RACING Q & A

Question: “I’ve read that good temperament is an important quality for a horse to have, along with speed, soundness, pedigree and conformation. With so little time to evaluate a prospective purchase, how does a trainer go to the sales and gauge the temperament of a yearling?”

Answer: “Temperament is important,” agrees trainer Woody Stephens. “When I go to sales, I like to observe a yearling in his stall. If he is composed and stands quietly, I feel that is one good sign. If he is moving constantly in a restless manner, he could be a stall walker, squandering his energy. If possible, I also like to see young horses at feeding time. Horses are taken out of their stalls frequently for display at the sales, and this will often cause a high-strung individual to back off from his feed. If he goes right to the feed tub and eats everything in it, the chances are good he has the right temperament to be a racehorse.”

Q: “Friends have told me racing experience is helpful to horses. Does this also apply to maiden races?”

A: “A good question,” says trainer John Nerud, now active in the affairs of the Breeders’ Cup. “Seasoning is important for a horse. On the other hand, if a horse is still a maiden after half a dozen starts it is reasonable to suspect he is lacking in some quality. Some horses are late developers by breeding, but in handicapping a maiden race, I would rather back a first-time starter with a top pedigree or good workouts to his credit, or a horse who has raced once or twice and shown a little ability, than a horse who has made a number of starts with little to recommend him.”

Q: “Will broodmares being bred for the first time have a higher or lower percentage of pregnancy than mares who have been bred several times in the past?”

A: “Slightly lower,” says Warner L. Jones Jr., master of Hermitage Farm and for many years one of the nation’s leading commercial breeders. “If you took 100 mares who had never been bred, and another group of 100 mares who had been bred, you could expect, on the average, 70 from the first group to become pregnant and about 75 of the second group. Breeders know it is important to get a mare pregnant. The longer she is barren, the less the chances are for her to get in foal.”

Q: “Cicada won 11 races as a 2-year-old in 1961 and no 2-year-old of either sex has come close to that total in the interim. Is it a record?”

A: No, Alsab won 15 in 1941 and Morello won 14 in 1892. One of the outstanding 2-year-old campaigns in American racing history was turned in by Tremont, who won all 13 of his starts in 1886. Owned by Phil and Mike Dwyer of New York, Tremont was by Virgil out of Ann Fief. He was purchased at a yearling sale for $1,600. Trained by Frank McCabe, Tremont made his debut on May 27, 1886, at Jerome Park and promptly won the Juvenile Stakes by six lengths. He was never beaten that year while compiling an earnings record of $39,135 for a horse of his age. The following season, training for the Suburban Handicap, he broke down a week before the race and his career was over. Thus, he retired undefeated.