"Practice what you preach"
Hard as it is to believe, but someone is calling Gary Player out for not practing what he preaches. Shocking, I know. From Grahame Jones in the LA Times, writing about Gary Player hanging at Santa Anita's Clocker's Corner after receiving some sort of Breeder's Cup award.
"I'm a horse nut, so I come and see this every year," Player, who turned 74 on Sunday, said of the Breeders' Cup, whose 14 races take place today and Saturday in Arcadia. "All the best horses are here."
Player knows a thing or two about thoroughbreds.
"I just bred the best filly in our country, Lady Windermere," he said. "That happens once in a lifetime. She's won two Grade 1 races already. So it's big thrill."
Player, winner of nine major golf championships, not to mention owner of a 20,000-acre spread, including a stud farm, in South Africa, was presented with a bit of crystal by the Breeders' Cup folk in honor of his sporting achievements.
He also was presented with a blunt reality check.
After Player told onlookers the owners of top horses have an obligation not to duck the Breeders' Cup, he ran into Chip Woolley, the trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.
"Practice what you preach," Woolley tersely told Player, noting Lady Windermere's absence from Arcadia.










Friday, November 6, 2009 at 08:00 AM
Reader Comments (9)
No B.S. from Chip what-so-ever; we didn't even get a obligatory, "I'm not going to race my horses on synthetic" statement from the Little One!. (like D. Wayne Lucas) (But he is correct, the stuff is not good)
Its going to be a great Breeder's Cup!
I'm sure if he did that he'd love the new bunkering. It resembles a lot of his own work...
Wisconsin,
I think Gary's diong 500 of each and all in the aisles of coach because he's a man of the people. The Lady could never pull that off!
I had the pushup quip ready but Cheesehead beat me to it.
What an incredible race and incredible horses. None of them can be denied! But this race, yesterday belonged to the girl. She really kicked some ass!
I know my mind is in the gutter - but am I the only one who thought this was funny???