The Washington herald., 1908-02-26

ton met recently and declared that they
would not take cognizance Of q trotting
record made by horses driven in hopples.
The National Trotting Association does
not go that far. but says that no horse
that has been trained with hopp.es ought
20 be driven on the track without them.
The other trStting association. the Amer
lean. takes no position on the question
this year. but the net restlt Of the whole
matter seems to be that hopples are going
under the ban. and that harness horses
wiz soon be driven with them no more.
As the American Register Association
refuses 20 put a record in It's yearbook
that has been made by a hoppled horse,
IL seems pretty certain that eventually
the hOpples. which the association calls
unsportsmanlike, must go.
Usually these three associations work in
harmony. II is essential that they should.
for they control the harness racing OF the
United States. The National Trotting As
sociation is probably the best known Of
the harness associations 1t is the Oldest
No American horse can be entered abroad
without the certificate OF the National
II is tbs last word IN matters pertaining
20 trotting races In the United States
The American IS a newer organization.
and is an offshoOt OF the National. its
birth being brought about by the indif-
ference at that time Of the National
There is. II is estimated. about so spent
on thoroUghbreds in the United States
where there is 81 spent on the trotter and
the PAGER. And this. perhaps. represents
pretty accurately the ratio OF interest IN
the two classes OF races. Il is fne sport
TO watch a Lou Dillon or a Major Del
mar going around track at a less than
2-minute gait, or 20 see a Dan Patch
pacing his way into a 1.55 record, but the
event OF all is 10 see good card OF thor
Oughbreds come down the home stretch
In neck-and-neck fashion. and It Is for
that sort of amusement that the Ameri-
can viii pay higher prices than for any
other Figured up IN a lump sum. S259. r.
000 changes hands as q result Of each
days racing on a metropolitan track
exclusive Of what changes hands
through the betting ring and the pool
rooms
There are six tracks In the vicinity Of
New York. and two meetings are held at
each every year They are all under the
auspices OF the Jockey Club. which is
about the last word in American
thoroughbred racing. This club also has
jurisdiction over all tracks as far South
as Washington Benning leads of with
the opening meeting Of the spring season,
and sings the Home Sweet Home" Of
the Jockey Club circuit IN December
The Western and Southern tracks are all
under the jurisdiction Of the Western
Jockey Club.
Just now the race track question is fig
uring prominently in New York. Gov
Hughes does not believe in race tracks
ana said so in his annual message. He
takes the ground that the racing laws Of
the State ought TO be changed he wants
10 stop betting. The whole world real
izes that horse racing without betting Is
about as unsatisfactory as poker without
chips. and that the betting ring is essen
tial 10 the success OF the race track In
fact, the New York courts held that bet
ting could exist. and justified that con-
clusion by saying that the racing COM
mission was established for the purpose
Of breeding. raising. and improving the
breed of horses in the State, and as rae
ing would not be practicable without the
betting ring, the purposes Of the law
ished
The sporting phase Of the race track
was put far in the background in the
present New York law. But not far
enough 10 be lost sight Of by the COVER
nor OF New York The racing people are
going TO fight him every inch Of the way.
They are going 10 hold public hearings
at Albany 10 prove that racing as now
conducted does more good TO the state
than il does harm. and that IL is not de-
moralizing- The way some OF the sport
ing papers talk about Gov Hughes is a
caution One OF the leading turf journals
in an editorial utteTance stOOps 10 call
him very uneOmplimentary names. But
il appears that Gov. Hughes is in earnest
and that such names viii not stop him
in his effort to carry out his programme
against racing.
There is perhaps more money spent on
the sport Of kings in New York Ssate
than in the rest Of the United States to-
gether- And the betting is something
wonderful. especially on the big days.
An authority who has followed the game
for years estimates that in some OF the
big events, ike the Futurity at Sleeps
head Bay. the bookmakers bring s.. 100000
to the track. They usually take cOnsiG-
erably more than that away. Perhaps
the most interesting race in the world
from many standpOints, is this annual
event at Sheepshead Bay. Horses are
entered in this race before they are born.
The stakes in this race are the highest
in the United States. The fastest running
record ever made for a mile was made by
Salvador. at Monmouth Park. carrying
No
in 1:S5iz
A law which the racing associations of
the United States are trying TO have
passed by the legislatures OF the various
States is one 20 prevent ringing" by
which term the practice OF entering
horses under false colors is known. vir-
ginia New York. and Michigan already
have such laws. Since the racing associa-
tions have gotten practically al OF the
tracks Of the country under central con-
troll. ringing is pretty hard game 10 pull
of successfully. and turf authorities do
not believe it possible 70 hide the identity
of horse to-day as in the days when
each race course was a law unto itself
and knew little and cared less about the
other courses In those DAYS there were
frequent Killings and many a man was
literally robbed under the pretense OF a
race.
Perhaps one Of the most famous ringers
the world ever saw was an old fellow out
IN the Middle West. Rowland was his
name. and that veteran turffnan. John II.
Davis, who wss noted jockey. q sue