RACING Q & A

Question: Some of my friends believe that a distance race will make a horse fitter and will help him win the next time out, particularly if he is entered in a sprint. Do you agree?

Answer: “It has been my experience that a distance race will usually dull a horse’s speed, and trainers will use this ploy at times when one of their horses shows too much speed,” said veteran trainer Stanley Rieser. “After a distance race, he may relax a bit more the next time he runs. As for making him a fitter horse, I doubt that. Horses who have been racing regularly are pretty fit and won’t gain much on that score from a distance race.

“One occasion where it might be worthwhile to look at a horse who has come off a distance race is when the track is muddy and/or tiring,” Rieser said. “A muddy or tiring track will often work to the disadvantage of speed horses on the lead. They will tend to come back to the field in the stretch, and that is where a horse who has been a distance in his last race may have a bit of an edge.”

Q: Is there any significance to a horse’s odds in previous races? Should this information be considered in handicapping a race?

A: “If a horse is a short price in a preceding race and is running against the same company,” said Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens, “I will watch him closely when he steps on to the track. If he is walking sound and appears to be in good condition, I might back him no matter how he ran in that preceding race. On the other hand, if a horse has consistently been a long price against the same company, I would hesitate to back him unless I had some information that would discount his previous odds. Previous odds are not the final word in handicapping but another piece of information which can be of use to the public.”

Q: Of all the horses I’ve read about and seen on television over the years, my favorite to this day is Silky Sullivan, who came from far off the pace in his races. Can you refresh my memory as to how far back he was in his best performances?

A: Silky Sullivan took the nation by storm during his 3-year-old season of 1958. Trained by the late Reggie Cornell, he gained fame by winning the Santa Anita Derby after being 26 lengths off the pace at the quarter-pole. From that point he finished boldly to win by 3 1/2 lengths. Of course, the horses in front of him had to be pretty ordinary. Similarly, in another of his spectacular finishes, he was 41 lengths off the leaders down the backstretch in a seven-furlong overnight event and yet got up to win. He was a striking chestnut horse, and his massive good looks were enhanced by Cornell, who outfitted him in bright red bandages and saddle cloth. He was co-second choice in the 1958 Kentucky Derby, won by Tim Tam. He finished 12th in a field of 14.

Q: How long can a thoroughbred live?

A: One of the oldest thoroughbreds on record was J. C. Millam’s Merrick, by Golden Garter, who was 38 when he died in 1941. He was a hardy individual who started 205 times during his career. He won 61 races, with 40 seconds and 24 thirds.