The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-01-04

r San Francisco, Jan. This ia the time
= when the thoroughbred race horse becomes
, technically "A year older between the soins
down and the rising of the sun, ana aiso
The time when that awesome. computation
the Scale of Weight for Age. goes through
acrobatic performances which would make
the Christmas clowns quit in despair II
they only knew of 1t.
They probably have troubles enough OF
: their own without delving into the mysteries
and distracting Inconsistencies OF the scale
of Weight for age. which many otherwise
Intelligent hurSemen accept with a chliulsh
and blind faith.
Yes, this is the time OF year when. ac-
cording to the weight scale In vogue during
winter racing here. a S-year-old improves
overnight eight pounds at a mile ana a hall.
and when q 2-year-old improves between
shutdown and Slinup no less thah NIteeh
pounds at a mile.
How do they do it? That must not be
asked. 1t is embarrassing. Besides. 1t i'm
plies skepticism in regard to that sacred
work of antiquity, the scale of weight for
age. The scale says they do 1t. ana that
settles it: they must do 1t. At least. they
had better do 1t, II they want 10 gu on
winning weiSht-tor-age stakes and condi-
I!ol races.
Suppose Otis. winner of the ST. Louis
Derby last June. and Carruthers 4 Shields
grand distance horse Advance Guard en-
gagged in two weight-for-aGe races. TO be
Eul btttiiltti a II anu aiiu
says that in December Otis weight. barring
penalties and allowances. should be III
pounds. and Advance Guards f4 POUNDS.
But for the race on January ! II pro-
nounceS 10 pounds as the proper weight
for Otis. who has become a i-year-oid over
night unavoidabiy. and ls5 as Advance
Guards impost. II is a pretty sudden IN
crease in weight for the younger horse, but
that is the way the scale calls the turn.
And at hat It is !rifiing. compared to the
Suppose, once more. that the crack p
year-old of 1902: Irish Lad. had met the
great Blues on Tuesday of this week in a
mile weight-for-age race and had to meet
him in another on Saturday. In Tuesdays
race their weights, according to the scale,
would have been: Irish Lad, 81 pounds:
Blues, IL pounds. But in Saturdays race
Irish Lad would have to carry la pounds
TO Blues 12+.
1t would look almost as ridiculous II their
first meeting had been in the first week of
December, and their next was TO be In the
last week of January.
OF course, at the first Of each month
throughout the year there has got to be a
little jump in the weights. but why January
! should bring about such an eXtraor-
binary piece OF juggling Is as Incompetent
sibie as the idiotic complacency. amounting
almost to fetish worship, with which horse
men accept it without question year after
the temerity to call attention to this ridic-
ulous feature. is regarded as an tconoclast
of the most sacreligious stamp.
that the s~caie-weisht for 2-year-olds at the
end of the year in races for all ages Is abb
surdly inadequate.
PLAYERS bad A BAD CHRISTMAS
EEK
Christmas week will be remembered by
hackers of favorites as the most disastrous
encountered in q long time at Ingleside.
The week began auspiciously enough with
favorites winning half the card, which they
have done many a day at this meeting. but
after Monday 1t was all OF. and the book
makers got theirs with appalling, regu-
ifavorite won daily, while twelve long shots
came romping home. Aunt Polly at 100 to l
being the queen bee. Six second favoriteS
and seven third choices accounted for the
balance of the thirty races run during those
five days. Bookmakers said it was time
they had an inning. as the ring had been
losing two days cut Of three since the meet
ing started
Second call IN Jay Ransch. who rides for
the Burns & Waterhouse stable. has been
On Christmas Day e; Kelly. the tow,
Jockey of. received an orer to go to New
Orleans to do the lightweight riding for