The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-07-17
Added Money Events, With No Deductions, General Rule-Mews and Gossip About the Horses.

 drivers who act agents for race | horse owners, will do well to turn ! their attention to the all-absorbing | question of racing for owners money, which is bound to play most inn portant and vital change not alone for their direct benefit, but the final success and improvement of harness racing sport. They will have through the entire season ample opportunities to calculate and reach deductions, based on facts, to convince them that the old and obsolete system of try ing to win, no matter from what source their winnings originate, can- not last long under existing condi- tions.
 Horse racing, on the same principle as a friendly game Of cards, lasted so long as there were players in large numbers and kept the playing for everybodY's money or stakes, but when these old timers gradually pass ed away or retired and the sport of horseracing became strictly a matter of business, the conductors of it must be expected to contribute their share, as do managers of all other in and outdoor sports.
 It is true that some, favored with local conditions, can afford to com pensate furnishers of the pastime more than others, but when all rae ing associations show evidence Of their readiness for concessions to owners then the weaker element will either disappear-as a great majority ought to have been long ago-or re- ceive such assistance from horse men as will help keep the sport go- ing.
 There will be numerous cases this season to prove that a little more friendly demand on the part of own CTS and drivers from racing associa- tions will not only lessen the burden on the former, but also induce others to get in as smaller owners, otherwise the sport will drift more rapidly as it has toward limiting among few stables and gradual withdrawal of in dividual owners.
 The facts and figures from racing associations which have already offer ed added money races, reduced entry fees. abandoned the unfair practice of taxing winners, or make other small concessions should be very in- teresting as well as instructive read ing, because the more concessions the better will the future of harness rac- ing he guaranteed. They will also convince them that the prevailing system of 3 per cent. to enter and start and the same deducted from | winners is a dead issue and must be done away with, quicker the better. Here are some figures which should interest racehorse owners, es- l recially those who still believe in | the old system. Last year Secretary | CnS-py- Of ta IN1sI, off, 1 two $3,00O purses for 2.14 trot and 1 same class pace, at 3 per cent to | enter and per cent. deducted iron, 1 winners This year he announced in stead $1,500 added moneys for each l at same entry fee, payable May 15, July 1 and day before the race on | starters.
 In answer to an inquiry as how | after collecting all entry fees July i 1 the two races compare with the | same last year, Secretary Corey pre- | sents the figures which show that | while last year these two races, with 1 twenty-one starters, cost his assocla | ton exactly S360, this year they will | cost S3,000 net. Adding up all entry l fees already received and figuring ten l in each to pay the starting fees, he l shows that the net value of the two purses will be S5,25O, of which sS,O0O ! is contributed by the association and 1 S2,250 by the players. while last year | the latter contributed in fees and de- | auctions the sum of S5,640 of the | face value of S6,0O0.
 If these two purses were again l carded in way to look more tempt ! ing on paper, that is each S3,0OO, and | received the same number of entries l on July l with the estimated ten in | each to start, the Iowa State Fairs
 racing department could card both as
 racing features with little cost, while | at five per cent. to enter and same | deducted could get enough profit to
 cover almost the entire cost of it's 1 racing program.
 l Grand Circuits winning candidates
 are apparently not included i'll few 1 racing stables as has been the case
 ir former years, if the opening meet | ing's records are any indication for
 over, the youngster is keen student
 of baseball, and is well acquainted
 with the peculiarities and preferences
 of the players on the rival clubs. He
 is aggressive without being fresh
 and taken all in all is a thoroughly competent man.
 George StalllngS has contract for $12.50O a year as manager
 of the Boston Braves and 1t
 doesn't expire until a year from II next October. Yet Stal1ings is l handling a second division team, which has no chance to get out of the mire. President Grant of the Braves is patiently waiting , for results. Stallings told him !, early in the campaign that if Outfielder Walton Cruise could Il be obtained from the Cardinals
 the Boston team would rush to
 the front. So Grant bought the release of Cruise and eagerly awaited developments.
 The Braves with Cruise in the line- up didn't improve and the attendance at the Boston park continued to dwindle. Stallings finally was per . suaded by his employer to get rid Of Pitcher Bill James, who had been | drawing salary since 1914 in spite ot