Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-07
OWNERS MUST PAY
IF THEY WITHDRAW
1t Will Then Cost More to Take
a Horse Out of a Race
Than to Enter Him.

NEW YORK, November 6-Race tracks
will not be at the mercy of horse owners
next year as they were this summer. 1t
is the intention of the stewards of the
Jockey Club to pass a rule compelling
horsemen to pay percentage of the
purse before they will be permitted to
withdraw any entry to an overnight race.
BY this rule the stewards hope to check
wholesale Scratching of horses when
ever il may suit the fancy of owners to
do so.
1t is the desire of the Jockey Club to
protect the patrons from being ''stung''
such as they have been for month
past-with entcng programs only to find
the races themselves shorn of all chances
of contest by the presence at the post
OF one fine racer and one plug. In
order to prevent the wrecking of day $
card in the future the stewards will re-
ward the owners who Keep their horses
in a race by only charging an admission
fee, but those who wish to withdraw a
horse from race will have 10 pay 10 per
cent of the purse in addition.
The men who control the destinies OF
the turf see in this present wholesale
scratching. of horses after they have
been entered menace To the welfare of
the sport A steward of the Jockey Club
subject Saturday. He said:
Tile hOrsemen are not treating the
racing associations fairly i'll this matter.
They enter their horses freely for a day $
racing. and then because some high-clas SIS
horse is named to start, they hasten to
withdraw their horses on the plea that
they cannot beat the crack-a-jack Con-
sequently the races have a top-heavy APP
pearance and the contests are void of in
terest. The result of this kind of racing
causes dissatisfaction among our pa
irons and gives color to the belief that
the programs are padded.
Big Penalty for Withdrawal
THE racing associations wish to keep
faith with racegoers. They have tried to
arrange conditions which would call forth
not only the best horses in training. but
large numbers of them. The racing Sec
retaries have not sought TO pad their
cards. | know personally that where
there has been doubt about a horse taking
part in stake his name has not been
placed OH the list of published entries.
For every horse so named each secretary
received an actual entry. The troubles
of the scant fields later wsre not due to
inflated programs, but to owners who
selfishly thought only of their own in
terests by scratching and not of the gen.
eral good of the turf by starting their
horses"
w Oulu IL nOt De Il gOOQ 1uea 10 cnarS6
a withdrawal fee. say 10 per cent of the
purse, TO every man who wished to
scratch his horse?" the reporter sug-
gested.
"A good idea" said the steward. land
/ will propose II at the next meeting of
the Jockey Club. Such q rule would put
a check on the indiscriminate nominal
ton and withdrawal OF horses. II a man
found that he would have to pay to take
his horse out of a race he would certainly
not enter his charge until he was ready
upon the published daily entry list
A somewhat similar rule worked we'll
at the Brighton Beach track many years
ago. In those days jockeys were accus-
toned to claim FOUL on the slightest
pretext. The complaints were SO numer-
Gus that they became a source of annoy
ance In order to check them a rule was
passed compelling a jockey or an owner
to post $25 before lodging a protest. In
der this system riders and horsemen
thought twice before making a COM
plant, and i'm due time the matter regu-
lated itself into substantial protests
which were worthy Of consideration.
Jockey Under Criticism.
There is a jockey now riding horses on
the local tracks who has the racegoers
by the ears. His work is a variation of
skill and blunders. Some days he pilots
his mounts brilliantly: at other times he
makes more mistakes than an amateur.