Phar Lap Page #4

Our cameraman is racing after him

but he's getting away.

After him, Malcolm Campbell,

or you'll lose him!

The sand roll... and

how Phar Lap enjoys it.

"Rolls the wriggles out," he tells

the stableboy, young Tommy Woodcock.

"Come here, sir, I want

my sugar. I've earned it."

Oh, what a horse!

Back to work, go on.

Come on, get that

contraption out of here.

Harry...

...this is Eric Connolly.

- Harry.

- I know.

Harry...

...Eric's been kind enough

to offer some suggestions

about managing Phar Lap's career.

I'll bet he has.

Which races the horse is allowed

to win and which ones he's not.

Stake money, Harry.

Peanuts.

Compared with what you could make

with a few well-placed bets.

When I train horses, Connolly,

I train them to win.

Pulling horses is not in my line.

Do you understand that we could make

an extraordinary amount

of money here?

- I'm doing alright.

- But I'm not.

Well, that's your problem.

Now get outta here!

I've got work to do.

What's wrong with you?

He's being worked too hard, boss.

Are you telling me

I don't know my job?

He's worn out.

Then how come he's still winning?

He'd win if he was half-dead.

If you keep him racing and training

like this you'll burn him out.

You know your trouble, sonny?

You think horses are human.

Well, I've been around

long enough to know

that if you treat 'em too soft

they'll take advantage

of you every time.

Now, if you want to come

with me and your beloved Bobby

when we go to Melbourne,

you just better button your lip

and do what you're told.

And I'll top-dress all the paddocks.

We'll have grass greener

than you've ever seen it.

The marshes over there, full

of birds - snipe, everything.

Do you like it?

It could do with a

few more trees over here.

Well, we'll plant them.

As many as you want.

Trees everywhere.

We'll have space

all around us at last.

I still don't understand why

we couldn't find a place near Sydney.

I told you a hundred times -

Melbourne is the racing capital.

The big owners are here.

The big races. The big crowds.

Now, if you're going

to make your mark,

this is the place you have to be.

- I'll just miss my friends.

- Well, we'll make new ones.

Good God, woman, when this place

is set up it will be like paradise.

You'll have to beat the

visitors off with a stick.

Look, we're going to have

a racetrack over here.

Really make something

of that wreck of a house.

- Can we have a bit of a garden?

- Yeah - roses and everything.

Swings and slides for Cappy.

It's hard to imagine.

As long as we're not

getting in too deep.

I've worked on a

shoestring long enough

to know the only way to make

it in this game is do it big.

Now, you buy your yearlings,

you train 'em hard,

and if they don't shape up you get

rid of 'em and bring in some more.

Sol's no fool.

He wouldn't be lending me money

if there was any risk.

Every champion for the next 20 years

is going to come out of this place.

Are you going to go down

to Melbourne with Telford?

I suppose.

He's treated you pretty rotten.

Yeah, he's a cranky old ratbag.

But if I don't go down,

what will happen to Bobby?

Will you write?

Spelling's pretty crook.

Well, you'd better not, then.

I can't stand bad spelling.

- Keep him moving, Tommy.

- Stand back.

Harry... how did the

wonder horse travel?

Oh, I love the way you blokes keep

calling him the "wonder horse".

You weren't calling him that

when he was losing all

his races at the start.

Well, he's really found form now.

Who do you think

made him find the form?

Do you reckon he learned

all by himself?

And you think he'll

win the Melbourne Cup?

Of course he will.

And the Caulfield Cup.

- You've entered him in both?

- Why not? He'll win them.

A lot of owners would think

it was too strenuous for him.

A lot of owners don't

know anything about horses.

We've heard a lot about this

new training establishment

you're starting at Braeside -

is it ready yet?

- Near enough.

- Make way. Stand back.

Stand back, please.

- Looks good, eh?

- Wonderful.

Harry, the bank's

just been on the phone.

They said we're overdrawn - badly.

Well, they're mad. I checked

the figures last night.

Here.

No wonder the country's in a mess.

Bloody banks can't

even do their sums.

Harry, you've counted the six

in the thousands column

instead of the hundreds.

- Oh, God, so I have.

- Let me do the books.

What are we going to tell the bank?

They'll just have to wait

till Phar Lap wins both the cups.

- What do we do till then?

- Tell 'em the cheque's in the mail.

Amounis and Phar Lap

are the two best horses

in the country, right?

Now, if they both race in the

Caulfield Cup - no offence, May -

but Phar Lap's gonna come

in first and Amounis second.

And if they both race

in the Melbourne Cup,

the same thing's gonna happen, OK?

Now, Bea, if you were a bookmaker

and I wanted to lay a bet with you

that Phar Lap would win both cups,

what kind of odds would you give me?

- Very short odds.

- Right.

Now, if I wanted to lay a bet that

Amounis would win the Caulfield

and Phar Lap the Melbourne, then what

kind of odds would you give me?

Much better odds.

Amounis won't beat Phar Lap.

Exactly.

So we put the money on the

Amounis-Phar Lap double,

now at what, Eric?

20, 30 to 1.

And at the last minute... we

scratch Phar Lap from the Caulfield

and make a fortune.

Can you do things like that?

Well... Can you get

the money on, Eric?

I'll have bets all round the country

before they know what's hit 'em.

Of course, we only have one problem -

convincing Harry to pull

Phar Lap out of the Caulfield.

Give him a share of the winnings.

An honest man is someone who

hasn't had a good enough offer.

You don't know Harry.

Alright, look, I'll go through

the figures with you once again.

Whether you win both cups or not,

you're still gonna be bankrupt

within the next six months.

Here.

Some of those yearlings

are going to be champions.

Well, you won't know that

for at least a year.

Harry, I am offering you 20,000 cash

to scratch Phar Lap

from the Caulfield Cup.

- No.

- "No."

You're crazy.

You're absolutely crazy.

What the hell is the difference?

He'll still win the Melbourne Cup.

- That's the important one.

- He's going to win them both.

Why? Why?

Because it's what every trainer

worth his salt dreams.

Dreams.

Dream... Vi!

You're good with figures.

Will you please explain

to the man that I'm right?

Will you tell him that he's

gonna be broke within six months?

Harry's been in this game for 20

years and he's never been dishonest.

We can sell the yearlings

and put off staff.

Harry, scratch the horse

and take the 20,000.

I can't sell the yearlings.

One of them will turn out to

be a champion, nothing surer.

We could start again

in a year, Harry.

Anyway, we don't have

to sell all of them.

Maybe he has been raced too much.

Perhaps he does need a rest.

Can't you blokes ever

leave a man alone?

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