St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-03
ELEVATING THE TURF.
The Kentucky Association Sets a
Good Example.

Ihe kentucky Association Sets q
Good Example.
In 1874 and 1915 there appeared in the
SUNNI II : of trotting races the names
Lothian and Lapland in Iowa, Missouri,
Kansas. and the New England states.
The brown gelding Lothian won races
In September, 1870. at Dubuque, 10. :;
Omaha. Neb.. and Keokuk, To-. starting
in slow Glasses, but winning with an
apparently remarkable capacity TO ac-
cOIImCdate himself 10 the time neces-
sary, whether fast or slow. finally TAX
Ing a record of 2:2615. In Pennsyl-
Vania and adjoining sections in OctO-
Der the brown gelding Iapland could
also trotin 2:40 or 2:3O in slow classes,
as the necessities OF the ease demanded.
-. There were one or two other brown
geldlngs OF different names turning
up at "Sundry times and pIacpS,"
and ii was not noticed that Lapland
ever trOtted at one place at the same
time that Lothian or certain other brown
geldingS tr0tted at other places. In due
time il was discovered that Lothian was
Lap!and, and that Lapland was Small
Hopes. 2:261s, and the upshOt was that
William ,McGnigan, who engineered
the ringing operations, was ruled off
SiO tiOtllilS iuIl. HI tItuC nlcOulSd1
drlfted into the racehOrSe business. and
for the past year or two has had quite
g60d Stable of racers. Recently he
trained and managed for her owner the
mare MecFie H., and last Thursday at
Remington she ran 4 race that caused
the public and the judi eS to doubt
whether the fine Italian hand that
steered Small Hopes had lost it's cum
ming with expulsion from the trOtting
turf. AS related by our racing cor
respondent she was SO sliamefuly
beaten III the field over which she
was properly the favOrite as to
arouse suspicion that she had
been stopped in the Stable. The Sc
quenee confirmed these suspicious, for
III the hands of another trainer at least
as good a field as lost her Thursday was
beaten by her Friday with the greatest
ease. he Lexington racing authori-
ties had set on foot The kind of an in
yrstIgatlOn that investigates, and Gen.
Robinson announced Saturday night
that McGuigan and two of his Stable
men We're ruled OF the turf. The emf
nently proper and prompt action of the
Kentucky association. which is an eX-
ample that two or three of the more pre-
tentIOuS racing associations might
profit By, called forth only commenda-
ton and applause. In these days when
rich and arrogant racing organizations
are content 10 allow jobbery TO be We
ntered and smootiIed over through the
medium of abOrtive and farcicaI '.Inves-
legations" the clean action of the Ken
lucky association is ind c gratifying
and encouraging. The incident serves
tOrclbly To show the wisdom and the
necessity Of the rule adopted by the
American Turf congress:
All persons expelled by the American
Trotting association or the National Trotting
association for fraud shall ,tand ruled off
the race courses of the American Turf con-
gress during the continuance of such ey-
pulsion.
This is sound in principle and sound
In logic. man is either honest Or he
is not honest on the turf. If his COLI
science allows him to go ION piratical
expedition with trotiing ringer it will
not prevent him 'stiffenng'' a race
horse i'll the stable, instructlng a jorkey
to !. or comprising fraud in any way
that may present itself. The man who
will pit up a job OH trotting turf will do
1t on the running turf, and VICE versa.
AnV one caught rrd-handed on either
DIanch OF the turf is good man to keen
OuCo,we the gates of TIE other branch.
Unfortunately, however, the great East
ern tracks are not members of the
American Turf congress, and are not
bound by its rules. The lack of unity.
the diversity of rules and practices, is
the salvation of the pirates and the buc-
cancers. Until there is united action.
until there are uniform rules that will
bar culprit from every reputable
course in the country, until there are
investigations that investigate and ey
pulsions that expel, we may regard the
publication of the turf as a distjn-
guished senator regards the publication
of politlcs-"an iridescent dream" The
remedy lies In the formation of a Ma
tlonal Jockey club, and the West is
work. s'o'''