The Detroit times., 1908-11-17

A correspondent OF New York pa
per furnishes an interview with Ny
ron McHenry In which the we'll known
horseman airs his opinions as follows:
ITO start WITH" said McHenry, where
there Is heat racing as we practice IT
in harness racing-and very often
there is absolutely no limit for heats
wagering or allowing books to be
made on the result of each and every
heat from the start Of a race to the
finish Is simply and plainly an act or
robbery. The manner In which heat
betting Is carried along in harness
racing, to my mind, Is equal to sand
bagging men on our highways. AT
least SO per cent of all scandals con-
nected with trotting races are due d.
rectly to heat betting. The best rule
of the parent associations, the one
which forbids the laying up OF heats,
remains q dead one because there Is
such a thing as betting on heats. Driv-
ers are tempted to depart from the
narrow path chiefly because OF this.
Abolish the practice, and you have al
most completely cleaned the harness
sport for all time. The nefarious and
abominable practice Of some drivers
splitting books with dishonest book
makers-the greatest OF all turf
crimes-will be dono away with II
heat betting be abolished. Some OF
the men engaged in bookmaking OF
heats. at nearly every one OF our big
meetings. should never be allowed on
a racing track of any kind II race man
ayers have any respect for themselves
or the community from which they
draw their attendance. They are Tar
from being sports or even gamblers OF
any degree, but simply Hecond-story
men of a class that will not even be
admitted among the circles Of respect
able thieves. II Is this class which
tempts drivers Of greed to put up
crooked jobs by Offering to split the
books.
III there Is going to be any change
for the improvement OF the sport the
place to begin is the adjustment OF
heat betting. Selling pools on harness.
races, next to the pari-mutuels, Is
the fairest method Of speculation, yet
the system We have practiced Is far
from beihg perfect. There should be
no such thing as selling a fayorite
against field, as this system is a half
brother to heat betting. Every horse
In a race should have a buyer at
some price, and those which find no
followers nor secure a bid should be
considered as out OF the race. Pool
selling In its full sense is nothing
more than auctioning OF one mans
commodity in the shape OF his favor
lite race horse, against the same OF a
contending buyer or seller, and when
a horse finds neither seller nor buyer
II should be thrown out. Just as an
auctioneer passes an article OF mer-
chandise for which there Is no bid.
Selling horses In pools In bunch
under the title OF field Is simply to
give pickers a chance 10 hang around
the pool box for some easy picking.
II gives chance to drivers TO be
tempted In their drives and Is the
means OF drawing to races a class OF
'short.enders' whose presence In a
majority Of cases ie q disgrace TO the
sport. In many meetings OF the big
line we race under the three-heat sys
tenn. and each heat Is separate race
In that case pools should be sold on
each heat and not on the general re
suit OF the entire race. Associations
can, II they wish for the distribution
of the purses. make any conditions