Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-11-10

Vi ' "a l. itdlu, liz HLtAIl IdClliS HAL,
has a few words to say on the subject of
American jockeys and methods. His
IDEAS ON the subject of doping are re-
freshingly innocent. He says Doping"
to lose is ancient history. but dragging
a horse in expectation that he may win
is the owners right, and rules for racing
make provision for it. for every horse
started is to run to win. y - II As
for the French public. it wants true run
races"
Some of these smart guys" will no
doubt teach the gentleman a few things
about doping" 1t is all right enough to
dope" a horse to win today, but when
he meets about the same field next week
and is not 'doped," what then? And
how about it when one wagers his money
on a "doped" horse and they are delayed
at the post until the dope" dies out?
Besides. one cannot keep increasing the
dose forever. and it takes a continual
increase to keep an equine dope fiend"
up to his regular dope form. Again,
how about the poor horse that is stimu-
lated to make an unnatural effort? The
results may not be agreeable to him..
There are two or three sizes to this
dope question besides the Gallo one.
as the gentleman may find out to his
sorrow. 1t is a subject that has been
thoroughly thrashed out among Alneri-
can racing men. with the result that
doping of all kinds is absolutely for
hidden. Racing officials are at least sup
posed to try their best to enforce the
prohibition, and no doubt most of them
do.
The fact of the matter is that racing
people either cannot OF will not see that
the factor to be considered first, last n
all the time is the public. It's money
keeps the game going and it ought to get
full value for it's coin Probably the
worst mistake in the management :
ing SO many cheap purses for cheap
horses. The theory is that owners of
Skates" must live. AS Montesquieu
said, II do not see the neces ity." If
they can not live as owners of Skates"
they will either quit or get better horses,
a benefit to the game either way. That
sounds hard-hearted, but it is the old
and unalterable rule of the survival of
the fittest. Let them keep up with the
bandwagon. The public does not care to
see old cripples race for a hundred dol
lars or SO. What difference does it make
to anybody as to which is the fastest-of a
bunch of 'sorefoots Such races are
gambling devices pure and simple, and
a brace" roulette wheel is just as in
teresting and generally just as fair. Con-
tinuous racing Is responsible for his
kind of work. Fewer and larger rueess
and fewer and better horses to contend
for them form the solution of the prob
lem. Owners of Skates can barely pay
feed bills when they win; when they
don't, they simply prey on the public.
Two-thirds of the "touting'' and nine
tenths of the "ixing'' Ind doping" are
lone by this class. The public wants and
will patronize good, clean racing-some-
thing it gets only in spots. A certain
proportion of the sporty" class will
venture their money on the worst kind
OF dishonest racing, but even they prefer
good racing. Thank fortune. they are in
the minority. The only interest taken in
four races out of five at an average
meeting nowadays is the natural, ont
rather immoral curiosity to hazar how
1t is fixed.