The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-20
TURF CONGRESS.
viii Association Repeal
Law Against Topples

Worcester hoISemen and trainers, in
common with those all over the coun-
try, will await with greatest interest
the results of that special congress of
the National Trotting Association,
held next Thursday, in New York city.
The association has made custom
of meeting but once in two years. and
heretofore all votes of an important
nature have been passed at the biennial
sessions. Last year, however, some al
legged reforms We're introduced which
have met with by no means universal
approval. The call for this weeks meet
ing was, no doubt, influenced chiefly
by the opposition developed against
those new rules regarding the licenses
for drivers and the prohibition of the
use of hopples, coupled with the fact
that last season some important tracks
ignored the license requirement and
have announced their intentions of
treating the hopple rule in the same
manner this season, the prohibition not
going into effect until this year.
In regard to licenses, the system has
been in use for one year, and as was
pointed out in these columns several
weeks ago by John Kervick of this
city, it is hard to see where it has re-
required was so nominal that it was
neither source of revenue to the as
ISOLATION nor did it protect the better
class of trainers in the country, by
keeping out the cheaper element. If
licenses were issued only after a proper
examination as to the capacity of
drivers, there might be some merit in
the idea But when they are given to
anybody on application, provided he
sends ObntnorT9 nh q of
age intelligence is at loss to know just
where the benefit comes in, unless it
aids in Identifying the driver. And
yet drivers cannot be Fingers" like
horses.
Hopples or no hopples will doubtless
be the main subject for discussion.
Here is a question that has two sides
and the premises Of either advocate or
opponent to the present rule seem well
grounded. The wealthy horseman, who
breeds and races his horses for pleas
ure and does not depend upon the
sport as a means of livelihood, is nat
urally opposed to hopples, for they are
ugly-looking and not entirely safe. But,
on the other hand, there is the driver.
He says, as did John Kervick in his
recent letter to The Spy, upon the sub
Ject;. why should not hopples be al
lowed as much as quarter boots or toe
weights? Toe weights help to give
horse a pure gait; SO do hopples. Many
horses that today have a. racing value
because of hopples would be useless if
the STRAPS were tabooed. A trotter
when on the track is merely a racing
machine. The driver, who depends upon
winning for his own living, must rig
that machine to the best possible ad-
vantage. Experience has taught us
that hopples help the horse to carry
his speed. That is why we use them"
1t is between these two questions that
the special congress must decide. At
| best the gentlemen with whom the
matter rests have by no means an
, easy task. In the first place one of two
| classes is bound to be offended. The
| owners and gentleman breeders, if hop
| pies are allowed, will be tempted to
| say, I'VE are the lnen who support
racing and give it it's standing. Re-
| forms that we advocate should be
| given more consideration. On the other
! hand stand the trainers and drivers
who in case of defeat will say, "You
| have taken from Us one of the best
| instruments of success in many cases.
| Without hopples many Of us must give
| up the game, or else retire as useless
| horses that with hopples would win
us good money"
There is still another feature that
! has been lost sight Of ny many The
| National Trotting Association legally
| passed a vote abolishing the use of
| hopples and decided that the vote
! should go into effect January l, 1899.
! Before the racing season has begun,
| and the rule has been given a trial
there is talk of repeating it to satisfy
| public feeling, etc. VIII it not appear
to many that the N. T. A. lacks back
| bone when it gully passes a. rule, and
| then repeats 1t before it has been put
| to the test. Those men, upon whose
| shoulders rests the responsibility of
| adjusting the difficulty have nc envia-
| BILE task before them. Several consid-
erations must be weighed and de-
cision reached which win mean the
! greatest good for the greatest num-
! Der.
That very excellent turf publication,
| The Turf, Field and Farm, has recent
| ly secured and published the opinions
of many we'll known owners and breed
| erS and drivers upon the hopple ques-
tion and among those who have been
| interviewed upon the subject are
! George B, Inches of the Edgewood
| Farm of North Grafton and Col John
men, as might be imagined are opposed
to. hopples. Says Mr.. Inches:-
OF course hopples should not be
allowed. 1t will induce people to
breed worthless animals. If the
light harness horse cannot go with
out hopples, shoot him. The use of
hopples will certainly lessen the
value of light harness horses as a
breed.
Mr.. Thayer expresses himself as fol-
| loWs:-
I am greatly opposed to hopples.
| They should never be allowed upon
| NV oil oh 1rAta1 ho dr,iVr