The morning call., 1891-11-23
TALK OF THE TRACK.
Contrasts Between the Present
Harness Records.
The Kite and Oval Gourses-Race and Time
Recommendation Will Stay
With San Nateo.

Ill1ornla now NOUS iuo IOllOWlDS
worlds. records for the harness division,
thanks to Palo Alto and Fausta's fast exhI-
bjtons last week over the Stockton kite;
YearliRe trotting record-Beli Bird, 2:26l4.
Yea ling troIting record-Frou Frou 2:26l4.
WORLDS u0iing record for yearling Staliions-
Aluadon. 2:29la.
e. Tw0-year- old uOtiug recOrd-ATiOu . :1oS4.
Three year old trolling recofd-Sunol 2;1oi3.
FuUT-year-Old troiiiug recorG-Sunol, 2:lOi2.
FiYe-l eai-old tro!iiug record-Sunol. 2 :oSi4.
Worries uotting reeord-Sunol, 2:oS14.
Worlds stallion recOrd-Palo Alto. :oS$4.
Worlds pacing reeerd-Ditect, 2:O6.
Worlds pacing record for stallions-Dlrect,
. Worlds pacing record for yearlings-Fausta,
225l2.
If there be the worlds glory in time rec
ords made over the kite-shaped tracks then
California has that share of earthly bliss.
Tie question. and grave one to many
. :horsemen, is; Should time records over
kite-shapcd tracks be considered equally
valuable tests of q horses true worth as
" records made over an oval course in an hon.
estly driven out race? Conservative horse
a. men do not consider shat the conditions are
equal, as the kite-sbaped time record per-
- furmance has in every way the greater ad-
vantage
RECORD DIFFERENCES.
What are the differences between oval
and kite-shaped tracks and time and race
records? With hardly an exception all
horsemen, except those who are interested
in smuggli ng horses into the standard list
- that could in no other way obtain their
=, marks. consider that the kite-shaped track
= has an advantage in speed Of from 2 to
seconds and possibly more over an oval
track. Il is true that a mile is q mile and
that $3.50 feet measured over a kite is
as great q distance as $3.50 feet meas
ured over an oval track But the kite
has but one turn, about a third OF
mile. while on an oval there are
g two turns of quarter OF mile, making
hall mile in all. Tracks are measured for
the mile three feet from the pole Tor inner
raid, but horse hitched 10 buggy IS never
closer than five feat to the pole. Therefore
on kite track horse making the turn OF a
third OF Il mile five feet from the pole has
an immense advantage over the horse trav-
cling half mile on the turns OF a regular
track. This gives the kite the speed ad-
vantage over the oval course.
Again, on a kite there are two long,
straight stretches, one on the down, the
other on the home ends. These advantages
permit horse to be urged longer distance
at high rate Of speed than on an oval
where there are four corners to be turned
against only two on kite.
RECORD" Or RACE"
Next comes the question of against
ences on this point? When sent against
time horse is carefully keyed up for one
concentrated effort OF mis- greatest speed.
Unless the horse is at his very best, the
track Saud-papered. so to speak, the weather
perfect, without wind or other disturbing
influence, the trial Is deferred, it may be for
few hours or again for day or two. But
when all is ready a start is made. Unless a
perfect send-off is effected another score is
had. There are no other competitors on
the track To distract the drivers or the
horses ton. There are no rivals to
push him here or push him there crowd
lrTrt to 10 Or i'm mt No.
track is his, and off he goes. After going
a poTt.on Of the route a runner hitehed to a
cart and driven by an expert picks him up
on tne outside rail, aud every art Is USED.
not TO make the runner beat the trOtter, but
10 make the trotter win.
But surprising the trotter fails to reach
the desired mark, what then? No record of
his defeat is made, but when everything is
favorable another effort Is made. Again,
the timers Tho held the watch on the essay
ing animal do not occupy the same positions
as 90 regular timers at a regulation circuit
meeting. Furthermore, whoever may be in
tie stand acting as Judge does not, as a rule,
enforce the regulations about breaks as they
would be in a regular race. Four breaks
and lose IS not generally considered when
horse just gets inside the ESQ mark. " That
would be cTuel; besides, there were no pools
sold on tie race, and SO let it 60" is too
frequently the verdict.
DECIDED DIFFERENCE.
But what difference in a race. Then,
ii at i favorable, there is no picking and
choosing of climatic and track conditions.
or position, or friendly pickers up. A
horse cannot be declined TO be started be-
cause everything IS not Just exactly favor
BILE to his special case. All must take their
chances. In such a case a 2 80 heat is much
more creditahle if made in an honestly
driven, out-f0r-the-money, square race
than all the 20 marks made in time"
record.
As 10 the proper attention as to time
F.rfs ytkrar L ito cql- ha ad
matter OF fact on October 9th last,
over tie independence track in Iowa. there
were judged by Judge Mccarthy in i've
hours seven heats Of races and no less than
III starts for records. a horse was there
fore started every two and a half minutes,
and what between watching the scores and
the times, the different officials must have
had their hands full. How correctness at
this one special track could have been had
IS 10 time records is hard to understand. OF
Y course, in California the record time break
ers had all the perfect conditions noted
previously in contrasting time and race diff
ferences.
GRADED RECORDS.
If this grinding cut of kite time records
is TO continue and be accepted as standard,
many breeders who do not resort to this
practice may request the National Register
Company to establish record grades There
may be four of these required, namely, reg
ular race records, (a) on an oval track, % on
kite track, (c) against time on a kite, Id
against time on an oval.
1t is well-known fact that intersecting
the kite at Stockton is oval track which
Is as fast as any in the State. The question
Is often asked and never answered. why
have not some of the phenomenal kite per-
formers been sent over the oval? Perhaps
the difference would have been too marked
TO please 2:30 horse owner that had already
got kite mark of from 10 Is seconds lower.
FATAL TO THE KITE.
But there is one fatal objection to kite
: and one that will prevent It's becoming of
any value except as time-settng standard,
and that is that it will never do as q track
over which racing where gate admission
is charged can be held. In kite all the
visitors can see is the horses leaving them
for third OF a mile. Next they see them
in such a manner that their relative posi-
tons can be judged for third of a mile
around the turn, and then finally they see
them coming to them for another third of
mile at the finish. They see nothing at all
OF the different changes. drives and brushes
that they do on an oval track. This is SO
well understood by all racing associations
that but few new kites will be built in the
future by them.
GOLDSMITH WILL STAY.
William Corbett Of the San Mateo Stock
Farm siiences all talk about John Gold
smith having severed his connection with
the farm by the statement that Goldsmith
Will handle the farms string next year.
Goldsmith will go East soon to settle up his
brothers estate. He will return here in the
early spring. prepare the large string of the
farm that is heavily engaged East, and when
they are ready will take them East and CAM
patgn them there throughout the circuits.
The farm will also be largelyTepres ented,
more so than this year. at the local meet
lngs, but who VIII handle the California
division has not yet been decided.
MARYIN's SUCCESSOR.
1t has not yet been decided as to who will
succeed Marvin as head trainer at PaIo Alto
Marvin has decided to open public training
stable