The Washington herald., 1910-11-27
Nv L. d. SALE.

BY L. ID. SALE.
Local light harness interest for the past
week. and. in fact. for the past three
weeks, has been focused on the three
series OF cup matinees inaugurated by
the Drivers and Riders Association OF
tbe District of Columbia over the Po-
tomac Speedway.
brief review of those events at this
time is OF Importance as a guide to future
efforts in the same direction. 1t is the
consensus OF opinion. in and out Of light
harness horse circles that at no period
since a speedway was inaugurated in
Washington has better or more decently
conducted sport been presented TO the
public.
There is not the slightest reason why
contests between horses and horse own
ers should not be conducted on as high
a plane as are other sports. and, In the
main. they are so conducted There Is
not the slightest reason why man should
be less a gentleman on the race course
than In other walks of life. and, In the
main. the men and women who patronize
speed contests are as respectable and as
respected as those who patronize other
sports
The race track has IN the past had its
parasites and its hangers-on. and II has
them now; but they do not control. their
voice does not count Who would be SO
unjust 10 ndict the many for the deri-
lections or the few? Vermin swarm
throughout the realm of nature; to wholly
exterminate them seems impossible "Al
aeas have other tieas to bite EN-, and
so It goes ad fnhnitum."
If the recent contests over the Potomac
Speedway have established one thing
more than another it is the fact that
light harness interest in Washington is
not on the wane. The large and even
brilliant assemblage OF people on the
course Thanksgiving Day is proof OF the
observation. Give the people OF the Dis
tFict OF Columbia clean and hotly con-
tested sport and they may be trusted TO
do the rest Early in the day IL looked
as II the hOrsemen would be compelled 10
play To empty boxes. but by p. m the
crowd began TO arrive I'm private convey
ances and on foot and horseback. and il
was continuous procession from that
time until the last horse passed under the
wire.
But one event occurred during the at
ternoon TO mar the harmony Of the pro-
ceedings, and that took place just as the
curtain was about 10 fall upon a most
enjoyable occasion. The upper portion
OF the course Is so located that the
judges at tie lower end only have a mo-
mentsEy view or the horses as they pass
the starters stand. Their next view OF
their progress is when they round the
bend into the homestretch. Necessarily
they cannot know what has taken place
previous to that time until the horses ar
rive at the wire and reports are made by
some complaining horseman.
In the last heat OF the free-foT-aH pace
E. F. Hall. driver and owner of Manu-
ella. one OF the contestants. on arriving
at the judges stand complained that he
had been fouled by D. J. Mccarthy,
driver of Miss Arcola, the only other
horse in the race. Mr.. Mccarthy de-
MED that he had done as charged. The
reputation of each gentleman for truth
and veracity was unimpeached. The
Judges, men Of experience in racing mat
ters and competent for the task for which
they we're assigned. after due delibeTa-
ton decided that the best solution of the
Vexed question would be TO race another
heat. The owner of Miss ATcoa and
the latters driver refused 10 accept the
verdict OF the judges, and the mare was
sent to her stable. BY orders Of the
judges Manuella went over the course
and was rightfully awarded the cup.
Now, II Is well-established rule OF
racing that when horses and their driv-
ers arrive on a course to contest against
each other they are In the hands OF the
Judges absolutely and must abide by
their decisions. If this were not true
there would be no order on race tracks;
anarchy would take the place of order,
discipline would be destroyed, and ulti-
mately there would be no racing that any
respectable person would care 10 patron
ize.
The owner OF Miss Areola is a most
excellent gentleman; no horse owner in
Washington has done more (and few have
done as mueh) as he to build up and
maintain the light harness interests Of
the District of Columbia, and the present
high standard of sport that Is maintained
on the Potomac Speedway What has
been said of the owner of Miss Arcola
will apply in every particular to the man
assigned TO drive her in the last heat
she paced in the free-for-all
Both being high-minded men and de-
voted to the best interests of the Speed
way, it is fair to assume that they now
regret that they permitted a temporary
ALTERATION OF temper TO mar. even in the
slightest degree, one Of the most bril-
liant occasions in the history Of the
Speedway.
Horsemen are prone to forget, where
their particular interests are involved,
that the average judge of race contests
tries 70 do his duty fearlessly and hon
estlyl by friend and foe. He may not
be always just, but he tries to be just
he may not always be right in his de-
cisions, but he tries TO be right, and
for trying to do all these things GER
tain respect Is due him. Sometimes the
prominent citizen or the good fellow" :"
neither Of whom is acquainted with the
rules of racing. gets into the stand and
creates riot among the spectators; but