Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-07
MEETING OF TRorT1Na BOARD.
Drastic Action Taken in Dealing With
Owners of .sRingers.n

Owners Of Ringers"
In spite of $4,000 purses, not one of the
big harness racing stables made money on
the grand circuit last season, and few Of
the smaller owners came out ahead, ac-
cording to Scott Hudson. the well-known
professional driver. He was spokesman for
a delegation from the Professional Drivers
Association that appeared before the board
of review yesterday afternoon at the open
ing days session of it's semi-annual meet
ing in New York. The drivers prepared a
number of changes in the rules governing
racing on the grand circuit.
Hudson declared that the outlook for the
large horse owners was gloomy unless some
changes in the rules were made. Among
the reforms that he proposed was to limit
the number of heats in a race to five and
to divide the purse at the end of the sum
maries as the horses appear at the end of
the fifth heat. He urged a~single entry
rule, on the ground that under the present
rule of compelling an owner who enters
more than one horse in a stake race to
pay full entry fee for each horse, though
he was allowed to race only one.
There ought also. he said, to be limit to
the number of horses that should be al
lowed to start in any race. He said that
it was dangerous for the driver and the
horse to have eighteen and twenty horses
in race, frequently happens on the
\
reasonable limit Heretofore, he said, the
men who furnish the horses for the actual
racing have had very little say in the for
mutation of the rules, and he declared that
their opinions should have consideration.
THE Geers stable isn't even on the year.
and l myself have lost so much that 1 am
ashamed to tell you what it was he said.
THE horsemen are bearing the grea ter part
OF the expense at all the tracks. and in the
meetings held in New York the horsemen
contributed fully so per cent of the purses -
President johnson of the board, after
some discussion, said that the board OF re-
view had no jurisdiction in the matter of
changing any of the existing rules, but it
did have the power of constituting the rules
as they existed.
The board used drastic action in dealing
with all those who were concerned in the
alleged racing of ringers" in the New
England circuit last season. DR.. w. F.
Clarke of Boston. the owner of Dollie G.,
formerly known as May L. c. and Nathalie
N, 2:14 PAGER, which was raced out of
her class in Worcester, Mass, it was de-
clared. and other places, and Dr. H. W.
Turner, also of Boston, who raced under
the name of Sunny Brook the bay gelding
Max G., which has record of 2.12is. and
was run at Monroe Me, and Franklin
Park, Mass. allegedly out of it's class,
were expelled
1t had been expected that the case of
James Butler and Monroe Salisbury. his
manager, would come up at the present
meeting of the board of review but 1t was
announced last night that the case had
been put off until the May meeting The
reason given was the receipt of news from
Gen. Benjamin F. Tracy that a member
of his family was i'll and that he would
be unable to attend before Saturday. Cen
eral Tracy, with Judge H. M. Whitehead,
Is counsel for Mr. Butler. AS it is expected
that the board will end this meeting be-
| fore, Saturday, Mr.. Buffers case was put
off until the next meeting. Mr.. Butler him
self was on hand and desired that the case
should be disposed of at the present meet
ing. He had number of witnesses pres
ent. including Charles de Ryder. his driver
The case against him is for the red.strinu.
| ton of purses won by his horses while I'M
der the management of Mr. Salisbury at a
time when the latter was under suspension