The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-08-14
STARTING HORSES.
SOME OF THE REASONS Why THIS Isl
A DIFFICULT BUSINESS.

-&5@#% H@ @#a5
why ne Ii ard Here Than In Other
countries-Eother OF short Daahes-Pop-
uiar Misunderstanding Of Good and bad
Starts.
Starting race horses is q f1ne art, and
the man who fancies it isn't will never be
convinced until no stands. fiag In hand,
facing 10, 900 persons. and with i dozen
or SO thoroughbreds, ridden BY anxious
Jockeys, upon the track, each rider doing
his best to get an advantage over his
fellows In 10 cases out OF 30 it il not
the thoroughbred that il to blame for
the trouble at the post nor Ii 1T the
jockey directly. but it ID the owner,
trainer or some speculator In the back
ground who has told the jockey to get
of III front, no matter what happens,
and who has promised TO pay his fine or
reimburse him for any penalty be may
incur in carrying ont instructions. It
IL all very well to sit in the grand stand
and criticise the work OF the starter.
One must try the business himself to
appreciate it's difficulties and its trials.
It IL . much harder task TO start race
horses n we ace I'm this country than
in England. France. Austria or Aus
tralia, where the pace 10 very allow at
the start, and q length or two advantage
when the flag falls docs not count for
much With Us, and especially Of late
years, since the system Of short dashes
has become so popular with horse own
ers, which, by the way, has had such O
depressing influence ON the improve
ment of the blooded horse, the style
has been to ride pellmell from the start,
and races are won and lost very frequent
~ when the flag falls. Judgment Of
pace IL fast becoming . lost art. and
even our best Jockeys now, with very
rare exceptions, have no more Idea of
q Q riding than to get away well and
take the shortest course home In the
quickest possible fashion. Consequently
every boy becomes imbued with the
idea that to win he must get OF in
front .
The reader can easily picture to him
self the scene at thsApost when there
are 10 or 30 horses, many of them rid
den by boys not 10 years OF age, all of
whom have been told-some OF them
with threats and others with promises
OF large rewards-to get the best OF the
start ANY visitor 10 our race tracks Ii
familiar with the scene mt the POST.
Half . dozen horses will rush away at
Q false break when there il NO possible
chance for an equitable start, and when
they come trotting back and before they
have had time to wheel and ret into
line those that remained behind the
first time will dash out and run perhaps
q hundred yards, leaving the first squad
in their places. This goes ON indefinite
~.
The public is also familiar with the
sight OF one or more horses standing
mOtionless some lengths behind their
competitors. The starter asks the riders
Of the horses in advance Of the laggards
TO wait until they have taken their no
sitions Each boy seems to think 1t Is
his bounden duty TO walk his horse
when those in the rear attempt to move
up at q walk and to break away madIy
il an attempt IL made by those behind
to come up at o run.
A starter should have q thorough
knowledge Of racing, should be a man
OF q high degree Of intelligence, be
quick OF eye and hand and, above all,
be Of unimpeachable integrity. The is
u OF many thousands of dollars, often
times hundreds of thousands Of dollars,
Ia decided by the fall or his red fisg,
and it is his duty TO see that every
horse, no matter by whom he Ia owned,
has an equal chance when he leaves the
post Every effort il made to catch the
horses in motion and ON as nearly even
terms as possible. The eye must take
in the field in q twinkling, and If the
Judgment is that the start Is s~atisfacto-
ry the hand will act In unison with the
eye and the brain.
Very often horses are In bad places,
and what might look to be q good start
from the grand stand would be o poor
n in the Judgment OF the starter, and
the flag does not fall. Criticism follows,
and generally it Ia OF the harshest and
most unjust character. Some horses are
quicker ON their feet than others and
will make q good start look like a poor
I'M through their ability to get under
way much more rapidly than their CONF
petitors. A good start when the flag
drops becomes to the unthinking and
ignorant a poor start, and abuse is heap
ed upon the head Of the official.
From time to time mechanical appli- /
ances for starting race horses have been
invented, but they have not been prac-
tical and have not achieved success
A swinging gate 10 be raised by electrici-
ty vas spoken of some time ago, but
fractions thoroughbreds could not be
got near it There are, again, horses
that are not to be controlled at times,
and collisions with the obstacle would
undoubtedly be Of daily occurrence.
Then, too. it would take months Of drill
ing to get horses 10 overcome the idea
that they were not going to run into
the gate. This and many other objec-
lions q DO raised against this system.
A western inventor has patented q gate
to be lowered before the hor9es willis
they stand at the post, which may BE-
avvay frnsn fhonn af a waria waka