The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-03

e~SAN N-ANNAN PURSES are NOT Vet an
nounced, but they will bs notably high.
1t will be a great struggle between the
TWO wonderful stations STEAMBOAT and Nell
son, the former with Bill and the latter
with 2:lO$4 and the record. Nelson started
last season with a record of 2:I4L, made ut
Hartford Aug. 2S, 1889 and STEAMBOAT with
2;l2l4, made at Nopa, Cal, Nov. Is, 1859.
Nelson gradually reduced his record dur
ing 1890 until Oct. 81, when, at Cambridge
C1ty. Ind, he got it down to 2:l0s[. SIAM
boui also made numerous attempts during
the summer and fall, and finally. at Stock,
ton, Cal, Nov. 20, he reached a mark of
2:ll. 1t was generally thought that
the western horse would beat the rec
ord, and it is claimed that he would have
done 81 had not the luck been against
him. He had bad weather almost every
time he made an attempt, and this is worth
considering when it is remembered that
Nelson's title to be king was won by only
quarter OF a second. Still that difference
would show up in race for horse of
Nelson's class goes ten feet in that little
fraction of time. The chances are good
that both Will lower their records.
~ Inc contest Is especially interesting be-
cause 1t is the far west against the far east
-CaIfornla against Maine-the most de-
nghtful climate on the continent against
the most exasperating, so far as the effects
upon human beings are concerned. Ger
talnly the friends of STEAMBOAT are building
hopes upon climatic conditions, but they
should not forget that while the Pine Tree
state IS not nice place TO live during the
winter, and can boast OF only handful of
citizens free from catarrh it has produced
many good horse for the trotting turf
with lungs and bronchial tubes as good as
II they had never known what it was to
breathe an atmosphere composed of Laura
dor fog and the germs of tuberculosis
Another interesting event for the trotting
turfmen will be MIR. Hamlin's effort to
break the team record of 2:13 now held bv
his Belle Hamlin and Justina The former
has a record of her own of 2:l2% and
Jussina Of 2:20. Mr.. Hamlin's first effort to
get them down below 2:1S will be made at
the spring meeting at Buffalo to be held in a
lew weeks. AS both animals have wintered
well and are in splendid condition there is
every reason that a new record will be
made. The team has lowered its record
every season thus far since the two hand
some animals were first driven together.
GOOD judges believe that 2:ll is not wholly
out of question for this team.
Mr.. hamlin, by the way, has missed his
old-time opponent in debate, that distin>
guished gentleman who has turned his at
tention from raising fast horses to building
fast shipS-Secretary of the Navy Tracy.
Their rival views on the question of de-
veloped or undeveloped sires used to enliven
the pages Of the best sporting publica-
tlons. The secretary has been made an
honorary member of the reorganized Fleet
wood Park Association his son. Frank,
still runs the Magshland farm of $50 acres
in Oswego. n. Y, ard it is not improbable
that when Secretary Tracy lays down the
cares of Office, he will again go into the
horse breeding business
A new eastern circuit includes Pimlico
(Baltimore), Point Breeze and Belmont
(Philadelphia), Fleetwood New York., Mar
ragansett (Providence), Mystic park (Bos~
tom, and Charter Oak (Hartford) The
purses offered are good and should attract
speedy horses.
A discussion of the trotting prospects
may properly include something about the
rules The National Trotting Union OF
Great Britain, an organization which has
borrowed most OF its ideas from this side OF
the Atlantic, has recently adopted the
American rules. They might have intro.
duced some changes with profit, as is shown
by the many cases OF fraud exposed every
season.
One of the greatest evils which honest
trottiug turfmen have to deal with is the
professional ringer" He is to be met witt
in every section of the country where trot-
fast horse entered under another name than
the one he is known by in slow classes,
where it is an easy thing for him to wiz
race after race and put money in
the pocket of his dishonest owner OF
course a ringer is entered in races In a sec
ton of the country where he is not known
As rule the grand circuit is safe from the
ringer, because the horses that race al
grand circuit meetings are the most promi
--zn
Honest horsemen fear a ringer as a snake
in the grass, because they know not when
or where he will be met with and he is hard
to detect.
Under the rules of the National Trottinr
Association ringing is punished by ex,
pulsiOn, but in spite of being thus sum-
marily dealt with, wheE discovered he does
not disappear. More stringent measures
should be taken. Civil laws should be
passed in each state imposing heavy pen
atty upon any one convicted of ringing. y
The state OF Maine has already taken the
initiative step by the legislature passing q
bill creating lien upon disguised horse
for entrance fees and debts contracted on
the ringing tour. Other states should fol.
low suit
While the laws of the state could be made
to cover such dishonesty, there are many
things of almost daily occurrence during
the season that do nor come within the scope
of law, but for which the trotting turf al
large is responsible. Reform is needed in
many WAYS, but more particularly 10 the
mode of conducting trotting meetings. To
begin with, instead of having judges who
are appointed to preside by those in charge
of certain meetings there should be regu-
larly salaried judges-men competent tc
decide In ell differences liable to occur-whc
have no secret interest in a contest and who
are known TO be conscientious in the dis
charge of their duties They should b.
given power to call down any unscrupulou'
action on the part OF a driver and TO punish
him with either heavy fine, suspension Of
expulsion. Their authority and decisions
should be supported by the governing body
of the association employing them. Suct
a condition of things prevails on the run
| ring turf, and it is worthy of emulation
The only wonder is that it has not been pu
in practice on the trotting turf before es
pecially at the grand circuit meetings.
The way drivers have now of scoring re-
peatedly until they think they have the be5
chance and Of nodding to the judges for tht
word and then the judges yelling "gor
| should also be done away with. Regular
starters should be employed and should
| have full charge Of getting the horses off
| They should also be men of Judgment, cool
| headed, and with thorough knowledge o
| their duties. Unfair starts would be les
| frequent than is the case by the present
plan.
Still another reform should be instituted
and that is in the average weight of drivers
| At present little attention is paio to thi'
| fact, and yet at ofttimes horses of abou
!