Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-01
TOO MUCH SCORING
IN HARNESS RACES
STARTING JUDGE SHOULD NOT
MAKE THREATS
Voice Not Only Thing for Man in
Stand, Who Should Have a
Quick Eye and judicial
Temperament

CHICAGO, Nov. 20.--Dr. F. e. Stone OF
Burlington, Wis, one OF the best START
ing Judges of harness horses in the MD
die west. and who for number OF
years has offlciateC at the prlnclpai
meetings of the Great Western circuit
has very decided views on needed re-
forms on the ltght-harness turf. Palmer
L. Clark of Chicago, in lengthy inter-
view with DR.. Stone, quotes him as say
ing that he believes the day of 10 per
cent entrance fees, when hcrsemen prac-
tically raced for their own money, ought
to be a thing only to be remembered
Stones plan is to charge 2 per cent 10
enter and then 8 per cent from starters
the night hefore the race and nominators
to be held only for the first per cent
Horses not declared in the night before
cannot start, and in this way do away
with a score card with sometimes Ia en-
tries and then only four starters, the
actual number never being really known
until after four minutes before they get
the word.
''The most important thing for any
starting Judge is to have the confidence
of the drivers, the association and the
public generally" said DIR. Stone. Then,
if a starter has any ability at all, MS
work is easy. If have learned anything
in the many years l have handled the
flag it is that there is already too much
scoring done in harness races
"It Is not absolutely necessary, al
though, Of course, j. is preferable, that
the horses come down evenly lined UP.
The main thing is that they are all on
their stride, going steady and true, with
the horses in the rear gathering speed.
No driver " i'll object to such start, even
| if he is in the rear, provid ng they are
gotten away quick, and ho will much
prefer it to an evel- lineup start after
the horses lave been scored to death
For the first score the pole horse
should receive no more considera lion
than any other horse in the field, but
| after he has earned this position by
winning the heat he should be protected
to the fullest extent and herein comes
into play the fact previously alluded to,
of the confidence O. the drivers in the
starter. To illustrate, should a starter
advise the pole horse to bring them away
slow, he will protect him and punish
any horse scoring ahead of him, and
then fail % keep lis word that con-
hdence is Immediately shattered
"In this connection / might also add
that no starter oughc to make any threat
of punishment or statement for the pur-
pose of catering to the grandstand or
! for any other purpose without the fullest
/
all my experience as a starter If 1 told
| a driver that 1 would punish him if he
offended / never failed to keep my word,
and the books of the American Trotting
association will show that never con-
sented - a remission of a fine after it
| had been imposed.
Fines Not Weighed
| zone IF me worst features of the bus-
nel is the indiscriminate imposing of
fines, in many cases, 1 am sorry to say.
just to win the plaudits of the grand
stand, and then afterward renting
these fines, which is not only violation
of the rules. hut prejudicial to any kind
of discipline.
II am not sure mat the issuing of
starters Ii 'enses, the new rule that went
into effect ast year, has been productive
of the sood SO many of us anticipated.
There have been, understand, nearly
800 of these Issued this year, certainly
rhowing no lack of material. 1t has, /
am afraid given a lot of cheap fellows
an official standing that they could not
have otherwise secured, but another year
may correct this, as l und, rstand the
emissaries of the Trotting association are
keeping close tab on them and next year
licenses will be refused to those who are
| Incompetent. A cheap starter is dear at
| any price, for, as rule, If he is honest
he will be Incompetent, and If he is dis
honest his salary is only a bagatelle of
what he can make en- the side.
1.-THE starter should also be thoroughly