The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-26

\ ringer was discovered at an east
ern race course last week, and the in
cident contributed generously to the
burden of. the racing yarn for several
days. The attempt TO substitute one
horse for another was, we are informed,
frustrated "by the vigilance Of the
stewards" Having faith We are in
clined to believe that this is true. But
the ordinary person who approaches
racing filled with the idea that the Of
fetal result is merely the elimination
of Il well-laid plan viii keep on think
ing that the stewards were only tenn
porarily aroused and that the plotter
or plotters simply made q bad guess
as to the psychological moment.
1t may be that ringing jobs have been
brought off at the best of we'll regulated
race tracks and that persons who stand
above reproach have had guilty knowl-
edge of them, but il is not in the cards
that ringing jobs are Of such frequent
occurrence as the disgruntled person
who thinks the turf owes him n living
would have you believe. Everybody
who is STEPPED in horse racing can
count among those whose acquaintance
he has formed in the paddock more
than q few OF excellent standing who
would not hesitate TO profit by the
success Of a substituted horse. The
only time one such thinks it incumbent
upon him al a legitimate racing man
to turn over his knowledge to the gen.
tlemen up above is when the unknown
quantity promises to interfere with his
OWN designs on the race, 1t is not up
10 him 10 establish university extension
for judges.
The regulation of the judicial depart
ment of horse racing in this country
where the area is far flung is purely Il
matter of silence and expectancy-but
that's not getting any closer 10 it. The
presentation of the plausible front and
the avoidance Of scandal is the main
thing.
There is little ringing attempted, The
safeguard against il is It's meagre pro-
duCtiveness rather than Judicial Wig
lance. The manipulation OF a ringer
necessarily is a cheap man. He is the
dOormat thief OF racing business His
best-laid plans. even If successfully
carried out, get him little. His scheme
is too elaborate and the leaks are as
numerous as the holes in q cOlander.
The fact that there really is nothing
ia IL Is the preventive rather than the
vigilance Of the judges. The vigilance
of the judges is purely perfunctory.
When a strange member appears in the
entry list the judges bestir themselves
to have il Identified The process OF
identification is grotesque. l am speak
ing from the book.
:. = :.
AS 20 the value Of official identitica-
tions, let me cite something. An an
imal called Anziger appeared on the
days programme on a west side track
i'm Chicago few years ago. AS AnZiger
did not have a number IN front Of its
name in the dope sheet that was recog-
niZed as official, and as the name of its
putative owner one w. IT. Hazen. did
not appear 10 be familiar 10 anyone i'm
the immediate vicinity, the judges
stand was moved To assert its exist
ence A faithful bird dog was dis
patched across the row OF stables on
the backstretch, where AnZiger lived
ana had It's being, TO hale Mr. Hazen
into the august presence, that he might
prove 10 the entire satisfaction OF the
judiciary that the 5-year-Old maiden
he was about 10 exploit was strictly in
accordance with the name and de-
scription on the programme.
The messenger returned eventually
with the information that the starter
there acting ought 60 Know Anziger
The starter was called up.
Who owns the horse?" he was
Il: says Nerd WxH. Hazen," an
I.-t:WhaE ELL Hazsn -NThSl-h 5 al