The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-27
SPORTING news.
The Job of Handicapped Is No
Easy Task.
The English System Explained
by Correspondent.
MANY DIFFICULTIES.
Must Be Overcome to Satisfac-
tOriIy Dope Out Winners.
Other News of Interest in the
World of Sport.

London, March 15.-The word .'handi-
Gaping derived, it may be- from hand
in cap. in reference to an old mode of
settling a bargain by taking pieces of
money out of a cap, signifies, so far as
concerns horse racing. the allotment or
imposition of different weight to the
various horses entered in a race in such
manner that if perfectly accomplish
ed all the horses starting will run
dead heat. A high ideal indeed to be
aimed at, but one that time has shown
to be incapable of realization, for the
simple reason that whilst the person
to whom the adjustment of the weights
is intrusted is performing his task
GRANTED it may be with all skill, abili-
ty and acumen- of a practiced hand),
thousand and one little obstacles are
standing in the way and initiating
against his hope of accomplishing what
must be the very acme of his aspira-
lions. The state. of the race track.
whether the turf be adamantine, hard,
good going, soft or heavy. is an import
ant factor over which he has no con-
troll, seeing that the very great MAORI
~ of the weights are allotted many
days before the racing takes place. Then
the aiI-important question of jockey
ship comes in, and no one can deny
that during a fiat racing season that
question has played a very material
part. That the apprentices allowance of
five pounds would prove such a gold
mine to those in a position to secure
the services of the ablest young jock
eyS in handicaps was not dreamed of
by the new rule.
Above all, the Handicapped must be
well acquainted with the nature of the
various race horses with which he deals
On some courses the going is at all
times
and firm. A SubsOil of clay is produce
tive of much jar to horses legs in
droughty weather, while that of sand
is less SubServient to climatic changes.
The gradients and declivitieS of Ep-
som and Brighton are vastly different
from the ascent at Ascot. The accur-
discovers any peculiar leaning of a
horse to a particular kind of course, be
it rfght-handed or left-handed, up hill
or down hill, hard going or soft going,
a. high-class horse appears to be more
capable of showing good form on any
kind of course and under any disadvan-
tages, and is naturally regarded with
much greater affection by the handi-
Then, again, horses have their peculiar
moods, their likes and dislikes, much
in the same way as human beings.
Their recolleeti6tf OF particular courses
and Of spots on those courses is mar
Velous.
There are no fixed rules laid down
by our Jockey club regarding the
handica piping of horses but it seems
to me that most experts on the sub
ject would agree with the following
short code:
1. That horses which have never
run should carry the top weight on
the weight-for-age scale.
2. That horses which only have run
once should have slight concession in
the matter of weight, the class in
which they run being, of course, taken
II
races a consid cradle concession may
be made if they appear to be ridden
fairly out, but that not until they have
run in at least three races can they
be fairly treated on their merits and
take their rightful place in handicap.
8. Foreign horses, more especially
those hailing from America and Aus
traIia. whose proper form it is impOs-
sibIe to gauge through line, should
be weighted more or less as having
never run for if an attempt be made /
TO handicap them on what appears /
to be their merits when they first ar
rive in this country the Handicapped
will repent his lenient treatment the |
moment they are thoroughly acclima- |
tized and once more fit and in a per-
feet condition for racing.
4 The theory OF Or nGrses Tor
cent form, should st the same time
never be omitted from any rules that
YOU may lay down for your own guild +
ance. Again and again people in
.orire How do you make a handi- /
CAM Do YOU find the top weight first
and work downward, or do you md
the bottom weight and work upward;
while others suggest that perhaps you
begin with the middle weights mere
is no hard and fast rule as to now you
should begin your task Experience
has taught us that the hrst step Is 70
become thoroughly acquainted with
tl7e names of the horses and their
owners which can only be done by
readine them carefully over IN the
sheet racing calendar; then, perhaps
write them down in your nanoicdP
hook under the heading, Horses
~ mes in the possible order in |
which you think they may come Wneli
the weights have been worked OUT
this is a good practice Tor the mem
o1-v and it is interesting to compare
tl,e actual order when the weights
have been finally adjusted with me
original order, the result or your nISt
impressions With constant pfactlce
you will find that in about Two OUT o.
every three races you Will write down
first tn ename of the horse which is
eventually destined to carry top
weight. I find that out OF zS9 handl-
caps recorded in the book the nrst
sspost of honor on 100 occasions. as
against SO when another top weight
was substituted, though there was
frequently a very narrow margin De-
tween the two.
After afixing the age of each horse
+o his name. the NEXT column of index
numbers referring to the horses per-
formances Gin whatever guide IS used
for the purpose) is filed IN. tnen pc
gins the process of looking up tne
horses performances, staring ron. rom
the top and gradually WORKING Gown
ward. A column headed teeIlislIf1s on
performances, state of gong course fte,
distance, ETC., only arrived a. So
verv MANY references. In the maj
column rl,'' headed weights" is in the
first instance written down N psnc H.
so that they may be easily sl',e1 ,e-,, AZ
consequence of error or nltSo+-,l ss,,Its