Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-19
HANDICAP TROTS AND PAGES
Innovation in Horse Racing Becoming
Popular, but Has Faults.
HANDICAPPED IS DECEIVED
Horses Placed in the Rear Have No
Chance 20 work Their Way
Through the Big Field
70 the Front.

NEW YORK. Sept. 1S.-Trottlng and
pacing handicaps, an innovation in har-
ness racing that has become fairly popular,
have disclosed two serious faults, lovers
OF the sport agree. The fields were too
large at Readville, for Instance. for truly
run races, and there appeared too many
unknown speed quantities. Talk thu Is
common about lettering these conditions
and from this years experiments may be
evolved a real system OF handicap racing.
Both the trottlng and pacing divisions
OF the American Derby were won by horses
on whom the Handicapped had been de-
ceived for the very good reasons that he
had nothing to guide him. Baron Alcyone,
winner Of the trotting division, started on
the 2:l9 mark, whereas he should have
been on about the 21s mark, while Simon
Kenton. winner Of the pacing division.
from the 2:12 mark, was also too literally
treated. II lie probable that in future har-
ness racing handicaps decided at Read
vile, horses with records slower than 212
will be barred, and that even then only
such horses as have raced and won within
a year will be eligible.
Handicap races are designed to bring
all the starters close together at the fin
ish Of the race and not to give any one
horse a chance to spring a surprise on the
public. Let the horses with slower records
race in scratch events and reserve the
handicaps for the tried performers. A. J..
WEIGH, manager Of the Readville track,
has practically declared that his will be
his system in conducting handicap races
in the future. Since trial heats are sup
posed to constitute a hardship on the win
ners by firing them so that they cannot
repeat in the final, a system could easily
ha nAAnHAA NAaN uvl,,rg Ig-HA. 49, -N.Hr.-
into as many portions as there are fields
of, say, fifteen horses, and make a series
Of handicap races, one for each day of the
meeting.
Rear Horses in Hole.
That handicap racing on the scale trotted
and paced at Readville will never become
popular among light-harness horsemen is
the opinion Of. many enthusiasts who wit
messed the events. Much criticism was ex-
pressed. The consensus Of opinion was
that the horses placed in the rear in the
big fields that started had no chance to
win, owing to the track being covered from
fence to fence with horses who had an
advantage at the start. The long de-
lay at the post owing to various causes
wore down the most unruly horses, and
when they did get away to a ragged start
lno LdSl ones were lnteTIereQ with Tor
nearly the entire distance. The hugh ball
in front of the grandstand, that was to
drop as a starting signal, stuck on its way
down and several drivers, including Ed.
Geers with Sterling Mckinney, lost several
seconds in getting away. Others went off
running and lost time in settling their
horses to the proper gait. All agree that
fast-record horses had no chance to get
through the crowded stretch when 1t came
to the finish, and all the drivers did was
to get as near the front as possible.
Conditions in the pacing event were more
favorable for the scratch horses. The
start was better and the leaders did not
bunch and cover the track as in the trot-
ting division. The distance, forty-five feet
per second, is criticized as being a tr1fle
too far, as no horse ever trotted or paced
at a rate of forty-five feet per second,
barring the PAGERS who have beaten two
minutes. Fouty-four feet per second are
the figures for a horse.
The time average at Readville, compared
with the other meetings down the circuit
this season, follows: