The record-union., 1898-02-14
HORSE RACING IN RUSSIA.
CONDUCTED ON A BETTER SYS.
TEN THAN HERE.
No Chance for Trickery, but Every
Incentive TO Have the Best
Horse Win.

The following interesting letter to the
| Horseman, is from the pen of Mrs
Frank Star, wife of the American train
err OF that name who is prospecting al
| his business in Russia:
| January 9th is Christmas in Russia
| and l assure you it is not what an
American would call a green one. This
winter racing commenced at ST. Peters
burg, Sunday, December 18th. and there
will be two race days each week until
March 10Th. They will pay out about
| three hundred thousand roubles in
purses and stakes. The ST Peters
burg Association has inaugurated a
/ new system to insure honest, clean rae
ing. and l think they have solved tbs
problem l am told that the same
| system will be adopted by the Moscow
Association, and l will endeavor to ex-
| plain how it is done. IF a horse in
| the slow class, which is the ninth class
| gets a record that puts him into the
next class, he gets an extra premium. >
| L Will give You the result of the first
| days tfotting, which Will explain the
idea more fully. 1 should first explain
| that there are ten classes in all ar
ranged from the ninth class down &c
| the free -for-alI.
| The first race on the days programme
was for the third class, which is fol
horses with no better record than ,:
| for one mile, or o:06 for two miles
First horse got seven hundred and fifty
roubles; distance two miles. 1t was
Won by Dodrenayah, driven by the
American trainer, L. Raymer. This
time in this race was $40, so this
horse won without lowering his record
| The next race was for the first class
which was for horses with no better
records than 2:24 for one mile or 500
for two miles First horse got one
thousand and fifty roubles: distance one
mile. Varojay won, driven by the
American trainer j. Raymer; time
DDS. SO that this horse did not get out
of his class.
| The next race was for the fifth class
for horses with no better records thar
2:2S12 for one mile or 5:12 for two
miles. First horse got five hundred
and twenty-five roubles; distance one
! mile. This race was won by Mara
morne. driven by the American train
! Ell, f. Cation; time DDS, so you see this
| horse lowered his record, which put
| him into the fourth class, for which he
| got an extra premium of four hundred
roul1les. making his winnings in tha,
! race, nine hundred and twenty-five
| roubles.
! The next race, for the eighth class
| horses with no better records than > 30
| for one mile or 5:21 for two miles-dis-
lance two miles. Zasyaka won, driv-
en- f. Cation, time 5:12l., so that ne
| beats the class record and goes into
the fifth class. for which he gets a pre-
MUM on three classes, which amounts
| to twelve hundred and seventy roubes
First money in this race was two hun
| dred and twenty-five roubles, which
makes his winnings total fifteen hun
| bred roubleS.
| l should further explain that the
horse making the fastest time in dash
races, or fastest average time in heat
races, is declared the winner; so there
| is no more pulling horses in Russia, as
| the one that gets there the quickest
| gets the money, and the quicker you
get there the more money you get. This
! new rule not only does away with lay
! ing up heats. but also does away with
/ the suppression of time, for everybody
| is watching the time as that is what
decides the winner
! You will also notice by the above
| that all the races on the first days pro-
gramme were won by American driv-
ers. Although the Americans are
| ahead of the Russians in their meth
eds of training and driving it seems to
me that the associations are far ahead
/ of the Americans in their management
\ nf tJ1piy n ire in
have a scale of prices for admission tC
| the grounds. running from about TWEEN
ty-five cents to two dollars, according
to the position you occupy in the stand
lawn or field They deduct 10 per
cent from the betting and only charge
an entrance fee for horses of per cent
| from members and per cent. from
| non members.
| This is rs it should be- as the owners
| of horses are under a heavy expense
while the betting public is at compar-
| atively none. Now in America the
! above per cent. is deducted in exactly
| the opposite way, which is unjust.
| One can get plenty Of racing at either
Moscow or ST. Petersburg. and get ell
he can attend to between the two cities
| Moscow gives a big meeting for stakes
| anu purses III Tie summer ana a luSet-
| ing for small purses in the winter. st
| Petersburg gives a meeting for small
purses in the fall. and a meeting for
| large purses and stakes in the winter
/ So you see they hardly conflict A pro-
| gramme book is published before The
/ meeting commences and everybody
knows what to expect during the whole
meeting, for there is no chan ye of pro-
gramme or postponement on account OF
! weather
In rain. mud, sleet, hail. snow, chair
| lightning. tornadoes and cyclones and
no audience. you race just the same
and get the money if you win it. The
audience is usually large. and there is
plenty of betting. which is all done
through the Paris mutuals. / hardly
thank that is as good as our bookmak-
ing or auction pool system.
| The Russians are slowly doing away
with their long races and are gradually
/ adopting mile heats which, / think is
taking steps in the right direction. as
| all American trainers, including Mr.
| Marvin and his book. say that brush
| work is what makes speed and long
work is what dulls it. So if short rae
| ing becomes general here look for the
/ Orloff trotter of the future to be much
1 faster than the Orloff of the past.