Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-14
FASTEST HORSE
DOES NOT WIN
SECOND RACER FREQUENTLY
HAS MORE SPEED
Owing TO the Circular Ends of Modern
Race Tracks the Loser Travels
Much Greater Dis
tance

The present agitation over changing
the trotting rules and the abolishing of
hobbies has brought forth many opin-
Ions from prominent horsemen, which
may be instrumental in arriving at
some wise conclusions.
Apart from the detriment to the
breeding industry, the hobbies are said
to be very dangerous, but If the reports
of last seasons racing be scanned there
will be found instances of which accl~
dents have happened or said to have oc-
Cured between trotters. A suggestion
about positions on the track may be
given in order to obviate any further
accidents and at the same time give
justice to all contestants in n race.
While a straight track would be per-
fection for making fast records yet it
is so impracticable as to be obsolete.
The regulation half mile or mile track,
with the two straight sides and the OPP
posite ends connected by semi-circles,
are the style of tracks used by all trot-
ting associations, because the races can
be seen from start to finish, a special
feature that attracts the crowds and
swells the gate receipts.
Each horse is given a certain position
on the track at the beginning of the
by the contestants is the pole, as it's dis
tance, strictly followed, is but a mile,
and the farther the driver gets from the
pole the greater distance over a mile
he goes to reach the WIRE So the de-
sire to attain the inner circle is great
SO great that the fierce and reckless
driving to win the contest has much the
nature Of a bull fight or game of col
lege football and as might be expected
many serious and fatal accidents are
the result, making lots of cases to go
before the board of review each winter
TO be adjusted.
Rules often Broken
The present rules are intended to-
guard against accidents, but the desire
to win is SO strong that the driver over
looks and breaks the rules and the ac-
cident follows. Rules so often and so
easily broken are ineffective and re-
quire amending or better rules than can
and will be more readily obeyed. The
sport has outgrown few of the rules
at least that should be amended to
meet the up-to-date requirements. Let
it be suggested that the rule requiring
drivers to keep their positions down
the home stretch be amended so as to
read: DRIVERS are required to keep
their allotted positions from start to
finish" The various positions or paths
altered according to the finish of each
heat.
Accidents would rarely occur, and If
they did there would be little trouble in
placing the blame where it belonged.
There would be no reason to bar
hobbies, even. On a regulation mile
track, with two straight sides each 440
yards in length and each end of the
track being a semi-circle of 440 years
connecting the end of the straight sides;
on such track, If the white path for
the second horse should be seven feet
from the red path of the pole horse,
then said second horse would finish a.
mile forty feet before reaching the wire
the third horse, of the blue path, eighty
feet before reaching the wire.
The time of each horse in the race to
be caught when he reaches his mile
and the horse making the fastest time
Gf he breaks no ruleS), to be awarded
the heat and to be entitled to the red
path next heat; though it would make
no particular difference, for the handi-
cap which now prevails in accordance
with the trotting rules would be done
away with, making another improve
ment to be gained in addition to that
of greater safety.
The rule requiring driver to weigh
at least $50 pounds Is designed to pro-
tect against a weight handicap, the
even their whips; yet at the same
time, if the horse be nearly even in
speed, all are handicapped by distances
in excess of a mile, except the pole
horse.
How Cresceus Won
1t is possible for the judges to do a
great injustice, especially in matched
races, between horses Of quite equal
speed. Take, for instance, the race be-
tween CresceuS and The Abbot, att
Brighton Beach, N. Y, August 10, 1901
The Abbot did not trail, but held to an
outside position, and the accounts of the
race read that "Geer's drew The Abbot
out wide," in his effort to pass Cresceus.
If he drove the circular ends of the
track at distance Of seven feet from
his opponent, then he was describing a
circle forty feet greater than that being
described by the great stallion, which
was trotting at the rate of AZ feet 10
inches to the second on an average
But The Abbot finished 1h length, or 12l
feet behind, and IL feet from 40 feet
shows he had trotted 2S feet beyond a
mile (though behind), when Cresceus
reached the wire. Had The Abbot S
time been caught 40 feet back from the
wire-the point where he had COM
pleted his mile-his time would have
been at the least half second faster
than the time made by Cresceus, and
stood thus:
First mile made by The Abbot in
2:02%," and would have been standing
as his record all these past years since
the date of the race as the fastest heat