Prince of Praise - What a Racer!

In human terms, a six-year-old horse is equivalent to a 26-year-old human. The website https://www.thespruce.com/comparing-horse-to-human-age-1887320

places the comparison of horse to human ages roughly as follows:

Horse Aged 1 year (called foal, weaning or yearling) is equivalent to human age 6 years old at the Infancy, Babyhood, Toddlerhood, Preschooler stage of human development. In other words, in the first year of a horse’s life, it has gone through four stages of human life.

Horse Aged 2 years is equivalent to a human of 13 years - the Adolescence / Puberty stages.

Horse Aged 3 years is equivalent to a human of 18 years (teenager).

Horse Aged 4 years is human’s 21 years of age (young adult).

Horse Aged 5 years is human’s 25 years of age (adulthood).

Horse Aged 7 years = Human’s 28 years; horse aged 10 years = human’s 35 years; horse’s 13 years = human’s 43, middle age; horse’s 20 years = human’s 60 years, seniors; horse’s 27 years = human’s 78 and horse’s 30 years = human’s 85 - extremely old age.

I was born in 1988 and so by human standards, I am old, really old but fortunately still mentally fit. The average age of a horse, particularly a racehorse like me, is 25 years. So, in theory at least, I should have been gone ages ago.

Back to the story of my life.

My first major win in a sprint race was when I was still a colt (at the age of two in 1990).

[side notes: Colt - young castrated male horse, up to three years old. Gelding - male castrated horse. Foal - a horse of either sex less than one year old. Yearling - a horse of either sex between the ages of one and two. Filly - a young female horse under the age of three. Mare - an adult female horse from the age of four.]

I remember my first win well. It was just a short distance of 840m and I ran in a record-breaking time of 48.21 seconds. I was particularly happy that I had beaten my training mate and best friend Lodore Lady, a filly, who had constantly clipped me by a nose or two in training runs. This time, at the Listed Race called Welcome Stakes, I had beaten her by a good one horse length and she was just behind Roger Jon, a thoroughbred from Christchurch, South Island.

This first win brought joy from my human “Dads” Francis Lai and Kit Wong and they were there celebrating my win with an expensive bottle of campaign (part of the prize for my win) that instead of drinking, they poured over on my head. That was my first taste of liquor and I felt the bitterness of the drink as I licked the liquid around my lips. I must say that I did not fancy the drink and I could sense at that time that my trainer Bruce Wallace was not impressed either. I gave a nod of appreciation to my rider, the young 17-year-old (human years here), Willy Arnold.

As you can read from the newspaper clipping here, my real horse of a Dad, the stud, Crossways, died a few months before my first major win here. This really made me cry that day, Saturday, 24th November 1990.

I show below a table of my bloodline. I cannot read this but my training Bruce constantly reminded me that I am from the famous Sire Crossways and my Mum (Dam), Gaberton, was also a champion racing filly during her younger days.

My next win on 24th November 1990 was a delight for the Trainer. He was quoted as saying that “Prince of Praise can be considered to be a colt with Golden Slipper material,” and the Sports Journalist Barry Street agreed, saying “Prince of Praise certainly has exceptional pace as he showed again when leading all through the 840 metres.”

Auckland Star of Tuesday April 2 1991 had an article by Barry Lichter when I won the major Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes race that read as follows:

“It took five years for Pakuranga’s Francis Lai to be talked into racing a horse.

“When he finally gave in, he chose a black one from a bunch of half a dozen yearlings because the colour black is lucky for racing, according to Chinese superstition.

“Yesterday the reluctant owner and his partner Kit Wong pocketed $62,500 when their black beauty took one of the country’s richest two-year-old prizes, the Sires’ Produce Stakes at Ellerslie.

“Prince of Praise notched his fifth win from only seven starts and took his earnings to $101,075 with a powerful front-running display, easily holding out outsides Diamond Rouge and Running John.

“He took a Hong Kong-based colleague as a partner only because he was unwilling to shoulder the risk of paying $6,000 for the horse himself. Lai’s gamble paid off but his wife Lin still frowns on it.”

Race Commentary on the radio by Ian Craig, Saturday 7th September 1991, Roman Consul Stakes at Caulfield, Sydney, Australia, 3:50 pm NZ time. Of A$75,000; 3 yo; no allowance; 1200 metres.

Line Good. They’re off

Chortle is outside, got the better of it but I don’t think Beadman (the jockey on Chortle) wants the lead and going through is the Kiwi, Prince of Praise, to show the way.

About a length and half Chortle wide out; Baanya Boy and Shadea moving up quickly; then On Kiley’s Run.

Further back in the field is Top Comedian over Biscaday.

Second last Market Gift and Star Tate is last.

Not a lot of pace on the 850 crossing and Prince of Praise, a length and a half, Shadea; one length to Baanya Boy on the inside of On Kiley’s Run and then Chortle around Top Comedian.

Further two lengths comes Biscaday; Second last on the fence is Market Gift and a half length Star Tate the other.

At the 600m and Prince of Praise in front a bit more than a length then the favourite Shadea. Baanya Boy, the inside of On Kiley’s Run, Chortle, then Top Comedian and the last three as they swing are Star Tate, Biscaday and Market Gift over on the rails.

Straightening up now and Prince of Praise three-quarters to a length on Shadea. Third Chortle on the outside and then comes Top Comedian trying to weave clear of On Kiley’s Run.

At the 200 and Prince of Praise in front being intelligently ridden by Peter Timms. It’s a half-length Shadea and then Top Comedian not getting a lot of room. Now Timms goes for Prince of Praise; Top Comedian getting out but it will be too late.

Prince of Praise cleverly ridden. Prince of Praise beats Top Comedian and unlucky third was Shadea followed by On Kiley’s Run, Baanya Boy, Chortle and Star Tate, Market Gift and last was Biscaday.

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I am twenty-nine years old now (equivalent to human’s 85th years), born on the first of August 1988. I am fortunate that I can enjoy living here at an old-horses home back at Haunui Farm, where I was foaled. Thanks to my owners who are still looking after me. And, Yes, I am about to go soon and thus I am writing my so-called Memoir.

BEST WIN was in 1994 – Prince Of Praise won the G1 AJC All Aged Stakes and Cross Swords the G1 AJC Sydney Cup – both bred by the Moore family and prepared for sale at Haunui Farm.

Australia - All Aged Stakes RANDWICK - Monday, 4 April 1994 1600 metres

1st : Prince of Praise (NZ)

Trainer: B J Wallace

Jockey: C Carmody

Weight Carried: 57.5

Sire: Crossways (Great Britain)

Mare: Gaberton (New Zealand)

Breeder: Moore Family

Owners: K K Wong & F P F Lai

2nd: March Hare (AUS)

3rd: Soho Square (AUS)

4th: Romanee Conti (NZ); 5th: Deposition (AUS); 6th: Skilful Star (AUS); 7th: All in Fun (AUS); 8th: Telesto (NZ); 9th: Excited Angel (AUS); 10th Zinders (AUS); 11th: Skating (AUS); 12th: Surfers Paradise (NZ), the favourite; 13th: Javelin (NZ).

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Some interesting facts about me and about racehorses in general:

(1) Horses are independent as soon as they are weaned from their mother’s milk. This is not the case with humans who need several years of nurturing before they are truly adults, able to live on their own.

(2) I was broken-in at Huanui Farm (my birthplace) at the age of eight months. What do we mean by ‘breaking-in’? Breaking-in means getting my body ready to be mounted with a saddle and later with a person riding on me. The breaking-in period is slow, up to twelve weeks and is very hurtful to my mouth (as I have to learn to bite) and to my body but it strengthens me, keeping me fit and strong.

(3) Once the breaking-in stage was completed, I was ‘ridden away’ and taught to go out with other horses usually led by an older experienced racehorse. I was taught to canter in groups with other horses surrounding me and in this way, my carers (including later my trainer) the different characteristics of me could be recognised. I was also trained to trot figures of eight and ride away from the other horses, if the right signal (through the pulling of the reins) was given to me.

(4) I was then given several quiet weeks to relax and to develop physically and mentally. I was well treated with good meals and soft relaxed exercises every morning - being taught to quicken the pace, to gallop, to walk gracefully in long stirrups, to trot and to canter going on a different direction, dependent on how the reins were pulled, just to help the muscles to develop evenly.

(5) Once I was recognised as having a reasonable level of fitness, I was led to what we called the main gallops where the land was in a gradual incline, This helped me to build my muscle strength and my cardio-vascular fitness. At first I run at only a steady canter and gradually I was taught to increase the speed until I was ready to do what is often called ‘sharp’ work. This involved jumping off and ‘breezing’ over 400 to 600 metres. I was taught to jump and run. There were other horses alongside me and I was taught to race with other horses alongside and to settle in listening only to the command of the jockey rather than galloping blindly to follow the other horses.
(6) I was also taught to go into the stall and to jump out of the stall when the stall door opened.