New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-04
AN ODD MESS OVER VIVID.
AMAZING ERRORS AT sHEEPSHEAD.
BACK.

Confusion and excitement riot in the betting
ring at sheepshead Bay yesterday after the fifth
There were only four startcrsSam Wood, the favorc.
At odds on Vivid lydy and Brown Duke. 1t was
selling affair. and Vivid's weight on the programme
was % pounds. she was ridden by little
lad named HILL Vivid went out and made the pace.
GOT we'll in advance Of the field and managed to ont
LAT Sam Wood at the finish winning the by nearly
. half length. When Hill weighed out after the race
IL WAS found that with his saddle and bride his total
weight was 06 l2 pounds. Evidently tie >ht saddle
with which he weighed IN had been changed for
heavier saddle before the began or some one by
mistake or accident had slipped In additional lead
mad. OF course. Vivid won the race with his ad-
ditional weight. injury done to any one-to his
hackers to the hackers OF any other horse. But
the question Of racing technicalities came up the
matter was referred to tho Executive Committee and
after hasty glance at OF tho rules bearing on
overweight the committee decided that viva must
be disqualified and back to last place. thus ciViae
the race to Sam Wood. Vivd's number was taken
down and sam Woods number was put up as tho
winner. But when the attention OF the committee
was called again to the exact working OF the racing
rule they obliged to rescind this decision take
down Sam Woods number and put up vivid's number
as the winner In the meantime scores and perhaps
hundreds Of hackers OF Sam Wood had presented their
tickets to the bookmakers. and most OF the oocHmsx-
acting the faith of the first decision OF the com
mtee taking the from Vivid and giving II TO sam
Woo, paid on Sam Wood tickets to considerable
amounts. When the committee decided finally ana IT.
revocaby that Vivid must have the race then OF course
all bets on Vivid win and for place were good ana
the bookmakers were called upon TO pay the NlV'd
tickets Mr.. Bradford. Of the executive committee
said that the club would pay every dollar which any
bookmaker had paid ont on Sam Wood and which he
could the person who had received the
money Some Of the bOOkmakcrs we're extremely
angry over the blunder which had been mace
and the entanglements which had followed ana
fhpv
ceived from the club the money which they had pa'o
ont on Sam Wood tickets. 1t must be sadly admitted
that an uncomfortable perccntage OF racegoeTs Is
INSCRIPTIONS enough to take .-ivantase OF such
mistake as this and to retain the sam WOOD money
which had been paid out on misrepresentation ana
or a mistaken decision OF the Executive Committee
OF course the bookmakers can recover money wrong
fully paid on Sam Wood in cases in which they can
prove that the money was paid to certain people
whom they identify. Any man refusing TO re-
store money In this state Of affairs when the evidence
Is clearly against him would OF course deserve To be
ruled of the turf and that would he his probable
fate But many persons who hastily collected Sam
Wood money never be Identified BY the BOOK
makers and not few Of these unprincipled people
are at this minute chucRling over their iugotten gains
which they propose TO keep.
II one Of the most singular ana unaccountaolc
incidents that ever occurred q racetrack In this
or any other country and one to be depoed in every
way. The most unfortunate people. those who SUI
feed the worst from the arleQunade. werc the hold
crs of Vivid tickets, whO after the race was once
officially taken from vivid. and after Vivid had been
set back to last place, thought that Of course there
would be no reversal Of this decson and that their
Vivid tickets were worthless and consequently tore
them up Unless they can prove t. the satisfaction
Of the boOkmakes, the managers OF the French pools
or the executive committee Of the club that they
held such tickets Of they can recover nothing
1t should BE- a lesson u never to destroy uckSti
while there is the least chance that any money may
be paid on them. And vet his certainly appeared 10
be the c.earest case possible 1t did not seem within
the range of conceivable things that decision once
announced in this manner cOnld he reversed
Nevertheless the final conclusion reached BY the
Executive Committee was the only correct one anu
the clu. would have been liable for all the bets Oh
Vivid II the decision taking away the race from \'iu
Rad been permitted to stand. The MISUNDERSTANDING
and confusion we're due to q change In The racing
rnlcs. The old rule was In these words ~ morse
carry more than two pounds Overweight WHO" ""'
not been duly declared. or more than h'c over
weight he is disqualified" In tie new rules OF rae
Ing as modified by the committee, OF winch 'ir'
withers was the most conspicuous and infuentai mem
her last year. and now in u~e by all the principal
Jockey clubs in the East. the rule was ohahseo +"
read in this way: II horse carry more thah TWO
pounds over his declared weight or more IMAM n|e
nonnts over his proper weight. whether declared or
NOT he Is DISQUALIFIED unless the judges are satshei
th, such excess Of weight has been caused BY rain or
mud 49, .,,,,
Under the old rule Vivid must have been oisquaii
6el as he carried more than two pounds overweight
which had not been duly declared The truth "aS
that there declaration OF weight IN THIS case
The bow came to scales The clerk OF the scales
looked at the programme saw that ninety-three pouu
was the weight put down for viva. fouhd 'nat u'e
bov with his saddle and birdie weighed ninety thee
mounds and OF course, passed him al that weight
Neither owner trainer nor Jockey maoc any oeciai'
top Of Viyids weight. Hence the case did not come
upder the first clause Of the rac, which expressed In
this language: "N a horse carry more IMAM
two pounds over his declared weight but came undef
the second clause more than I'VE POUNDS over MS
proper weight whether declared or not Well, NlVid
carried not five pounds, but only three and one half
nounds over his proper weight, which was correctly
nut In the programme at ninety three pounds Hence
was impossible to disquaify Vivid or take the race
away from him. 40
oe,t emphasis that the officials Of Jockey clubs should
make so careful study Of the rules OF racing now In
force that it would he Impossible Tor them 10 De
caught in any such bluder as this Tho error caused
unhounded bitterness Of comment. much heartburn
ing and ill.fcelng. 1t certainly ought never
70 have occurred 1t would not have occurred II the
orBclals lad been Thoroughly masters Of the racing
rulc, and II ought not to be difficult for gentlemen
occupying SO important and responsible places "ho'
while they are extremely busy during the fortnight OF
SO OF each racing meeting yet have many weeks and
months Of leisure In the year. TO perfect the study OF
the rules Of racing and to make Themselves absolute
masters of every comma period syllable letter clause,
phrase and sentence In estse rules. The error will
cost the club pretty penny. The majority OF the
boolmakers declared that fhe total Of the which
had been paid out enormously sam Wood would
run up the thousands There 1I5 bookmakers'
stands at sheepshead Bay. Now, IL only sixty or
seventy Of them made any mistaken payments
OH sam Wood these payments might easily
have averaged sl0c at each stand,
and this bunder may cost the club six seven
thousar dollars, which would con
siderable gap in It's profits for this meeting St both
the June meeting and the september meeting up to
date have been extremely lucrative and the proftS
have been enormous, Several architects pre-
parnp competitive for the enlargement Il