit without racing them in public. Whenever Lou Robertson
produces an “unknown” it generally starts favourite. One of the strongest
betting stables in Australia. Lou Robertson is a bit of an enigma to punters
and books as his horses are trained privately and many a surprise he has sprung
on the public.”[37]
It
altered little the fact the Americans could not understand what Woodcock was
doing with Phar Lap to prepare him. While Robertson’s training methods may have
been emulated by Woodcock, they still remained a complete anathema to the
American trainers who liked to see their horses working hard. Despite the short
preparation and cynicism from the locals on his training methods, it soon
became apparent Phar Lap was quickly
acclimatising. Apart from being unable to shed his winter coat that later
required clipping, by the time they all made it down to Aqua Caliente, Phar Lap looked more than ready for
action.[38] On the Sunday, a week before the race, Phar Lap was timed doing an easy half
mile in 49 seconds first time around a dirt track.[39] This
should have made him an automatic short priced favourite. Bookies were still
offering 10-1. One of his hooves was causing some concern which was helping
keep the odds out.
What
started as a concern quickly grew into a problem. Every passing day Tommy
Woodcock became more worried about Phar
Lap. His damaged hoof appeared not
to be improving and as the days closed in on the Agua Caliente, these concerns
mounted. Before leaving Australia Woodcock had a few letters of introduction.
One of them became more important than all of the others combined: Jimmy Smith.[40]
The Canadian farrier was a magician. Coming to Tommy Woodcock’s rescue, Smith
spent 120 days a year looking after horses at Agua Caliente and the West Coast
before following the circuit back to Canada. Every year his reputation as a
wonderful farrier grew. The more Tommy Woodcock looked at his beloved horse,
the greater the concern. Phar Lap’s
hoof was not right and continued mainly light work when Jimmy Smith started
constructing a boot that would assist Phar
Lap and give him the comfort and support he required. In the meantime, the more
his light work seen by the American writers, the more belittled Woodcock
became. One of the most influential racing correspondents, Tom Akers wrote, “Phar Lap is merely a bait for sucker’s
money.”[41] Another paper stated, “A sensible horse with a silly trainer.”[42] Reports ranged from patronising to out and out
insulting against Tommy Woodcock’s methods. It was then the games really begun.
How
the big chestnut was being prepared with a seeming absence of any real training
being demonstrated by Woodcock continued to irk the Press and genuinely
confused bookies right up to the start of the race. Then it was discovered
David Davis launched $3,000 to $1,000 bet with a local bookie followed by a
$2,000 to $1,000 bet for Phar Lap to
come in either first or second.[43]
It may have shaken up the betting ring at Tijuana when it was discovered Davis
had placed even larger amounts at San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento.[44]
These were on top of huge bets he had placed when first arriving. It was almost
enough to shut down the ring entirely. Many of the touts, bookies and press
started to become suspicious that Phar
Lap may have been doing a little more training than at first thought. Not
much more mind you but it was certainly more than just standing around nuzzling
Woodcock and trying to rip his shirt off. His hoof now appeared to be on the
mend but still no one saw the horse really train. What many failed to realise,
by the time the Mexican bordered opened at six am the Phar Lap team were ready to go home. No people outside the stable
rarely saw the big gelding train. But he was training despite the persistent rumours
to the contrary and the occasional report which hinted at what may have been
really happening.
“Clockers
believe Phar Lap may have done some secret work on the small training track,
which is half a mile distance from the main track. Many horses train there at
odd times, away from prying eyes. There is also a ring in a level dell of a
canyon about 400 yards south of Phar Lap’s stable door. Well beaten paths lead
in its direction. A suspicion exists in clocker’s minds that Phar Lap may have
been a busy horse.”[45]
A
couple of days before the race, Phar Lap
was clocked doing six furlongs in 1:17.[46]
From being as quiet as mice with the press, the Australian camp all started
pumping up their chances. Davis, who was still placing bets with any bookie
brave enough to take his money, stated he expected his horse to run a great
race. Woodcock started bringing in other famous international US invaders into
the picture that had failed by claiming Phar
Lap will achieve what the French and English horses Epinard[47]
and Papyrus could not do – namely
win.[48]
If that was not succinct enough, Woodcock then added, Phar Lap is a greater horse than either the French or English
racers. He expected Phar Lap to win
easily. Vet Bill Nielsen chimed in with his prediction of Phar Lap breaking the race record. The press may have caught jockey
Billy Elliott four sheets to the wind sneaking home from a party when he told
them he’d be jumping into the Tijuana River with a saddled tied around his neck
if Phar Lap didn’t win.[49]
One
of California’s largest bookmakers, Zeke Caress[50] opened on Phar
Lap at 2-1. No Takers. 3-1, still nothing. Finally 4-1 and Phar Lap began showing some mild
interest from the cashed up American punters.[51]David
Davis swooped again for one last giant bite of the apple, setting himself up to
make a further fortune. Phar Lap’s
odds immediately shrunk again to 6 to 4 after Davis’ last mighty plunge. Most
of the tipsters in the Press, still confused by Tommy Woodcock’s training,
selected Phar Lap to be lucky to place
while other “experts” claimed he would miss out on a place altogether. According to Caress, in the three weeks
leading up to the race, he couldn’t find a punter who admitted backing Phar Lap, other than David Davis.
Everyone appeared sceptical. Davis on the other hand appears to have had
trouble walking past a bookie without laying another bet on his horse.
Although
Phar Lap was top weight with 129
pounds (58.5 kg), Woodcock and co were cock-a-hoop after what was lumped onto
their gelding in his last race. In a far shorter distance, Phar Lap would be carrying 21 pounds (nearly 10 kilos) less. Even
though this was almost back to weight for age, Phar Lap was still giving away a fair weight to the other supposed
stars of the American track. A previous Preakness winner, the 8-1 chestnut Dr. Freeland was the highest weighted American
entrant at 120 pounds (54.5 kg), 3-1 Reveille
Boy 118 pounds (53.5) and Spanish
Play 117 (53 kg) also at 3-1.[52] Scimitar
starting at 10-1 had been only handicapped 100 pounds (45 kg or only two pounds
over seven stone) or 29 pounds under Phar
Lap.
This
race had been booked out for weeks, even before the day visitors flooded across
the border. This would be the biggest weekend of their racing season. Many
people may have been under the impression there were only a few races on this
programme with a quick build up to the big race. Well no, not quite. If you
think people are tanked at Flemington during the spring carnival, this day was
a swinefest. Remembering there was Prohibition in the States, some people had
not had alcohol for a long time, before trying to drink the bar dry. Evidently
not many people attended church at Agua Caliente for this was a Sunday race
meeting with the first race starting at 10:30 in the morning. Many had been up
for most of the night at the casino, squinting as they made their way from the
crap tables out to the sundrenched track. Buster Keaton with a drink in one
hand, a girl in the other and betting slips between his teeth. Phar Lap was in race thirteen to be run at
4:30. By then, many of the crowd would be legless. Some will be asleep under a
tree while others unconscious in a deck chair. Day visitors and general hoi
polloi played a game of, “Isn’t that
Eddie Kantor? Look over there, I think that’s Wallace Beery manhandling that
girl?”[53]
In
fairness, the field of the 1932 Agua Caliente Handicap was good but it could
have been better. Many wished the current champions Mate, 1931 winner of the Preakness, Twenty Grand, 1931 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner had
made the trip.[54] Many also regretted Equipoise, 1932 and 1933 US Horse of the
Year not being been available all through his three year old season. He too was
a potential Triple Crown winner.[55] Dr.
Freeland, another chestnut and winner of the 1929 Preakness figured
prominently in the betting as did the lightly weighted Scimitar, Spanish Play and Revellie
Boy. But while many of the 50,000 spectators may have been completely
blotto by the time of the race, many more were nonetheless fascinated by the appearance
of the Big Red Australian. Phar Lap
calmly walked onto the track seemingly unconcerned by all that was happening as
he became the focus of the crowd’s attention. Even when the camera men came
onto the track, which would never have been allowed on an Australian course, Phar Lap still appeared unperturbed. No
one really expected much but all conceded he was a commanding looking horse who
probably wouldn’t be either fit enough or tough enough to have a chance. Besides
the multitude of movie and sports stars, gangsters, business and political
leaders, the who’s who of the American, Canadian and European racing
communities had also made a beeline for Mexico to see Phar Lap race.
Bert
Wolfe, writing under the pen name of “Cardigan”, accompanied the Phar Lap team over. He was one of only a
handful of journalists from Australasian papers to do so. Close friend of the
Robertson brothers, he had been in America many times, especially with Andrew
Robertson. He had seen nearly every good horse race in the States, England and
Europe and knew even before this race, he had seen nothing like Phar Lap. Mingling with the American
writers Phar Lap was being treated
almost as an oddity. A five minute flash of interest that was likely to vanish
as quickly as it arrived. Apart from the absence of Mate and Twenty Grand,
these were the best horses America had to offer. Many believed it bordering on
the height of optimism to see Phar Lap
even place. Wolfe had been hearing these American scribes damn Phar Lap with faint praise since his
arrival. He gave up any contrary argument weeks ago. Apart from the skilful
riding Elliott displayed in some lead up races, not one journalist really found
anything positive to say about these interlopers from the Antipodes. However,
all the American journalists did agree on one thing – Phar Lap was a magnificent looking animal. But were quick to add,
this was a race not a beauty pageant.
The
horses made their way to the newly introduced starting gates invented by the
Agua Caliente Jockey Club’s starter Marshall Cassidy a few years earlier. Again, Phar Lap did not appear to be fazed by
anything. He just calmly waited while Reveille
Boy and Scimitar both played up.
It may have flashed through Bert Wolfe’s mind, “I wonder how Manfred would have gone with all this?” One surmises
there may not have been much left of Cassidy’s starting gate after a Manfred tantrum. What happened next was
a thing of beauty etched into the memories of all who witnessed it. Dispelled
in two minutes every bit of doubt, cynicism and thought Phar Lap was anything but outstanding. In two minutes, Phar Lap changed everything. What
started out as an Australian wannabe metamorphosed before those 50,000 stunned
racegoers into a racing legend. Those who witnessed it never forgot it to the
day they died. Most swore to their grave, they had just seen the greatest
racehorse ever. For some of the most knowledgeable and respected doyens of
racing, forty years later that appraisal of Phar
Lap’s remarkable talent remained unchanged and this moment undimmed. After
this one demonstration of his immense ability their opinion was fixed. Whenever
asked, what was the greatest racehorse they ever saw, after watching racing’s
most famous names compete in hundreds upon hundreds of races both before and
after the 1932 Agua Caliente, they replied without hesitation, “Phar Lap”? This one race was glorious.
Starting
gates burst open to a huge roar from those Agua Caliente patrons still
conscious. Phar Lap stood still for a
moment before jumping away casually almost giving a right of way to the outside
horses, Reveille Boy and Scimitar, bustling their way to the
inside rail. Billy Elliott was comfortable allowing Phar Lap to fall back fifteen lengths behind the leader and continued
trailing the field four or five wide out of the straight. Even then you could
hear mutterings through the crowd, “He
looks a little slow”, “Looks like he’s out for a gentle canter”, “He’s going to
have to make up a bit of ground”, “Obviously
out of his class”, “Look how wide he’s running, won’t have a hope from there?”
All the comments amounted to the same thought; Phar Lap had come to America with a huge reputation but now he is
racing against some real competition.
In
reality Elliott was taking no chances of any possible interference, accidental
or deliberate, and continued to run Phar
Lap well wide and away from the other runners. Tommy Woodcock, although not
expecting Billy Elliott to run quite so wide was not too concerned. Knowing
both his horse and his rider the tactics were not a total surprise. Even on the
Australian tracks, whenever possible, Elliott always opted to go around the
field. In this case, having a horse with the power and speed of Phar Lap under him made perfect sense. Obviously
conscious of Phar Lap’s hoof, Elliot
kept nursing the gelding around the turn without putting any unnecessary
pressure on Jimmie Smith’s master work. It was also the first time competing on
a dirt track and being at the back of the field was like being sandblasted. Neither
jockey nor horse were used to it and preferred to stay well away from the
flying debris. When the field lined up in the back straight Phar Lap was still loping along well towards
the rear. And still remained five wide as if some imaginary rail dissecting the
middle of the track was making it impossible for him to run with the others.
To
watch this race on You Tube or any documentary about Phar Lap was in many respects an all too common sight over the last
few years for Australians. Watching the incredible mare Winx race was in many ways like watching the same
race over and over. So confident were the riders of both horses in their
charge’s ability to run over the top of any field, any time. Starting slowly,
Hugh Bowman would have Winx first gather in
the stragglers, then sometimes run five or six wide around a Group 1 field as
if they were selling platers, only to then change gears in the straight and
leave the remainder for dead. But while Winx
ran with short, lightening strides, Phar
Lap stretched out majestically. Sometimes as a front runner, sometimes like
Winx.
But the Agua Caliente was a moment of racing magic.
Those
few Americans who did back Phar Lap
were beginning to rue their decision. Some urged him on but still he just sat
there at the back of his class field. Then it happened. Just as the crowd were writing
the Australian horse off, Phar Lap suddenly
had them all transfixed. Did they really see what they just saw? It took only a few
seconds for Phar Lap to flash past the
field as if they were standing still. From seventh Phar Lap now had a three length lead. Many
then changed their focus to the Australian jockey for not really understanding
race tactics. Most figured Phar Lap,
having gone way too soon was leaving nothing in the tank when needed for the
run home. Phar Lap continued in
front, moving over to the rail, loping along with easy strides until he hit the
home turn and again Billy Elliott slowed him down to ease the pressure off his
cracked hoof and give his horse a slight breather. Many knew this race was
being run at a cracking pace so on seeing him slow on the turn many just assumed
Phar Lap was now done like dinner.
Agua
Caliente horse loving glitterati were expecting the field to run over the top
of Phar Lap. Reveille Boy, being thrashed to an inch of its life by Bob Wholey, strained
up beside Elliott.[56]
As the home straight opened up, most expected Phar Lap to start disappearing helplessly back into the field an
exhausted mess. Then came a sudden, unified gasp from all those watching. After
seemingly missing the start by 15 lengths, running most of the race last and four or
five wide, only to then go zooming past the whole field in the back straight, slow down and have the field catch him, the crowd were frankly confused by Elliott’s
tactics. Although most had their money on every horse other than Phar Lap, it suddenly dawned on them
what they were really looking at. They realised a horse like Phar Lap comes along but rarely. With
nothing but an open straight ahead of him, Elliot put down the throttle and in
a few lightening quick strides, Phar Lap
lengthened out and left the field, literally, in his dust. As he flew passed
the post in record time it was understood by the crowd if Elliott had really
wanted, Phar Lap could have beaten
this field by ten lengths while obliterating the race record in the process. He
passed the post winding Phar Lap down
to a canter. It was quite simply remarkable. Elliott patted Phar Lap, speaking to him all the while as the crowd hollered and
cheered. Compared to his recent Australian races, this had been a cakewalk.
The
crowd, most of who had just lost their money, continued clapping and cheering
as Elliott brought Phar Lap back to
scale. While many of the other horses gave the impression of having just run
two Melbourne Cups end on end as they staggered back in, Phar Lap looked as fresh as a daisy. Race officials gazed at this horse in
amazement. He was hardly breathing. What is this horse? Then came the accolades
from the most esteemed racing writers, officials, trainers and jockeys in
America. Many of whom would themselves be inducted into their respective racing
Halls of Fame. William P. Kyne, creator of Bay Meadows Racetrack at San Mateo[57],
was already in print expressing his scepticism about Phar Lap before the race. On what he had just witnessed, very quickly changed his tune,
“Phar
Lap is the greatest horse I’ve ever seen and that includes Man o’ War, Twenty Grand,
Mate and a lot of others. Just consider what he did. He went into that race
“cold” that is without a warm up race under his belt. He took the outside of
the track all the way, finished pulling up and came to the judges standing like
the thoroughbred he is without even drawing a deep breath.”[58]
The
chorus of praise in American racing circles for Phar Lap remained for years after this one run. Francis Dunne who
officiated at Belmont and would regularly come over to Agua Caliente as Racing
Secretary and Handicapper for their Jockey Club[59] in
the winter famously delivered his definitive verdict after seeing Secretariat’s scintillating run in the
1973 Belmont Stakes to clinch a Triple Crown.
Knowing Dunne was one of the few racing authorities who had seen both Man o’War at his peak, a horse forever
named as the greatest American racehorse in almost every “best of” list, a
reporter asked him which horse was in fact the greatest, Man o’War or Secretariat?
To the reporter’s astonishment, with over 40 years having passed since Agua
Caliente, Dunne still replied without hesitation, “Neither, I saw Phar Lap.” [60]
When
Eddie Arcaro retired from racing in 1962, he had ridden more American classic
winners than any other jockey. This included five Kentucky Derbies, two Triple
Crowns, 1941 Whirlaway and 1948 Citation and nearly snaffled a third in
1955 on Nashua. He rode 4,779 winners
including victories on Kelso, Bold Ruler
and most of the great American horses from 1932 to 1962.[61]
Arcaro won his first race at 16 at the Agua Caliente in 1932. He did not have a
mount in this race, instead watching from the balcony of the Jockey’s Room with
one of Seabiscuit’s famed riders,
George Woolf. There was a stunned
silence between the two jockeys as they watched in wonder at Phar Lap demolish this field in the back
straight. Gob smacked, Woolf muttered, “Did
you see that?” The usually garrulous Arcaro just nodded as the sight of Phar Lap racing burned deep into his
memory.[62] Thirty years later Eddie Arcaro was asked for
the best horse he had ever seen over his long career. The reporter naturally
enough figured one of America’s most brilliant jockeys would reply with a
Triple Crown winner, Sea Biscuit or
some other star. He stated Citation
the best horse he ever rode[63]
but without a blink, like many others, he too named “Phar Lap” [64]as the best horse
he ever saw race.
There
were other famous jockeys present in Mexico. Johnny Longden[65]
managed to chalk up 6,032 career wins but his 1932 run at Agua Caliente this
late afternoon on Bahamas would not
be one of them. He describes how the race went for him and his brief moment in
the lead, “I was leading the field to the
three eights pole. About that point the big New Zealander went by the rest of
us like we were tied to the fence.[66] I glanced back going
into the first turn and Phar Lap was at least a furlong behind me. The next
thing I knew he was blazing by me like he’d been shot from a cannon.”[67] Other racing
luminaries as Hall of Fame trainer Bill Molter,[68]
trainer of the brilliant 1958 Horse of the Year Round Table, rated Phar Lap
the best.[69] George “Judge” Schilling,
a Canadian Hall of Famer for his incredible service as a steward and
administrator, was another vocal member of the Phar Lap fan club, rating the Australasian horse above all others
he saw race during a lifetime at the track.[70] Along
with Marshall Cassidy, Schilling acted as an associate steward for the Agua
Caliente Jockey Club.[71] Also
a strong member of the Phar Lap cheer
squad there that day, officiating as race day Judge and Clerk of the Scales, American
racing legend and Sport’s editor of the Examiner, Lanny Leighninger.[72]
To the day he died he swore he never saw a horse perform like Phar Lap that day. Leighninger went on
to describe Phar Lap’s astonishing
run like an out of body experience, joining the chorus of claiming Phar Lap the greatest horse he ever saw
race.
“Phar
Lap only really galloped anywhere near top speed between the six and five and a
half furlong posts. Zooming around the middle of the track like a freight
train, well away from the other horses. After opening up his commanding lead,
Phar Lap was taken under hard restraint by jockey Elliott. He let the others
gain on him, notably Reveille Boy. Thousands in the stand thought Reveille Boy
was challenging him at the top of the stretch. Jockey Wholey, riding Reveille
Boy, thought the same thing, but Wholey found, to his sorrow, that Phar Lap was
only kidding him. Elliott didn’t even find it necessary to go to a hand ride.
Wholey said the boy on Phar Lap simply made a slight hissing sound to Phar Lap
and away he went- leaving Reveille Boy like he was mired in mud- to win as he
pleased. Phar Lap in reality was only cantering at the finish. The boy had
eased him up soon after he passed the eighth pole”
Marshall
Cassidy, Vice-president and Director of Racing at New York Racing Association[73]
and brother, George Cassidy were both adamant Phar Lap was the greatest horse they ever saw in action. Having
seen Man o’War and every great racehorse
in both in America and England, Marshall Cassidy, along with George Schilling
officiated as an Associate Steward at Agua Caliente,[74]
did not blink when asked for his pick for best ever horse.
“The
Australian horse, Phar Lap. In his only North American race I saw Phar Lap do
what I have never seen any other horse do. He stood rigid at the starting gate
until the field was 15 lengths ahead of him. After making up 12 lengths, he
circled 60 feet outside and ran away with the race.”[75]
Any
of the racing luminaries there that day to watch Phar Lap glide home, all stated at various times, they had not seen
a better horse before and most could not compare Phar Lap with any horse these saw run in the succeeding years that
followed. Eighteen years later, Bert Wolfe spoke at the Melbourne Legacy Club
in April 1950.[76] By this stage Wolfe had
witnessed thousands of races all over Australia and the world and remained
adamant in his assessment.
“Having
never seen Carbine in action, the greatest horse I have seen is Phar Lap. A
great gelding of tremendous courage. I saw him win his race at Agua Caliente.
He never before started from a stall or been on a dirt track. He had a split
hoof, wore a clumsy boot and corks in his hind shoes, which he never wore
before. Elliott rode him wide and he had to come around the field at a sharp
turn to come away an easy winner with his ears pricked. Only horse to compare
with Phar Lap was Sea Biscuit.[77]
The
last word on seeing Phar Lap at Agua
Caliente was described in B.K. Beckwith’s book on horses and horsemanship,
“Step and Go Together”.
“I
have never seen a performance of a more outstanding stature than that given by
this Australian colossus at Agua Caliente in his only appearance on the North
American continent. Here is an animal that beggars description in more ways
than one! With a vast crowd milling around him on the infield, during the
saddling ceremonies, there stood Phar Lap, flicking his long ears as placid and
unconcerned as a cow in clover. Elliott sat on his back with the reigns hanging
loose on his neck, talking casually with his entourage. He was sort of half in
and half out of the saddle, like an old cow poke at the hitch rack of the
general store. A short time later, these two, still apparently unconcerned
about the whole thing, galloped away from the gate, trailed the field for a
while and then, with a flash as vivid as summer lightning, they swept around
the pack as though all the others in the race were anchored, coming home on the
bit with magnificent ease. That was a day and a horse to remember. Even in that
one brief glimpse that I had of him, Phar Lap stamped himself as one of the
truly great horses of all time.” [78]
After
the dust settled on the race, people then started adding extra facets of this
victory, making Phar Lap’s Agua
Caliente performance even more remarkable. Race goers and experts alike began
commenting on the fact Phar Lap had
travelled three weeks across an ocean, followed by a 1000 kilometre road trip
from San Francisco to Mexico. So while the change of hemisphere along with a
change in season may have been disrupting enough, there was also the newness of
a starting gate and racing on a dirt surface that the horse had never raced on
before. Then without a single lead up race, came out cold to effortless beat,
baring the absence of Twenty Grand
and Mate, one of the best assembled
fields American racing had to offer. And just for the pièce de résistance,
racegoers were now aware of Phar Lap’s
damaged hoof and was very likely under trained leading up to the race. It all
amounted to something truly phenomenal. It also begged the question of just how
good could Phar Lap be if fully
acclimatised and properly trained? For
many American owners, the prospect of competing against Phar Lap was indeed a daunting thought.
Those
present at Mexico did not hold back their admiration. It mattered little the horse
being thrown up as a contender to Phar
Lap’s greatness to those racing experts present at the 1932 Agua Caliente
Handicap. Names stretching back to Man
o’War and forward to Seabiscuit,
Native Dancer, Citation, Kelso, Dr. Fager, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid all
the way up to Secretariat. Those racing men, who between them watched, or
participated in, thousands of races over half a century, could never be swayed in
their belief of Phar Lap being anything
but the greatest horse they had ever witnessed on a US racetrack. Wow!
David
Davis stood there with a $50,050 cheque after the Agua Caliente Racing Club
halved their winner’s prize. As something of compensation, Davis picked up at
least twice that in winning bets. He received congratulatory telegrams from all
over America, Australia, New Zealand and the world. “Heartiest congratulations on great victory of Phar Lap – George V.” In
his wildest dreams, this moment could not have been more surreal for Davis who now
had the world at his feet. Not only was every racing club in America wanting to
showcase Phar Lap on their
programmes, this race had been run in front of the Hollywood studio bosses.
Most of them owned horses, knew horses and now wanted to own this horse. If
they could not buy him for ridiculously large pots of money, they wanted to
feature Phar Lap in their movies. In a
two minute moment of horse racing magic, suddenly Phar Lap was a star as radiant as any horse that ever lived.
Davis
smiled. For someone who flatly rejected this horse, he now found himself the
proud owner of one of the most valuable horses in the world. All he did was say
“yes” to his desperate, impoverished trainer begging to buy Lot 41 at a New
Zealand auction. While everyone else said “no”, only David Davis, albeit very reluctantly,
agreed to do the purchase. Then he did not have to spend a penny on the horse
for the first three years and was then paid £4,000 by Telford so his trainer could
become a junior partner. Any other owner in Australasia could have taken their
own horse to America any time they liked.
Only David Davis took the risk and he now had the horse world clamouring.
David Davis was being welcomed home in a way he could never have imagined.
In
the meantime, across the vast expanse of ocean lay two nations brimming with
pride. Australia and New Zealand would never fully vindicate nor forgive Davis
in his decision to race Phar Lap in
Mexico. Still, both countries soaked up their collective ownership they claimed
in Phar Lap’s stunning achievement.
Yet even in this Australasian moment of unifying sense of achievement it was
later revealed the Australian papers had two headlines ready to go on the
result. “AUSTRALIAN HORSE WINS” or
had it not turned out quite so well, “NEW
ZEALAND HORSE LOSES”. Some people
have suggested Australia and New Zealand should be one country. This headline
being just one of many examples over the journey as to why that is never going
to happen.
Tommy
Woodcock later admitted he could not leave Mexico quick enough despite their
success. In this case he was in a minority for both Billy Elliott and Bill
Neilsen were having the time of their life. Although David Davis may have been
a little tight handing out the bonuses to his staff, inside a speakeasy he was
more than happy to shout his men drinks. As they made their long trek back to
the Perry’s Farm, all of them knew, Phar
Lap was going to make them famous, and in Davis’ case, wealthy.
[1] Citation - 1947 Champion 2yo colt, 1948 Triple
Crown Winner, Champion 3yo & Horse of the Year, 1948 Champion Handicap Male
& first horse in America to attain $1 million in earnings.
[2] Cigar - Horse of the Year (1995 & 1996),
Eclipse Older Male Horse (1995 & 1996), National Museum of Racing and Hall
of Fame (2002) & Racehorse of the Decade of the 1990s
[3] Santa Cruz Sentinel, 10 August 1996, page 15
[4] Daily New 27 June 1931, page 9
[5] In 1863, the third running of the Melbourne
Cup saw most of the New South Wales horses withdrawn in protest over the VRC’s
handling of Archer. Having won the first two Melbourne Cups 1861 carrying 8.7
(51.7 kg) and 1862 with 10.2 (64.4 kg), Archer was handicapped w whopping 11.4
(nearly 70 kg to lug two miles around Flemington. As it turned out, although
Archer wanted to register to run, because it was a bank holiday, his wonderful
trainer Etienne de Mestre
missed the deadline and along with Archer, every other interstate horse
cancelled their entry in protest over the VRC’s arrogant handling of the
affair. The 1863 Melbourne Cup still remains the smallest field ever with only
seven horses competing. Won by The Banker, that had been saddled with a handicap
5.4 (74 lbs or 33.5 kg – about the average weight of a ten year old boy). Had
Archer competed, he would have been conceding 84 pounds or 38 kg.
[6] The average weight carried by the
winner of the Melbourne Cup over the last decade is between 56.5 down to 51
kilos over 3200 metres or close enough to two miles. Kentucky Derby over 2012
metres is 57.2kg for colts or geldings. Epsom Derby is 2043 metres carrying
57.15kg, Preakness is 1911 metres carrying 57kg, Belmont Stakes is 2414 metres
carrying 57kg. Granted these weights are for colts but if you take the real
staying classics, the Ascot Gold Cup
[7] John
Hampden Davis first began as handicapper of the VATC and then 17 years with the
VRC. Davis died in 1940 one of the most respected handicappers the racing clubs
ever had. He also joins a huge legion of race followers who declared Phar Lap
the best horse he had ever seen race. It certainly goes a long way to explain
why he applied such a crippling weight to him in 1931- Argus 10 April 1940
[8] The Mirror 8 May 1954, page 17
[9] The Mirror 8 May 1954, page 17
[10] Ibid
[11] Ibid
[12] Sporting Globe 7 November 1931, page
1
[13] Goodbye friends in Spanish
[14] These were the first American bred winners of major races in Australia
[15] Possibly the most celebrated New Zealand
horse going to America before Phar Lap being Sir Modred. Amazingly enough there
is also a link here to the Robertson brothers. Sir Modred was a brilliant son
of Traducer. Sir Modred was purchased by one of the wealthiest men in America,
James Ben Ali Haggin for breeding. Haggin employed Blenheim based John Mowat to
rid his Californian properties of sheep scab.( Marlborough Express 22 July 1895, page 2) Later Mowat worked on the Falkland
Islands with Andrew and Lou Robertson’s older brother James. Through his friendship
with Mowat, this gave Andrew Robertson invitation to James Ben Haggin, which
led to other invaluable introductions. Sir Modred was taken to America, along
with Darebin, Maxim and later Sir Modred’s full brothers Idalium and Cheviot
(owned by Leyland Standford). All the horses were taken there as stallions for
breeding.( Evening Post
15 December 1931, page 6)
[16] Phar Lap – The Untold Story
[17] vomiting
[18] Song title by Barry Humphries “(Chunder Down Under in) The Old Pacific
Sea” 1965
…I've had liquid laughs in bars and I've hurled from moving
cars
And I've chuckled when and where it suited me
But if I could choose the spot
To regurgitate me lot,
then I'd chunder in the old Pacific Sea
Drink it up, drink it up
Crack another dozen tubes and prawns with me
If you want to throw your voice,
mate you won't have any choice
But to chunder in the old Pacific Sea
[19] Tommy Woodcock often changed his
story about Harry Telford but in most cases he was either damning with faint
praise or just plain damning in his criticism of his boss. He was certainly
scathing in how stingy he was. Right up to the moment he was interviewed by
Simon Wincer, a year before he died in 1985, Woodcock consistently to swipes at
Telford’s training methods and handling of Phar Lap.
[20] In the
meantime David Davis had arrived in San Francisco in mid-January of the
Matsonia and immediately went to work placing bets and finding out why they
were now only competing for $50,000 instead of the original $100,000 at Agua
Caliente.
[21] “Satan’s
Playground: Mobsters and Movie Stars at America’s Greatest Gaming Resort” Paul
J. Vanderwood
[22] The 1919 National
Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act or 18th Amendment banning the drinking of alcohol
in the US
[23] Greg
Neimann - Bajabound.com
[24] Born Margarita Carmen Cansino in October 1918 into a family
of dancers. Her father emigrated from Spain in 1913. Rita's American mother,
Volga Margaret (Hayworth), of Irish descent, met Eduardo in 1916 and were
married the following year. Rita studied as a dancer and joined her family on
stage when she was eight years old. She was spotted by Fox studio head Will
Sheehan at Agua Caliente and signed to her first studio contract at sixteen.
[25] About A£20,000.
[26] Named for then President of the Lower
California Jockey Club, San Francisco boxing promotor, James Coffroth.
[27] Behind Sun
Beau
[28] Weekly Times 25th February 1932
[29] 1881 VRC Derby and 1883 Sydney Cup
winner
[30] New Zealander champion 1882
Canterbury Cup winner
[31] Sporting Globe, 21 November 1931, page 6
[32] Santa Cruz Evening News 10
October 1932, page 4
[33] Examiner 19 March 1932, page 3
[34] Ibid
[35] Warwick Hobson – The Wizard of Mordialloc
[36] The Racing Game by Bill Whittaker –
“Voitre was a Genius”
[37] Truth, 26 February 1928, page 3
[38] The Mirror 12 June 1954, page 16
[39] Ibid
[40] How the Phar Lap camp came by Smith is unknown
but it would not be a stretch to think this may have snaked back to Andrew
Robertson as well. While Lou Robertson was known for his brilliant training,
before that he was better known as the best trotting driver in Australia.
However, before training and bloodstock, both Lou and his older brother Andrew
first started out following their father James’ occupation of blacksmith. When
Andrew Robertson first visited the West Coast of America in 1903 to buy standardbred
stallion Abbey Bells and New Zealand
Cup winner Birchmark for the Tye
brothers, he was more celebrated in the US as one of the most scientific shoers
of horses in the world. His shoeing of Almont
so his brother could break the three mile pacing world record which stood for
30 years was made possible because of Andrew’s lightweight shoeing of that
horse. Andrew Robertson created lightweight shoes decades before they became
common usage. The shoeing of his horses had always been Lou Robertson’s secret weapon.
The basis of his farrier work came almost exclusively from Andrew
Robertson. There is every chance Andrew
Robertson and Jimmy Smith knew one another.
[41] The Mirror 5 June 1954, page 17
[42] Ibid
[43] Warwick Daily News 18 March 1932,
page 4
[44] Ibid
[45] Auckland Star 31 October 1931, page
40 – from the daily Racing Forum
[46] New Zealand Herald 19 March 1932,
page 9
[47] 1923 Epsom Derby winner Papyrus was
taken to America for match races and lost. The following year Epinard was sent
to compete against the best American horses. Epinard is considered a French
racing legend. Owned by Pierre Wertheimer who, along with his brother Paul,
took over the running and ownership of Chanel. It too failed to win, thus the
reason why Woodcock brought them into the conversation. As a couple of
footnotes – Epinard retired to stud and returned to France in 1928, went back
to America two years later only to return to France in 1932. Unfortunately this
magnificent horse was commandeered by the invading German army during world war
two and was last seen being used as a cart horse, dying in 1942.
Wertheimer et Frère (Wertheimer brothers) is a Thoroughbred
horse racing and breeding business partnership between brothers Alain and Gérard Wertheimer of
France. These are the grandchildren of Pierre Wertheimer and are the heirs to
Chanel. They are worth about $11 billion each and have for years featured in
the top ten wealthiest people in France. It should also be noted that Gerry
Ryan’s 2010 Melbourne Cup winner Americain, was bred by Wertheimer et
Frere.
[48] Phar Lap – The Untold Story
[49] Warwick Daily News 18 March 1932, page 4
[50] Caress and his wife were kidnapped by
the mob and forced to pay a $50,000 ransom. After a spate of kidnapping in the
US including the tragic Lindbergh baby, the five kidnappers, some who worked
with Al Capone received between ten years to life The trial concluded a month
before the Agua Caliete Handicap in 1932. Heraldsberg Tribune 17 March 1932,
page 6
[51] The Mirror 30 April 1932, page 6
[52] San Bernardino Sun 20 March 1932, page 19
[53] Movie stars of the 30’s
[54] Twenty Grand almost snatched the 1931 Triple Crown having coming second
to Mate in the Preakness
[55] Equipoise did not race through his three year
old season suffering from a kidney ailment. Adding to his woes a split hoof,
not too dissimilar to Phar Lap. This was
an exceptionally good horse. Leading US sire 1942 and Hall of Fame 1957
Equipoise
[56] Canberra Times 22 March 1932, page 3
William P. Kyne (Bay Meadows)
[58] Mirror 30 April 1932, page 6
[59] Winter
Race Meeting program for Agua Caliente Jockey Club, Sunday March 20 1932 –
Museums Victoria Collections
[60] David
Beltran “The Agua Caliente Story” 2004 page 74 & Lowry, Biff “Killing Phar Lap”, Page 1 
Francis P. Dunne- Getty Images
[61] As of 01.01.2019 – that ranks Arcaro
number 40 in the all-time winning jockey list – equibase.com
[62] “Killing Phar Lap” by Bill Lowry,
page 53
[63] The Saratogian reprinting 5 part series in Sports Illustrated
[65] American Hall of Fame jockey
(1907-2003) including US Triple Crown in 1943 on Count Fleet – Wikipedia.
Longden sits 17th on US winning jockey’s list
[66] The Vault
[67] “Killing Phar Lap” by Bill Lowry,
page 55
[68] San Bernardino Sun 14 May 1962, page 6
[69] Round Table was the third horse in America behind Citation and Nashua to
earn over $1,000,000 in stakes.
[70] San Bernardino Sun 14 May 1962, page 6 Schilling regularly spent his
winters officiating on at the west coast tracks and Agua Caliente.
[71] Winter Race Meeting program for Agua
Caliente Jockey Club, Sunday March 20 1932 – Museums Victoria Collections
[72] Ibid
[73]
(Amazon.com)
Marshall Cassidy (1937)
Marshall Cassidy is considered to be one the
greatest innovator in the history of thoroughbred horse racing as executive
secretary of the New York Jockey Club. Cassidy helped the development of blood‐typing work, acted as our
ambassador to foreign countries’
racing centres, developed and improved the registration of colours, and
supervised the all‐important
stud book, development and perfection of the finish camera, the film patrol,
and the starting gates which he invented in 1927. Cassidy is among the most
important figures in the development of horse racing in America. Born in
Washington on Feb. 21, 1882, Cassidy is a member of a noted turf family. His
father, Mars Cassidy, was a famous starter and his brother, George, was the
starter at New York for three decades.
[74] Winter Race Meeting program for Agua
Caliente Jockey Club, Sunday March 20 1932 – Museums Victoria Collections
[75] Sports Illustrated
[76] Morwell Advertiser 13 April 1950, page 7
[77] Ibid
[78] B.K. Beckwith “Step and Go Together”
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