Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-09-13
Shorter TrottIna Races.

No proprietor of house OF amusement
would continue an unpopular play on the
stage yet our trotting races are managed
in such a way as to draw much smaller
audiences than the sport justifes.
The chief reason is in the long-draWn-
out contests in the heat races, best three
in five" as these races are called.
The remedy is to shorten the contests
to best two in three. A three-in-five race
is frequently won by a shrewd driver tax
ing advantage of the fatigue OF the Two
best horses in the contest, consequent up
on their racing against each other. The
third horse has but to drop inside the
distance flag in the first heat won by A,
who has raced against B from wire 10
wire In the second heat A wins again,
but in distress The third heat results In
victory for b, but b is very tired from
the three hard driven miles.
If the horses have been trotting In 2:!O,
2:11 and PIP 1-2, it is quite likely 2:l5 Will
win the fourth heat, which is the limit OF
C's speed.
The driver of C has observed the physi-
cal condition of the heat winning horses
with the scientific diagnosis of skillful
physician. Now is his chance with the
slower horse and he can win the fourth,
fifth and sixth heats in slow time. he
not only wins the three heats out of five,
but has the only horse that has not been
distressed The two better horses Will
necessarily Jecome discouraged. The drl-
vers of the better horses realize that the
best horse is not winning. the audience
has seen but three real contests between
horses anywhere near matched in speed.
The best three so-called heats were not
races in the true sense at all, just exhi-
billions of comparatively slow miles in
which a slower rested horse won easily
from two better but fatigued animals.
What aggravates the offense to the au-
fS he HaIoxnd starts The driver
of c. knowing the tired condition of the
other horses, does all in his power, yet
not to too seriously offend the judges, TO
prolong the sparring for position. Every
false start benefits his chances OF winning
from the already tired irst-heat winners.
While all this is being done the interest
ed parties in c are taking advantage OF
the pool selling, protiting financially by
the waste Of time in false starts, tired
| horses impatient audience. Business
men who are accustomed to economizing
in time, lose interest in what they ex-
pected to afford entertainment in reasona-
bly, prompt and expeditions manner. La
dies get tired sitting on the hard benches
waiting for the joclSies to play the pool
box and all this because in old times
| there were not enough trotting horses TO
| fill numerous purses, hence an afternoon
racing had to be drawn out to entertain
the crowd with long contests between the
1 horses OF Tnat DAY, WNen @toU was AdSts
Indeed there were no colt races what
ever. The original turf trotter was made
by mans slow training, not born capable
of showing speed inone, two or three year
| old form as now.
| If any one answers my presentation of
the case by saying the rules of trotting
require every driver to strive to win
| every heat-if so. of what benefit is the
rule to the audience, when it cannot In
! the nature of things be enforced? To IL
| lustrate take the 2:0S class at Brighton,
N. Y, August II, 1901. The following is
| the summary:
Dan Patch b s.. :. =. .CSdeHenry) 4 I
| Major Muscovlte. b s.. ..eMcMahon) ,
| George, br g.. :. :. ..Mekenny) Z 70
/ The Bishop. q ~
| Paul Revere e. 80 - - = - = 6is
Pq Tiggek k;:c l:oi., s:o7A. s.o54. U'
| Does any one familiar with racing en-
! terrain a suspicion that Dan Patch was
driven by McHenry to win the first heat
and yet did not force out the winner
better than 200? A horse that won the
fourth heat in 2:05 "a!
most salutary and unusual safeguard
| against laying up heats in that all horses
not winning a heat in the first three were
ruled off, abbreviated above as r. o.
Even this needed reform, beneficial as
| it is, does not get to the very root OF the
trouble as would the adjustment OF the
| three in five system to be replaced by
best two in three heat races.
At the risk of taxing the patience OF
readers 1 will mention one other recent
event. the 2:12 class, purse OF $1,000
Readville. Mass, August 20:
Driver.
Onward Silver, ch $. .;tGeeEs} 3 ] ]
| Eleata, blk m. (Marsn( 1
Cornelia Bel. m. ..CKirbO 3 ! ; AZ =
MAY HgSros alls9 ioSs. 2:oo 2:os 2:1o4. a:i1z.
| In this race Onward Silver was but con-
ditioned in the driving of the first heat,
| Geers contenting himself with seventh
place, while May Allen and Eleata were
expanding vital energy trying TO wan,
Eleata actually trotting the mile out In
2:0s "a. three lengths in advance of May
| Allen. Onward Silver trotted this first
mile in about 2:15 The second heat Ele-
| alta. the fast 4-year-old filly, lead all the
way. winning in 200 with no horses lap
ped on her sulky, May Allen being near
| est to her.
contend that then and there the best
| horse for the amusement OF the people
| had won and under the rules / advocate
the race would have ended and not have
been continued for the benefit of horse
who had easily saved his strength on the
first mile by coming in more than five
seconds slower than the winner of the
| first heat.
If the rules I advocate had have been
enforced by the summary presented May
! Allen. that had done her best to win,
would have had second money out Of the
big purse instead of nothing. Yet, look
ing at it another way, the summary
would never have read the way 1t appears
| in the turf papers with Geers driving
Onward Silver a best two in three heat
race. The first heat would have been
horse race from wire to wire between
Eleata and Onward Silver. This was
what the audience paid for and what
they had a right to expect.
I am aware that personality of writer
affects his point of view / write from
the viewpoint of a breeder of trotting
| horses. as an owner of trottng horses,
and as an American who enjoys trot-
ting race intelligently, hope. understand
ing the very contesting animals them
selves. b. Is. nun
con,a Darasifes in the Skin.