The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-07-25
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STARTING HORSES IN A RACE.
A business THAT =. BADLY Managed Tn
THIS CnnntrN.

olNHllNo fOhoto IN a RACE.
business That Il BADLY Managed In
THIS Country.
IL Is a much harder task to start raco
horses as we race In this country than
in England, France, Austria or Aus
tralia, where the pace Is very slow at
the start, and u length or two advantage
when the flag falls does 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
| 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 frequently
when the flag falls, Judgment of pace
is fast becoming lost art, and even our
best jockeys now, with very rare excep-
| tons, have no more idea of race 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
tn win he must get off in front
The reader eau easily picture to him
self the scene ut the post when there are
! . to 30 horses, many of them ridden
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 to our race tracks il
familiar with the scene at the post.
Half dozen horses will rush away at a
false break when there is no possible
chance for an equitable start, and when
they come trotting back and before they
have had time to wheel and get into
line those that remained behind the
first time will dash ont and run perhaps
100 yards, leaving the first squad in
their places. This goes on indefinitely.
The public is also familiar with the
! sight of one or more horses standing
motionless some lengths behind Their
competitors. The startsf asks the riders
of the horses in advance of the laggards
to wait until they have taken their po
sitions. Each boy seems to think it il
his bounden duty TO walk his horse
when those in the rear attempt to move
up at walk and to break away madly
If an attempt is made by those behind
to come up on run.
A starter should have thorough
knowledge Of racing, should be IL. mar
of high degree of intelligence, be uuicl
of eye and hand and, above all, be OF
unimpeachable integrity. The issue OF
many thousands of dollars, ofttime.
hundreds of thousands of dollars, is de
cided by the fall of his red flag, and il
is his duty to see that every horse, M
matter by whom he is owned has al
equal chance when he leaves the post
Every effort is made to catch the horsei
: in motion and ON rs nearly even term
as possible. The eye must take in til,
field in a twinkling, and if the judg
, ment is that the start is satisfactory tn,
hand will act In unison with the ey,
and the brain, says the New York Sun.
Very often horses are in bad places
and what might look to be good star
from the grand stand would be poor ON,
i'll the Judgment Of the starter, and tn,
flag does not fall. Criticism follows
and generally it is of the harshest anC
. most unjust character. Some horses ar,
quicker on their feet than others ant
will make good start look like n poo
one through their ability to get undel
way much more rapidly than their com
petitors. A good start when the flas
drops becomes to the unthinking anC
ignorant poor start, and abuse i,
heaped upon the head of the official
From time to time mechanical appli
ancpS for stortiny racp borcac bova hoo,