New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-02
W eight of Men
Behind Trotters
Starts Confab
For Many Years Standard
for Drivers in Grand Cir
cult Was $50 Pounds
By Frank S. Cook e


'hen votaries Of trotting and pacing
would think that all of the interest
mad died out of their favorite pastime.
mere have been harpings on the near
slghtedness of official timers. on
Judges who pay no attention TO rules,
on the three-hea plan and what not.
And now they have landed on the
topic of weight for drivers.
This ever has been mooted oues-
ton. For many years there was
standard weight of $50 pounds and
then after the universal adoption Of
the bike sulkv it was decided that
weight cut no figure, so all restric
tlons were removed. Now feather
weight, who scales under 100 pounds
meets Mike McDevitt, of 1870 pounds,
on equal footing, the penalty being on
Mixes broad shoulders.
Used Lead Pads
In the days of the standard $50
pounds all who weighed over that
1t had to put lead pads under their
sulky seat to make the weight The
worlds record weight achievement
was pulled off at the Crosse Pointe
track, when George Starr won the
inaugural Chamber of Commerce stake
with Planet
Starr was under weight and thought
ne mad enough ballast under his arm
when he stepped on the scales, but
was pound shy, so he told his care
taker to run over and change a $50
olll INTO cartwheels, and the score of
SILVER dollars in his pocket made up
1.-The pound
Irrespective of what some authori-
ties said about it weight does count,
especially in hard fought race where
horse may be firing. If he is pull
ing, so pounds more than his rival he
IS handicapped, for pound or two on
the back of a thoroughbred has been
known to anchor a good runner.
Sportsmen in Cleveland, whence have
come many sensible reforms, are try
ing to Work out the weight problem
and they want the standard 100
pounds, which will make a lot of the
Jocks" pack weight.
Cleveland, by the way, Will be the
racing metropolis of America again this
year. Dates have been allotted by both
the Grand and the Lake Erie circuits,
and this is Cleveland's portion:
Cranwood Park. June to s; Rock
port. June to ID; North Randall, July
to ~; Rockport, July IA to 10; North
'eoHudiis angus W y, AGanWOOu,
August II to IS; Rockport, October 20
to "a; Cranwood, October 81 to 81
So during the five months of the
racing season there will be no fewer
than eight meetings at Cleveland to
say nothing of a dozen or more matt
, nees. Cranwood and Rockport are two
of the most prosperous tracks among
: the half nilers. They manage to at
tract more horses than their rivals and
hry1-G hf,,nr
2 corners for betting is heavy and there
are more split heat races than any
where on the map.
: North Randall Meets Best
The North Randall meetings are the
class of the Grand Circuit, drawing the
best people in the community and be-
ing sporting affairs. attractive and on
the level
Ohio is about the best of all racing
states, when both the mile and half
mile tracks are taken into the reckon
ing. In addition to Cleveland's big
affairs, there are three weeks at Co
: lumbus, the early meeting being. worth
while and the September double
| header unrivalled, setting the pace for
} Lexington many years.
Then there is the new member, To-
ledo, that started off last July by up
setting so many records that it dulled
, subsequent races. Toledo will be in
good shape this year, grounds all laid
: out, stand completed and the surround
t ings fitting for such carnival of speed
as is likely to be witnessed on the
Fort Miami track.
4 Walter Cox is going to tackle q
doubtful pupil this year, as II is re
ported he is going to race Mignola
I for J. r. McCune, of the Pittsburgh
matinee set There is no question of
Mignola's speed. He has a mark of
2:l0 and in the fall of 1917 he trotted
= in 2:03l4 at Lexington and last July
he pulled a wagon in 2:05A at Brunot's
Island, Pittsburgh.
The horse made his first start in the
big line in the Charter Oak, at Hart
ford, but lamencss kept MIN out of the
money in his attempts. It all depends
upon whether he races sound for Cox,
as there are few that can head the
chestnut horse when he is fit and
ready.
One can never tell where they will
, spring up and get into the game w.
]. Sproule, of Sandusky, Ohio, stepped
into the limelight when he bought The
Cossack CD, 2:093., and now he has
picked up another from the A. B. Coke
incubator-The4 Dixie Dillon az, by
Dillon AXworthy-Dixie Donohue, by
Prodigal.
May Join the Cossack
1t is likely that the new one will join
The Cossack in the Harry Gray stable,
at Toledo, where forty horses are win
/. tering. Gray will get as much out of
them as the next one as he is clever
both at training and balancing and can
drive for the money with any OF them.
Adioo Guy. 1903 Il, also owned in San
I dusky, beat Directum J. and other stars
2 at Columbus, but under the allowance
/. rule is in the 2:05 class this year,
which makes him a formidable propo-
I sition.
y W. L. Snow, who has been one of the
big six drivers on several occasions
1 is wintering nine head at Endlcott, N
: Y. for George w Johnson, q matinee
enthusiast of that city. The star of
the lot is Wilmington. by bennington
: dam Sweet Marie 2:02. This one is a
PAGER, four years old. and is said to
: have heaps of whiz. which they need
5 even ir the slow classes.