The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-30
GOSSIP OF THE RUNNERS.
MEMBERS OF THE JOCKEY CLUE 10
CHANG Els OF RULES.

the Older Division or Horses and De-
veiop Speed aud stamina Eagiish
Hnndicnpping System 60 Be overhauied.
The close of the Washington meeting on Sat
urday marked the termination of the years rae
Ing In the Eastern section. An offspring. rs IL
were. of the Jockey Club. the sport Mt the
capital, considering the material TO hand. has
been decidedly satisfactory, and although the
balance may not be on the right side of tho
ledger. there Is every reason to expect that
Washington will be a FIXTURE.
Owntrs and trainers will now be scattered
all over the country. Tho majority, however,
will tnke their strings to New Orleans, while
a few will cross tho Rockies. George e. Smith,
Pittsburgh Phil" will winter mis- animals
at Norris Park, and not take Thorn, as has been
stated. to San Francisco. The young plunRer
himself will be seen on the Pacific slope, rs he.
with Jockeys Tnral. Sloane, and Griffin, will
start for there next week.
In tho mean time tho active members Of the
Jockey Club will be 5usily engaged patching
up the rules, remodellinG some, and introduce
ing new measures. A meeting is to be held
at August Belr1ont's offices In Nassau street
next week, whsn q number Of important altera-
tons will be brought no for discussion. The
principal questions will DO the most feasible
means of encouraging long-distance races.
the best Inducements that can be offered to
maintain the euality of the older divisions.
and the possible benefit that can accrue from
raising the scale for weight-for.a age races.
In speaking of the different measures q prom
inent member said: "Some radical changes are
necessary TO raise the standard Of our older
horses. For i've or six years our thorough
breds have shown n deploraole lack OF stamina
and bottom. Since tho days of Salvador. FL
renzi. Tenney, Kingston, Longslreet, Raceland.
and Prince Royal our three, four, and FIVE
year.olds have been wofully deficient In class.
Henry of Navarro and Tammany are the only
bright particular stars out of the raft of race
horses that as two-year-olds promised TO be
world heaters.
Commence with His HiGhness's year and
consider how iatterinR the prospects were for
David Gideon's colt and his rivals to become
wonderful three-year-oids. Yet not a single
one came within pounds Of anticipntions.
Then consider Domino's year. Real smashers
seemed as plentiful as cranberries. yet out Of
the whole bunch only Henry of Navarro is
able to como to the rescue.
Some persons think 1t is the fault of the breed
crs. This Is hardly the solution, as we have
better stations now than ever before. and no
one would compare the mares. collectively. of
ten years back with those of the present day.
Gus DAILY. August belmont. A, II. & D., ii.
Morris, and James II. keene have spared no
expense to secure the best blood In England.
All the most fashionable sires on the other
side hnNe had a trial. so that II cannot be on
the score OF breeding that our older horses arc
not what they should be.
I'm short. the only way l can account for this
evident retrogression is an over-anxfetv on the
part OF owners to rush their youngsters. From
keeps his two-year-old %peGging away. pro
viiea IT Is able to stand on its pins; Under
existing conditions one can hardly blame the
owner. az u two.ycar-old is able to win three
and four times tho amount it can during the
when breeders did not nurse and coidle the
foals. but let them rough 4; we had a harder.
s to- hanG so 500 e al Sa' but they iI lasted sI' and c o1'ae
quently raised the American turf to IN equal
ity with that of any other country;
old stakes are endangering her thoroughbreds.
and she has promptly taken steps TO counter
division, She is continually adding to the list
OF these big stakes, until now the Jockey CLUB
Newmarket. worth $50. 900 each. Sandown
Park has the Great Eclipse. worth the same
amount. and Hurst Park has stepped into the
Every one now is satisfied that tho sport is
on n tirmer basis than 1t ever was before. The
associations, under the most depressing con
dItions. succeeded in making both ends more
aud | fully anticipate their responding to the
wishes OF the Jockey Club by giving more CON
iiarF" beanls to w tho 9 Z lss, d snrs. Ri;e 4 ah 1ic6 Marks s'nFs
for four and fve.year-olds IN 1870. and ! think
YOU will see Coney Island and Gravescnd follow
Another thing which the Jockey Club in
tends handling y ith3ut Sl9res ~ the practice
has been one of the blots on clean sport. Own
es Y ho indulge in /. fatter themselves they
never give tho spirit of them n thought. In
rcali y II is ms criminal as II they stuffed an
animal. and the excuse that the horse was not
as TT as the owner thought he was, or that he
won't work. will not in future be trcit"d
with the leniency OF recent years
Selling races, too. VIII. in future. be FOR
the class of horses they are intended. A tacit
agreement exists among the owners who mean
four and Ave thousand dollar animals viii
not es%ape In a tye-hnndrtd-d2llar selling
class OF bread winners. and by degrees ! hope
We shall be III tho same position as owners in
England. There they have n stake horse. u
high-class handicap animal. a fatr-ciass hendi;
capper. a platter. ard n selling platter. All
these divisions add to the value Of the thor
oughhreds collectively. 1t gives a value to n
)ne OF the most Important meetings in the
held. next Monday NJ Lord Derby's house IN
81. JamSs square. London. The stewards Will
racing which deal with handicapning.. For
some time there has been intense dissntisfac-
side ut tho treatment of animals in handicups.
Disgust has been openly and frequently ex-
e6SIS no SO mrG do,s so n tnrt th sctioGI CLUB
Lord Durham will move 4 resolution sug-
costing the appointment of two or three persons
to attend all race II ceilings in order to see the
running OF The horses and report on their real
form 10 the handicapped. In an interview
VIII, n PAN Nal Gazette man recently Lord
Durham said:
suggest that tho stewards of the Jockey
Club should appoint handicappers for every
meeting, one OF whom, at least. ought to ho
present TO watch the running.
The stewards of the Jockey Club are.
believe, with me In thinking the present sys-
TEN very bad. and II the proposal Is adopted.
| believe there will be plenty OF gentlemen OF
experience ready to offer thcir services as han
di% sappers.
The ingenuity of swIndlers and blacklcgs
has found out a method OF concenling u horses
true form while evadlnE to Q large extent the
danger of II charge OF pulling. II Is by no
means an uncommon occurrence for n Jockey.
when his horse Is beaten by another. to slnc ken
speed somewhat. and thus cause his steed TO
be ranked in the unplaced division. The object
OF this. is seen when IL ia remembered that
the onicial Handicapped. under existing ar
r~anEements, cannon, possibly attend every
race meeting. and therefore he is to n large
oStent dependent on tho study Of u horses
book form fort no performance OF his Official