PAT SHANK. 291 



The writer has had a good opportunity of watching 

 the different methods adopted by different trainers, and 

 has come to the conclusion that the colt himself must do 

 much of his own training, and the man who can discern 

 the many different ways that the many differently tem- 

 pered youngsters have of aiding their own education, is 

 the man who is bound to succeed. You can prepare and 

 condition a developed trotter, by an iron-clad system of 

 .miles at a certain rate at certain intervals, repeats so 

 often and on just such days, but you can't educate a 

 colt by any such set of rules. You can't train him "by 

 note" as it were. I've seen Pat Shank take out a colt with 

 the intention of speeding him, and bring him back to his 

 stall before he had gone one hundred yards away, telling 

 his man to put him in and take care of him, as he was 

 not then feeling just right for fast work. Shank be- 

 lieves in letting colts trot and encouraging them to trot 

 when they want to trot themselves, and frequent short 

 brushes are therefore a prime factor in his success. 



Some of our ablest trainers and drivers have never 

 learned this trick, but try to educate a colt by the same 

 rule they condition a developed trotter. They jog him 

 just so many days and on those days if the colt, feeling 

 in him the instinct to do what he is bred to do, attempt 

 to spurt away, he is taken back, for that is not on that 

 day's programme. He will be given a certain mile or 

 half-mile at a certain rate and certain time, with a con- 

 templated repeat on a certain day. In the interval the 

 colt may often ask to be let to step along, but no, that 

 won't do then. The repeat day comes and the colt is 

 harnessed. If he happens to feel real well, the repeat 

 does him some good — although not the best system for 

 educating ; but if, from any cause, he is dumpish and 



