When favored race horse Avalanche loses a race due to his rider's foul, his owner Major Gordon Kent becomes suspicious, believing that a gambling syndicate may have been behind the rider's actions. Kent calls upon famed detective Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) for his involvement, and it's off to the races so to speak. Unfortunately Kent, who has come too close to identifying the conspiracy, winds up dead in Avalanche's stable aboard ship heading for Los Angeles.
Number #1 Son Lee Chan (Keye Luke) signs on as a cabin boy for the cruise ship to legitimize his presence, and quickly joins his "Pop" in the investigation. Charlie relies on Lee a bit more than we've seen in prior films, trusting him to drop phony threatening letters to the principals introduced in the film, which include Kent's son in law George Chester, now Avalanche's owner; Warren Fenton, owner of rival horse Gallant Lad; and gambler Denny Barton.
When a fire in the hold of the ship is deliberately set to cause confusion, horse trainer Bagley switches the two horses. The tip off comes from an unlikely source - stable boy Streamline Jones has a pet monkey that favors Gallant Lad, but causes Avalanche to react violently. The ever observant Oriental Detective picks up on this immediately, and schemes to reverse the animals to their rightful identities before the day of the Santa Juanita Handicap, their next scheduled race. With Avalance the faster horse, and Gallant Lad a 20 to 1 underdog, the brains behind the gambling syndicate hope to cash in big when their ringer winds up in the winner's circle.
Adding to the intrigue, the race timekeeper who's part of the syndicate has a back up plan to insure Gallant Lad's victory. He rigs one of the timing devices at the three quarter mile mark with a dart which will be used on any lead horse ahead of Gallant Lad. The dart does in fact disrupt Avalanche's timing, but he goes on to win the race anyway. With the syndicate foiled, the only thing left to do is for Chan to expose the mastermind. This he does with his usual cool demeanor, even though it means exposing Major Kent's son in law - "Truth sometimes like stab of cruel knife."
Currently, "Charlie Chan at the Racetrack" appears to be the most highly regarded Chan film on the IMDb website. Allowing for personal preferences, I found it to be one of the better Chan entries, although I feel Warner Oland's adventures in London and Shanghai are more intriguing, along with Sidney Toler's portrayal in "Murder Cruise".
As for Number #1 Son Lee, he breathlessly bursts onto the final scene with news for Charlie (after the case has been solved) - "Hey Pop, I have another clue!" Charlie wisely advises: "Save for next case, please."
Number #1 Son Lee Chan (Keye Luke) signs on as a cabin boy for the cruise ship to legitimize his presence, and quickly joins his "Pop" in the investigation. Charlie relies on Lee a bit more than we've seen in prior films, trusting him to drop phony threatening letters to the principals introduced in the film, which include Kent's son in law George Chester, now Avalanche's owner; Warren Fenton, owner of rival horse Gallant Lad; and gambler Denny Barton.
When a fire in the hold of the ship is deliberately set to cause confusion, horse trainer Bagley switches the two horses. The tip off comes from an unlikely source - stable boy Streamline Jones has a pet monkey that favors Gallant Lad, but causes Avalanche to react violently. The ever observant Oriental Detective picks up on this immediately, and schemes to reverse the animals to their rightful identities before the day of the Santa Juanita Handicap, their next scheduled race. With Avalance the faster horse, and Gallant Lad a 20 to 1 underdog, the brains behind the gambling syndicate hope to cash in big when their ringer winds up in the winner's circle.
Adding to the intrigue, the race timekeeper who's part of the syndicate has a back up plan to insure Gallant Lad's victory. He rigs one of the timing devices at the three quarter mile mark with a dart which will be used on any lead horse ahead of Gallant Lad. The dart does in fact disrupt Avalanche's timing, but he goes on to win the race anyway. With the syndicate foiled, the only thing left to do is for Chan to expose the mastermind. This he does with his usual cool demeanor, even though it means exposing Major Kent's son in law - "Truth sometimes like stab of cruel knife."
Currently, "Charlie Chan at the Racetrack" appears to be the most highly regarded Chan film on the IMDb website. Allowing for personal preferences, I found it to be one of the better Chan entries, although I feel Warner Oland's adventures in London and Shanghai are more intriguing, along with Sidney Toler's portrayal in "Murder Cruise".
As for Number #1 Son Lee, he breathlessly bursts onto the final scene with news for Charlie (after the case has been solved) - "Hey Pop, I have another clue!" Charlie wisely advises: "Save for next case, please."