The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-20
SAVE THE TWo-YEAR-oLDS.
Early Racing Ruins the Most Prom
Using Of Our Thoroughbreds.

- tth'hS etoNt Nv W t"s "
out the evils resulting from premature
racing, to show what has been done In
this country and abroad to put a stop
/ to II, and to try to answer some OF the
objections to proposed racing regulation
for curtaillng early two-year-old racing.
think no one will dispute the state.
ment that the prosperity and efficiency
of the horse population of any country
Ia a direct function of the prosperity
and efficiency OF the thoroughbred.
Where the thoroughbred docs not flourish
the saddle horse and the light draught
horse quickly disappear, and with them
goes q most important factor in the
prosperity of the State from n COM
mercial as well as from a military point
OF view. II any doubt exists as to this.
the costly efforts made by Germany.
Austria and France to encourage the
breeding OF the thoroughbred should be
proof enough that he la not a luxury,
but n necessity.
To produce thoroughbred horses In
sufficient numbers and OF proper type
for the improvement OF the general breed
OF horses should then be the object OF
both Government and private effort.
Tho r~acchorse Is usually foaled be
tween January IS and May Is, the av-
erage date being some tino In March.
He Is officially one year old the follow
ing New Years Day. He Is the most
carefully reared OF the domestic ami
mails.
His mother IL especially fed before
and after his birth with a view TO ex-
pedlting and strengthening his growth.
He is weaned at about hve months, and
from that time On he lives on the fat
OF the land.
In the late summer OF his yearlinr
year, or when he IL about seventeen
,tOptho ola ha 10 hr0Ean IN ahdls and
throughout that autumn he is mildly
trained until at tho end OF November
he Is able to undergo n test OF a quarter
mile TO three-eighths OF a mile, this
mild early training being not so much
TO find out what he can do as slightly
TO harden his bones. especially those Of
his legs below knee and hook.
From this time on two different meth
DDS are in vogue in his training. BY
one method he Is asked to do nothing
but eat and grow. having only such
gentle exercise as will cause him 20 de-
velop properly until about March or
April, when his serious training begins.
BY the other method he Is kent on in
rigorous training until he Is started in
races on January I. when only twenty
one months old or less, and kept at II
until he wears out or breaks down.
which in the majority OF cases takes
place within FIVE or six months.
Under the best conditions OF the above
first method OF training there are but
few two-year-olds who do not have 10
run for their lives in June or July.
The thoroughbred, although N OF the
earliest of horses to mature. does not be-
l come fully developed until we'll on In
} his ~three-year-old year, and In my ppm
/ ion no technical knowledge Is necessary
/, TO enable one to realize the dreadful
harm done 10 the animal by requiring
OF him such an effort as racing when
I his bones are In their soft, formative
I state.
/, The skeletons OF such OF the famous
English racehorses as ~ been exam
= ined sufficiently show the crushing Of
feet or the spinal processes OF weight
n carrying at tender ages.
!, The proof Of the pudding is in the
h eating and Of 1865 two-year-o!ds who
: ran in races in 1910 only 6oi ran AZ
I f~our-yoar-olds in 1912. For the i'm
provcment of the horse population NJ
the country ns well as for carrying on
I the Thoroughbred breed the thing re-
G quired is n sufficient number OF sound
four-year-old stations Of proper con.
. formation who have proved their quail
ity and stamina by tho test Of racing.
| year-old training and racing Is respon-
. sible for the loss 10 the country OF vas.
. numbers OF horses which would other
. wise be available as stations TO cross
with cold blooded mares.
Racing is necessary for picking out
y the best individuals TO continue tho
breed and for eliminating the unworthy,
but why eliminate BY such drast'caily
destructive means when a little moe
time given the young horses would saw,
SO many useful ores 10 the breed
European Governments and racing au'
thOrities have recognized this by re
strict!ons placed upon two-year-old raa'
Z ing. In England no t~wo-year-old ear
run before the Epson summer meeting
about June /, In any race with more
u than $1,000 added in France no two,
!, year-old can run before the last SUNDAY
!; In July.
Last January 7 proposed 70 The Jocl'
ey Club a rule prohihitinE two-yoar-oi,
racing before August /, but At the sig
. gcstion OF other members ! changed th'
y date TO April !. not because ! haC
changed my mind but because | coult
see no possibility Of passing my amend
mcnt with the original date,
T three principal turf Gpverninl
! bod on this continent are the Ken,
lucky State Racing Commission. which
controls Kentucky racing, the CANADIAN
- Racing Association, whirh controls ca
. madam racing. and the Jockey Clu'
which by law makes rules for raCinl
In Now York, and extends It's supervts
ing influence TO all racing in the Attain
u tic coast States. These three hodie
" have nothing In common. but they try e
work in harmony and each gives ful
effect In It's territory to acts of the 9th
ers tending toward tho repression y
fraud and other improper practices. Act
OF turf discipline by any OF them arr
recognized by the principal racing an
thorities abroad.
x II would he unwise. inexpedient. dis
courteous and. last hut not least. i'm
practicable for the Jockey club alone Il
attempt to force upon the United state
and Canada such n change In turf reg
. ulation ne IL involved in my propose.
amendment the text OF which Is as fol
o lows:
No horse foa!ed in 1918 or thereafte
shall run IN any race before April / Of hi
two-year-old year under penalty OF there
by d!squalifying himself for all races un
der these rules until after December 81 o
hts two-year-old year.
n The Jockey Club therefore on Sep
TENDER 3, 1915. passed the following
resolution:
N That the members OF the Jockey CluN
e approve IN theory the above amendmen
% TO tho rules of racing and that the chair
Ia man OF the Jockey club be appointed
% OF one to act with fun powe
and TO arrange for a meeting with a rep
n resentative OF equal power from the Ken
lucky state Racing Commission and tn