The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-04-17
STARTING HORSES IN A RACE.
A Business That IL Badly Managed In
Tbfs Countrv.

A business That Is Badly Managed In
This Country.
II Is a much harder task to start race
horses as we race in this country than
in England, France, Austria on Aus
tralia, where the pace is very slow at
the start, and 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 a
depressing influence on the improve
ment of the FLOODED horse, the style has
been to ride pellmell from tlH sort. 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-
lions, 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
to win he must get off in front.
The reader can easily picture to him
self the scene at the post when there are
10 to 20 horses, many of them ridden
by boys not 16 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 is
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 out 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 start& asksohe riders
of the horses in advance of the laggards
to wait until they have taken their pc.
sitions. Each boy seems to think it is
his bounden duty to walk his horse
| when those in the rear attempt to move
up at walk and to break away madlJ
if an attempt is made by those behind
to come up on run.
| A starter should have thorough
knowledge Of racing, should be mar
of high degree of intelligence, be quicl
of eye and hand, and, above all, be O.
unimpeachable integrity. The issue O
many thousands of dollars, ofttime
hundreds of thousands of dollars, is de
cided by the fall of his red flag, and i
is his duty to see that every horse, nj
matter by whom he is owned, has al
equal chance when he leaves the post
Every effort is made to catch the horse
in motion and on as nearly even term
Us possible The eye must take in tn
field in twi,kling, 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
in the Judgment Of the starter, and tn
flag does not fall Criticism follows
and generally it is of the harshest an
most unjust character. Some horses ar
quicker on their feet than others an
will make good start look like poo
one through their ability to get unde
way much more rapidly than their CON
petitors A good start when the fla
drops becomes to the unthinking an
ignorant a poor start, and abuse
, heaped upon the head of the official.
From time to time mechanical appli
ances for starting race horses have bee
invented, but they have not been prac
teal and have not achieved success. !
swinging gate to be raised by electricit
was spoken of some time ago. but frat
tious thoroughbreds could not be &C
near it. There are, again, horses tha
are not to be controlled at times, an
collisions with the obstacle would III
doubtedly be Of daily occurrence. Thel
too, it would take months of drilling
get horses to overcome the idea that the
were not going to run into the gait
This and many other objections can /
raised against this system. A wester
inventor has patented gate to be Low
cred before the horses while they stan
at the post, which may be moved ava
from them at rapid rate of speed /
electric power, the barrier moving Of
ward and upward at the same time
Horsemau