The San Francisco call., 1897-11-13
Horsomen at the Track
Divided as to It's
Merits.
Those With the Most Interest
at Stake Do Not Favor
It's Use.
Trainer Jimmy Mccormick Launches
Forth in TRADE Against the Red
Bunting-0ther Views.

Who is TO blame for the decline in
popularity of the starting gate? is the
question now being propounded by horse
men aud the public in general-that Is,
that portion who visit the racetracks. Is
the starter at fault or is the American
Jockey shrewder and possessed of more
ingenuity than his Australian cousin
When for the first time in America the
Gray starting-gate was given q trial and
large field of steeplechasers we're dis
patched TO perfect start IN less than one
minute II was hailed with delight on all
sides, and the press was most euIogistic
in its praise. Since that time numerous
starting devices have been tried on differ
ent tracks in this country, but all are, no
doubt, infringements on the Australian
gate.
The new device was looked on with
anything but pleasure by the different
starters, but with owners II was different.
They could send two-year-oIds TO the post,
and with the short delays the youngsters
would not get to fretting and the weight
would not break the embryo racers back S.
Then, too, the bookmaSers were happy.
Seven races could be run off without diff
Gully anu lItN MOQ40 I4iI0 tdC4ASS4fCS III
town before 6 o'clock. Now all is changed.
Jockeys with crooked tendencies found
new way TO get horses beaten-getting lef,
at the post. Bad actors would wheel when
the barrier went up, and perhaps, as well
Is getting left themselves wOuld cause
TWO or three other good actors 10 be left
standing still. The recall flag was then
brought into requlsition, and with what
effect? The same old story OF long de-
lays and of good horses with weight up
being killed off at the post by the tedious
and wind disturbing weights.
a canvass OF the manv owners and
trainers shows wide variance OF opinion,
and few are herewith given:
Mat Storm, trainer OF Morellito and
other good ones, says: You can state
emphaticaIly that l am against the recall
flag. 1t gives too many opportunities for
jobDing, and il used is no improvement
over the old flag start"
Interviewed on the subject, Jockey
Mike Hennessy thought The flag a neces-
sary adjunct TO the gate, but admitted
that If Dad actors we're excluded 1t was
only nuisance.
Galen Brown, owner of Lbartine, said
decidedly no" when asked If he favored
the recall flag. If owners would take the
time to properly break and school their
horses, he saw no necessity for its use.
The well-knOwn owner and trainer
Tommy Lottridge OF the firm OF Atkin &
1ottrldge, was another who declared
against its use. Tommy said if operated
IN competent hands as 1t was at the out
set, and the starter disciplined the boys,
they would line their mounts up, and
there was no reason why it would not be
as big a success as in Australia. He con-
cIuded by saying, Yankee notions has
worked its ruin"
Ed Corrigan, the Hawthorne turfman,
a
haps would be just as well pleased if the
old method OF starting was again in vogue.
Joe Harvey and Dan Honig announced
themselves as in favor of its use.
locker Johnny Weber said if some OF
the crazy actors were barred and Jockeys
would heed the instructions OF the starter
there was no need for a recall flag.
Probably no trainer, jockey or owner
has given the matter as much study as
Jimmy McCormlck, who trains the Burns
d Waterhouse string. Mccormick was
once a jockey, has owned horses of his
own, is we'll off in this worlds goods, and
his opinion goes for q great deal. Said
Jimmy: Pm not in favor of the recall
flag. and I'll tell you why:
ITO begin with, horses cannot be trained
from downtown hoIels or barrooms.
When this gate wes first introduced the
firm by whom l am employed paid $500
for one Of the gates, and every morning
before any Of the horses in the string were
galloped they were first schooled at the
gate. AS consequence you will prob
aDiy recollect that very few of the horses
in my charge we're bad actors. Ii there
was a particularly fractious one that
member was disposed of. The plan
adopted last year by the Pacific Coast
Jockey Club, OF placing opposite the name
OF an unruly hor,e bad actor on the
programme, was an excellent one, TO my
idea. If person liked the chances of a
horse so characterized he could back him
and get fairly long price but he took
chances on the animal getting away from
the post.
With the recall flag this same horse
would be quoted at a much shorter price
IN herring and before the starter has finally
succeeded IN getting him away the chances
OF hall dozen good horses have been
rClned by the long wait. Now, bad hcrses
AMI bad trainers are drug on The mar
ket and would never be missed if elinni-
mated from the business. If some of
these rank ones were barred from the turf
good horsehesn would briug higher
prices, and there would be some incentive
tor men OF means to engage in the breed
ing industry. Another thing starters are
altogether too lenient with iockeys. Lam
well aware of the fsct that riders under
engagement to politicians, millionaires
and men with pulp go over TO the
post on horses and are very naughty and
arrogant with the starters.
"If all were treated alike, and these
young men were treated 10 a good fine, or
suspended for a month or so, they would
soon learn to line up their mounts to the
webbing and quit looking for SHADE
in Australia fe ds consisting of thirty
or more horses are sent away wish scarcely
delay, ana il seems utterly absurd that
here with fields of from six to ten horses
going 10 the post as rule starters find it
necessary to use recall flag"
MIR. Mccormick certainly propounds
some very sound views on the subject, and
if the Australian device is TO be used at
all it should be without the recall flag
If we must be again peslered with delays
at the post. place the gate and its appurie-