The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-01-16
BY JOE WILLIAMS

New York, Jan 16.-1f you are interested in horses at all you must have heard about the new Puett starting gate. Certainly enough has been written about it. But until you have seen this amazing elec- trical gadeet in action you can scarcely appreciate what It means to the turf.
 We made quick hop to Miami over the week end and went out to Hialeah to see the gate in opera. ton. It's a series of box stalls which close fore and aft. First the horses are led into the stalls, then the tail gates are slammed shut. The front gates are closed before the contrap- ton is rolled Into place.
 The front gates are the important ones. They are electrically con- trolled by the starter who stands in his customary position back of the inside rail. Once the horses are in the stalls all the starter has to do Is press Q button. This TO. leases the swing out front gates and the horses are off.
 All Even
 Theoretically every horse should be off at once and in the same stride. If the jocks are alert and the horses have become reasonably accustomed to such Q start there is no reason why this theory shouldn't be translated into Q fact. All the gates fly open simultaneously and instantaneously. It's e dead even proposition for every horse at the post, or should be.
 The advantages are many and most of them are obvious. we should say the most important one Is that the gate does away with the assistant starter or starters, You might be surprised what Q part an assistant starter can play in the running of Q race.
 Some of these gents are very com- petont and thoroughly honest, AS to some of the others the least said the better. It is sufficient to say that more than one important race has been lost because the assist ant starter became so sentiInentally devoted to the horse to which he had been assigned that he was re- iuctant to let him go.
 Crooked Starters
 At least we have always preferred to believe 1t was devotion. Cynics have tried to tell us otherwise. They have told Us that these assistant starters actually took sordid money from other trainers and owners In the race to hold certain formidable horses back. But you know how cyncs are. They are always lock- ing for the cloud In the silver living, .
 Anyway, the new gate eliminates the assistant starter entirely. There is no way he can possibly fit in Tho starter needs no assistant un. less he happens to have Q blisteree thumb and 1t pains him too severely to press the button. As Q matter of fact the new gate strips th' starters job of any great import ance. It makes everybody . starter
 And then there is the time ole ment. Except in eases where frae tlouS horses balk ct being led int stalls there is little if any reaSol why the field shouldn't Do sent ava In e minute or less. Unless yo' have been around the tracks quit 0 bit you may not Do able to ap preciate just what this means.
 We once saw Q Kentucky Derb' that took more than fifteen minute to start. True this was unusual bu there isn't anything unusual abou starts that range from five to ter minutes. The day we were Q Hlaleah we saw three starts mad In 90 seconds. Get thatl Thirty sec onds. The tail gates had no more