The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-05
CROOKED RACING
IS KILLING SPORT
People Are Bled by Owners and
ROOkmakerS Who Promote
Races.
STORIES ARE CIRCULATED
REGARDING LOCAL TRACKS
Charges Made That Races Are
Not Oh Square; Singleton
Involved.

Horse racing, "the sport of kings es-
pecially that OF the gallopers. has so de-
Perforated from the plano of clean sport
that nearly every state in the Union
has enacted laws regulating the racing
and prohibiting hookmatiug The sport
which probably reached It's height In 1906
and 1907 became so infected with thigh
cnss" touts, swindlers and erafters. that
no city or community cared TO tolerate
its presence the people generally con-
sidcring tho hangers-on oil the race track
z great menace. and many Of the states
have enacted laws 10 oust the swindlerS'
OF course. while tho "backlcgS' follow
ing the game are the oncs at which the
law is aimed. great many innocent peo-
pic are made 10 suffer for as In any
other business. so also in racing. thcre
arc y great many good people connected
with thc sport, who would never think
10 stoop to ''nX" n race for tho purpose
of swindlinE the public out of It's money
When the bookmakers were oustcd
from the New York tracks, horscmen All
over the country were Of the opinion that
the game would bc Killed and the gen
cral public shared in the opinion rs
pccially I'm the west the people thought
betting SyStcm, but since The lnauSura-
ton OF racing in this city The people
here arc not I'm the least surprised that
tho agitation against race tracks was so
strong in the cast. for with another sea-
son OF the same kind OF racing was
given the Salt Lake and ogden people
In 1909. laws will also be enacted in Utah
- prevent "smcthing bookmalters' from
skinnius the public alive, II the racing
on the Bucna Vista track and on the
ogden track was absolutely on the
square thcn the sport ought 10 be abol
ishcd here upon general principles. aG-
cording Go the opinion OF some of the
business men OF both cities.
Salt Lake Looks Good.
When The race tracks were being closed
all over the country race track promo
tcrs looked about for new nclds. Canada
and Old Mexico inviting the best Invest
meuts Some attention was given 10 the
western states. Nevada and Utah came
iu for an Investigation. which resulted
In several meetings. Tho racing promot-
cI here from Il Srardstand point OF
Nlcw. appeared all right, but according
To the followers OF the game there was
generally something doing.
After tho close Of the meeting here
last fall, several of the horscmen and
Jokes 1!n IonsicSg3D'T sa1H,msi W''nm tbc
tracks IN ;hc meeting. "piped" the sport
OF as undesirable,
The nYst weeks racing al the Buena
Vista track is said Ia have been on the
dead level but after that II Is said
10 have been case OF making hay
while the sun shines As said, The trSt
weeks racing was all that anyone could
ask for. After this week a report gained
circulation at the track that w. w.
Firms horses. which raced under the
colors of L. j. Crawford, were carrying
short weight When those who circulat-
cd these reports on short weight were
asked why they did not make a kick
against il. they invariably said that they
would be fred out OF the grounds by the
management. II was said that Jockey
Singleton never carried any etXra weight
on any of his mounts, Whether this was
true or not was only proven In one In
stance. and that WAS when he won with
Agreement. beating out John Louis. C.
Morton owner OF John Louis, said that
\ Agreement. said to be owned by w. w.
Finn. could not beat his horse with the
weight up. Morton Immediately called
TO have Singleton weighed. II is said
that Judge pomeroy was slow In having
the boy weighed and Singleton had near
ly reached the paddock gate before he
was called back. 1t is said that on his
way back 10 the judges stand Jockey
Pckens handed his lead pad 10 Single
ton and with this weight Singleton was
still found TO be short Singleton rode
the association horses and should have
been rucd off the turf. but the officials
qualified and John Louis was awarded
tile first position.
Bad for Singleton.
What considerably strengthens the
many reports that Jockey Singleton rode
short weight is the statement made by q
detective, who was at the track TO keer
order This detective said that he has
Continued on page Nineteen.