Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-20
TROTTING TURF EVIL.
Betting on Heats Claimed to be the
Source of Much Fraud and
Dishonesty.
SOME REMEDIES SUGGESTED.
Afidayits Made to the Effect That Carey
Ran One Hundred Yards in 9 1-2
Seconds at Princeton.
SLAVIN CALLS J. Ia. SULLIVAN DOWN.
To-Dsys Foot Race at Exposition Psrk-General Sporting
News Of the Day.

The question of cheat betting" at trotting
meetings is orcing itself TO the front for con-
sideration. 1t has k.ea one of the evils of
trotting races for -, time, and, singular
ly enough. an evil thas everybody has been
aware of. That thousands of dollars have
been fraudulently won by aid of the system
everybody interested in trotting affairs is
ready to believe, simply because it has ever
been a custom to Gay horse up" for heat
on the plea that it would better his chance
to win the race. Without going into de-
tails. the assertion can safely be made that
betting on heats at present is an evil. Even
the Britishers have discovered this fact, and
10 remedy it they have a system of racing
bv which horses -e handicapped and di-
vided into heats. the winner of each heat start
ing in the final 1t is, therefore. plain that a
horse that drops heat there will not win the
race. But this system would not work III the
United States: indeed it is difficult to suggest a
remedy for the evil here, although the evil is SO
transparent.
TO VICTIMIZE THE PUBLIC.
1t is at the meetings of comparative small
consequence where the pulling" of a horse for
a heat is INDUCED in most. and it more or less
prevails at the leading meetings throughout
the cour'ry OF recent years, since trotting
has become popular. and since such large
quantity of public money is yearly invested in
il the custom of 'laying up" for a heat has
been deve ped INTO a scheme TO rob the pub
lie. The best friends of the trotting turf are
forcing the question before the gentlemen who
have the power to legiSlate on. It, and if no
other remedy can be applied Than that of pro-
bibitinC heat betting" entirely, many authori-
ties are prepared to support that plan of re-
formation. Discussing this matter, writer in
The HOfSeHldn argues IN the following very in
terestIng manner:
The besetting sin of the trotting turf is not
pulling races, but pulling heats. or, as the
kinder expression goes. Laying mp heats.
Just how The trouble can be remedied is not
easy to devise. If bOokmaking and betting on
heats were prohibited the trouble would in
measure solve itself. There would then be only
the object of gel ting better betting on the rare
TO tempt he muscular driver. That, of course,
is fraudulent enough, but under the usual con-
GitiOnS the betting on heats may be made more
important than the race. Suppose a case: ].
a. Smith, we will say, is making book. He
offers ) to l against FasttrOtter. The public
plunge on him, and before tine heat is called
Mr.. Smith stands to lose $1,000 on this horse.
He may OuUclsss his field. the public judgment
may be right, but the gentleman of the chalked
board may go to his driver and remark that he
can't loose the race and therefore it would be
$500"
REMEDIES SUGGESTED.
I'VE do not say that any gentleman in the
booLmaking business would stonp to such cor
rupt practices. nor that an driver would lay
up a heat for $500, but the thing might be done.
Now where do we look for the remedy? Sup
pose we compel the driver who means to lay
up a heat 10 declare his intention and have it
posted on the bulletin board. That Will pro-
UeCt the bettOrs in manner, but it is not a
satisfactory solution, for the reason that a
driver NAV score with the intention of laying
up a heat. but the contingencies and develop
ments may be such after the horses get away
that he sees his way clear to go on and win.
And. on the other hand, be may mean
TO try to win. and through a dis
astrous break a bad start find
il poliric to lay up the heat. There seems, on
the surface. only TWO remedies for this evil of
harness racing. These are to prohibit betting
on heats altogether. or TO discountenance that
pernicious unwritten law that allows man to
pull horse on the preteXt that he is Laying
uD' a heat 10 better his chances OF winning the
race 50 great n driver Marvin has said to
the writer that nine Of ten that can
be won Al all can be won in straight heats, and
that in the vast majority of cases heats were
nos laid up to benefit horses chances of
winning. bur tC influence betting. There is no
rule in the books allowing driver to pull
horse in a single heat. Why not. then, enforce
rhe penalties ard have il understood that every
horse must go for every heat take the con-
sequence of not trying?n