The Washington times., 1936-03-25

For Self
Purgiing
By KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

now gone to the horsemen s
happy hunting grounds, once
told me there were 81 ways
for g thoroughbred to lose q
race.
Howard referred, Of course,
to the honest ways, not the
dishonest. he meant the poor
starts, the pockets, the bump
ing, the sprains and the luck
Of the race which can be packed
with either good or bad fortune
between the barrier and the
finish line.
Tough An Around
It's tough enough on the race
going public to have to buck the
elements through which a horse
can lose honorably, without having
to surmount the shady hazards
which come to light from time to
time, many Of which have had no
little airing during the past few
weeks Of Southern competition.
The only reason these ugly in
cidentS are discussed at this mo-
ment Is In Difference to the fact
the Sleekcoated, trim, fastStepp-
ing, four-footerS ceappear at Bowie
o week from today. Naturally the
proximity Of Northern racing is
enough to bring forth q disserta-
ton having to do with what was
once supposed to the sport Of
kings, but which has come down
the centuries to be your sport
and mine.
However, even q king, couldn't
afford to patronize racing Of the
sort that has to do with gambling
rings, electric batteries or the in
lection Of foreign substances into
the blood Of thoroughbred.
Set Public to Thinking
The rather wholesale Suspen.
sions, some for life and some for
shorter periods, which have oc-
CURED very recently and which
involved the familiar names Of
Jockeys Don Meade and D. Ed
wards, as well as Trainers P.
=. Ratti and r. Benbow, con-
stitute q very black eye for
the thoroughbred racing industry
Rs o whole. CoupS Of the type
charged against them set the
public to thinking unwholesome
thoughts.
The fact that Maryland enjoys
a very fair name for the manner
in which racing is supervised will
not entirely separate its tracks
from the suspicion which has been
created In the minds Of the public
in view Of incidents which oc-
CURED thousands Of miles away
from the Free State.
All Of which preamble leads up
to the observation that racing as
q whole must look to itself to keep
the respect and the trust Of those
who spin its tllrnStileS.
Not Sport for the Few
OF course there will always be
a certain number Of outright SapS
who will defy even crookednesS to
send their dollars tumbling through
the pari-mutuelS, but racing can
not keep going on such an ilk. It
must have the friendship Of the
communities as whole, to sur
Vive.
A little over is years ago, base.
ball, the cleanest Of sports, discov-
cred q CancerouS growth on one
Of it's sectors and decided that in
order to keep the faith Of the pub
lie Inshaken, it must constitute
high authority to deal severely
with even the slightest irregIllarity,
whether it concerned player Or
club owner. Judge Lands is that
authority.
Racing people generally are be-
coming more and more convinced
as new tracks spring up in this
country that their faSt-growing
sport must have a central govern
ing body with complete authority
over every phase Of the immense
industry, from the colored groom
to the millionaire owner Of plants
and stables.
An Unofficial Body
There is a splendid association
Of state racing officials which has
been gathering at Miami every
winter over the past few years for
a week Of round-table discussions
as to the best methods Of conduct
ing their sport and the best ways
to keep scandal from creeping in.
These sessions have resulted in
some outstanding improvements
and there is already an honor
code in existence, some gentle
mems agreements as it were,
which are being observed as
nearly as conditions will permit.
But even these gentlemen know
that their authority is limited
and no few Of them admit freely,
and others guardedly, that racing
needs q national governing body
to make and enforce laws with
teeth In them; laws that will
eventually create q growing re-
gpect for a sport which entertains
millions and which makes mil
lions for those whose profession
It is.
A universal governing head and
educational work among the
young jockeys, trainers, exercise
boys and others whose characters
are not fully developed which i'm