Page 168 - SPEEDHORSE April 2018

Owner Oscar being interviewed by ESPN2’s Tom Dawson after his Dashing Folly won the 1996 Champion of Champions. Dashing Folly would become the 1996 World Champion.
“You always have tomorrow to look forward to.”
Beginning at the top can tend to inflate one’s ego considerably, but it doesn’t show on Bill. Rather than resting on his laurels, he’s thankful for the experience gained and is looking with excitement to the future.
And for a man whose experience as a public trainer is limited, Bill’s record in 1973 was remarkable. He tightened the girth on 22 winners from less starters than either of his brothers and like Richard, most of his stock raced in claiming and allowance events.
This year, Bill adds some 2 year olds with interesting credentials to his stable. “I have a full sister to I’m Not Sleepy, and a half-sister to Top Rockette by Alamitos Bar,” both 2 year olds are owned by Mr. and Mrs. Z. Wayne Griffin.
With the rapid growth of Quarter Horse racing in the United States, it seems somewhat peculiar that all three brothers train in California where they invariably buck heads.
Richard explains, “With racing pretty much year round now in California and purses larger than anywhere else, it’s easier to operate a public stable if you stay in one area. We have the winter Los Alamitos meeting, then a meeting at Bay Meadows, then back to Los Alamitos for the summer and then the Pomona and Fresno Fairs. Then we have a month or so to freshen our horses and bring them back to Los Alamitos.”
James offers, “Except for the big purses like the All American, we don’t have to go out of state.”
Additionally, Oscar states, “The racing secretary here in California is putting more emphasis on racing for older horses, which keeps the top horses in training longer. These horses bring out the fans, and if you don’t believe me, look at what Secretariat did for the Thoroughbreds last year.”
Bill appreciates this, “Because it gives us a chance to let our young horses develop without losing out on a shot for some big purse money.”
As in all occupations, there is always something that isn’t just right, and the McArthurs are not without their discontent.
On the future of Quarter Horse racing, all four brothers are in complete agreement that, in spite of its growth, there is need for improvement in the area of greater exposure.
Oscar criticizes, “The daily papers don’t give the Quarter Horses good coverage. All they
have is the horses listed in the entries without any comments or selections. Without exposure, Quarter Horse racing is getting the worst of it in the battle for the entertainment dollar.
the rodeo? Yes, whenever the opportunity avails, that’s where Richard and Bill can be found, taking their best shots in team roping events.
As yet, Richard doesn’t have any outstanding young prospects lined up for this year, but he’s not too troubled, explaining, “What’s so good about this game is that things change so much from day to day. You always have tomorrow to look forward to. If you have a bad meeting, you just look to the next one.”
Bill concurs, but chuckles, “The time you’re in real trouble is when you go into a meeting saying ‘just wait till the next one.’”
Bill is affable and has a timely sense of humor. Shorter and huskier than his brothers, his resemblance to them is further disguised by his blond hair.
Bill has been training Quarter Horses for five of his 26 years. The first four he trained exclusively for Z. Wayne Griffin, to whom he attributes much of his success. However, when Griffin sold most of his stock, it necessitated opening a public stable. This, in itself, was difficult, for it required making a transition from working for one man to working for many. Added to this, Bill was faced with the problem of having started at the top – like, what do you do for an encore?
When Bill began his career, he had Top Rockette. Under his tutelage, she earned in excess of $200,000 and numerous honors,
not the least of which was Champion Mare of 1968. Many trainers only dream of having such a horse, but here was Bill, still wet behind the ears, with one of the best.
166 SPEEDHORSE, April 2018
LOOKING BACK - AN EXCERPT FROM JULY 1974 ISSUE