The sun., 1898-02-14
HORSEMEN DISLIKE RULES.
II. r. BEDFORD PROTESTS lGNINsT
THE LICENSE SYSTEM FOR DRYERS.

The RrooLIyn Sportsman says the New Hules
or tho n. T. A. WIN Drive Amateurs on
theTurr and Rcducs tho Sport TO n Busi-
ne-s-Noted Trotters 60 ne sold This Week.
There is widespread feeling among horscmen
that the N 7. A. Congress made mistake last
week when IL hastily adopted the system OF II.
censing all drivers on the trottinR turf. Such
was the general lack Of information concerning
the object of the scheme that tho President of
one of the leading tracks In the Grand Circuit
had to ask Secretary Gocher to explain tho mat
ter At least one or two speakers who supported
the rule laborcd under the emsapprchension that
they were advocating plan to rid the turf OF
unskillful trainers and drivers. not knowing
that the sole purpose OF the system Is to identify
drivers, regardless of their skill or character.
| After It came TO ballot the fate OF the measure
was decided when G. d. Palmer cast the proxies
| Of 100 minor tracks and fairs in New England in
| favor of what Is termed the " Raines law" OF the
trottipR turf. Nearly all OF the fairs that were
directly represented at the Congress voted the
| other way. their officers showing bitter opposi-
| tion to the scheme on the ground that it threat
| ened to alienato the farmer boys and other ANA
| teur horsemen who make up tho largest part of
| their patrons. Fully two-thirds of the associate
| members of the n. I. a. are fair associations.
Tho sentiments of the amateur element regard
| ing the license system arc reflected in the follow
ing letter, which was brought out by our inter
| view with w. b. Fasig, published in THE Sun
on last Friday:
DEAR MR.. FAsio: read in the New York sun this
morning what is accredited to you in reference to
the rule licensing drivers think It Is mis-.
| take. think you hitting the nail right the
head when you say II Is taking the element Of sport
from the sport and making II one OF business. Take
| my own case, for instance. We have added to tho
sport at the Parkway quite little. so the members
| hl,bx ad fran doto bxtb 10
| rule, for horses arc road horses and are only
| driven by my brother. both amateur drivers
believed 1t has been matt or OF additional interest
| TO every member. in every they have entered
to know what road horse could do when driven by
an amateur in competition with professionally
trained and driven horses What Is true of Parkway
has been true OF Mineoa and number OF other
places In the country 1t used to be more than true
at Norwalk, and many expected It to be feature of
the race at tho new track at bridgeport, Sonn this
year. Yours truly, 4. l.. BEDFoRD.
| BROOKLYN, Feb. IL.
Bedford is one of the most prominent teur
horsemen IN this State. He has paid out thou
such crack trottcr as Gillette 2:iIi4 Black Ide,
2;17, and Wanda. 2:lslo, and their performances
meetings Of tho Parkway Driving Club. 1t is
| well known that Bedford represents largo
unless many shrewd judges Of the situation are
mistaken the enforcement Of the new licensing
away from trotting tracks in memb bership with
the n. t, A, A, good many professional rens.
men h are inclined tG faypr @ the Licensing system
courage amateurs from driving, and thus throw
more horses into the stables of the men who
make business OF training and driving trot-
ters. Some of the Oldest and koenest men in the
craft believe. however that the principal effect
bership of tho American TrottinR Association
on whose tracks no license system is in force.
had this to say yesterday about licensing drivers:
This 'Raipes Law for the trotting turf is a
first place it is unnecessary. 1t is time enough
for man to prove his identity when somebody
questions It That is the theory OF the rules in
to be applied to drivers. The fact is. Il you are
@ going m to to have hay passport system at all it ought
times there is an honest mistake about tho
identity Of horse Everybody knows that. Con-
who enters a horse to require him to have a
passport 81 sho wing the history Of the animal right
be an honest mistake about the identity Of a |
man. Consequently when you force every
lery at Hartford and show his passport wher.
ever he goes you pretty nearly say to him: We
enough to say that after am man MI i, accused T Of
sailing under false colors. Good men won't like |
my opinion is that these licenses will help |
many man to cover up crooked work. When |
driver has license it throws off suspicion |
to put everybody to sleep. and unless miss my |
guess more ringers than ever will get away with |
and expense for everybody who drives horse, |
and for the Hartford office as we'll l don't be:
ever follow the lead of the National and II they
don't the American is tound to get lot Of new |
Another important amendment to the turf |
code which was was not very carefully eonsid. |
away with the old rule creating a bar where |
horses performed at distance less than mile |
8nd a greater than half mile Under the old
mile and more than half mile were deemed |
to be irregular, and the time made in such races
conStltuted bar in races at mile, the same
II the horse had gone the full mile in the time
for seven furiongs;, The object of the rule,
was to prevent horses from racing at frao-
tional distances and thereby avoiding records. |
sible for q horse to win races at threequarters.
seyen'eighths or even nnineteentwentiehs of a
races where the distance is one mile Tho
probable effect of the new rule will DO to intro
just short OF, a mile. Everybody - nowadays is
looking for an!opportunity to trot horses without
tho PGnf,h ,hso of and where
bound to become popular among owners and
si,, drivers. Several members Of the Rules Com:
aftorward disposed to think that a mistake had
Nearly all Of the better class Of drivers say
that tho congress erred again In omittinT to
except on the result OF the race. The vote on
g. d. Palmer . resolution condemnng heat bet
tlnB uisclobeu lhe IitcL tnhL tnc ueleRate6 were
overwhelmingly opposed to tho practice, and a
rule against It would probably have gone
john +. Turner was one Of those Who opposed OPP
heat betting at the meeting OF the Rules Com
mittee. Ed Bovine. Barney Demarest Scott
Quintin and others expressed themselves
strongly against the practice
A big sale of trotting.brcd horses will begin
to-day at Madison Square Garden, continuing
tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. |
About 100 horses are catalogaed. The sale will
he held under tho management of William Is,
Fasig & Co. There will bo special exhibition
this evening of the noted horses to be sold during
the week. On Wednesday the Hermitage Stud
OF Nashville Tenn, will be closed out. This col
lection includes the noted stallion Ponce do
Leon, 2:l3, ia full brother in blood to Marcus
Days uch.talked.of trottipg sire Prodigai,
2:l8; also the fast young trotter Preston, 2:13h,
by Ponce de Leon, and his dam, Tosa, 2:l9lt by
Enfield. The PAGER Planet. 2:01a. will probably |
pass under the hammer on Wednesday evening.