The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-11-03
THE EOPPLED PAGER
BY w. III. Gocher.

During the past twenty five years
over half of the most closely con
tested races seen on the mile and
half-uile tracks were between
PAGERS. Many of them were hupples
which were for a number Of years
the storm center of light harness
racing The first ripple was seen
in 1888 when d rule was adopted
barring them after January /, 1899.
when it was enacted those who
were responsible for it were conf
dent that all they had 10 do was to
lift their hands and the owners Of
PAGERS would obey, When the date
arrived however there was such a
protest from all sections of the coun-
try that the rule WAS amended SO
that II could be excepted in the pub
lished conditions for race meeting
All but two associations excepted 1t
while they came over IN few years
In 1906 the rule was dropped, but
in 1910 william Russell Allen. who
was always opposed to PAGERS ana
especially the hoppled ones, drafted
the following RUE and succeeded IN
getting IL into the racing code: NO
hopples shall be used in races or
performances against time on Two
year -olds In 1910, on three year ODDS
ard under in 1919. on -year-olds
and under in 1918, on slx-Near-oldS
and under in 1914. after which hop
pies shall be barred
No one paid any attention TO this
rule for two years as very few peo-
pie were racing two or three year
old PAGERS. In 1912. however when
the four year-olds were TO Toe cut nJt
the race managers Of tn" fair aSso-
Citations which give over seventy I'VE
per cent Of the race meetings made
a drive against Il
I'D to that date the mile track as
Eociations and the clubs giving race
meetings over the double oyals
made the rules Of light harness rae
ing when the fair managers saw
that their race proEv ms wcr" going
70 he weakened on arco-nt Of the
~educti nn in the number ~ available
starters. they jumped into the ring
and gave the hopple rule such a
slam that the regulators were barred
only in events limited 70 two three
or four years olas.
Restriction Cut Ont.
In 1914 the four-Near-0 restrir-
ton was cut OUT and now the promo
ters Of futnrit1es arc asking 10 have
that restriction removed on account
Of the pacing divisions o. these
events rarely resulting in a contest
or fields large enough % make even
fair looking race,
While the use OF honples on mod
err racing PAGERS dates from the
eighties. they are not new appli-
arre They were used In England
over three hundred Years ago to
~
sailed in those days for the saddle
When carriages appeared under the
la'o Tudor ard -aarl, stuart kings.
10 nacers aisapr~areS
North An7ariea sl4o fad eood 81
PAGERS nrIar ta the Revolution Thov
were 60 common ara fast ,hat uarv.
Lard in 1-4- %evv Jersey T., 1-ss
rnd PENNSYLVANIA IN f7sn passed
laws 10 rroh{hit nar}9s~ -araa In
,h~ now. would no %,rra,r, r.,.,
Do~ers of phoac 1e,sra 80 ~.
1eaaare The, b.o,,.r,. ,6.
t.,t ,-.sa f,cr, hn.,,,ea,, ~ orra,ta
or .tho a,isr.t. 80, .nsn.
- -,.t,s LII
:" 49, Ni''
.lN''-a va" h'N' NOT '&
~ - ~ "" ta' ne" "oFtn
-, We '',an PAGERS 'iSapPeareo
hNF 7F rnFlsh as soon ~ roads
"b' 'd ana coaches took N"
place OF the SADDLE horse, Very lit
"t> heard Of them except on the
frontier until after Boston Blue
Gottec IN three minutes in 1878
FFte. moe err racing rfcer dates !
from the seventies. the most. con
spicuous IN that sector being Raw
Sally. Sorrel BEly Copper bottom.
Harry Sleepy George and Sleepy
fom, the blind forse that reduced .
the record to 2.ie IL A few OF 7
them also laopsd over into the
eighties when Bay Eilly. Ben Hami'