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Show to reform: racing. August Belmont and Others Plan to Change Rules. August Belmont and other sportsmen of his kind have, according to the New York telegraph, taken up the selling race bidding proposition and It Is likely that next year the attitude of American Ameri-can owners toward that Important feature fea-ture of the Bport will be the same as In England. Mr. Belmont has asked Edward Ed-ward R, Thomas, Sydney Paget and a number of other horsemen to meet him at various times during the winter to talk things over. The theory of Mr. Belmont Is that sportsmen of the first class should go at each other Just ns English turfmen do, and that there should be no hard feeling when horses change hands. As a result of the meetings meet-ings to be held during the coming winter, win-ter, a definite agreement to act along lines laid down In the Morning Telegraph Tele-graph the other day will probably be subscribed to by the men who attend. And these men will be representative of the best element of the turf. If first-class turfmen agree to act as the Interests of the turf demand, the selling race will become what It was Intended In-tended to be, viz., a race for horses not good enough for stakes and handicaps. It will no longer be possible to make a first-class horse a gambling medium. One of the biggest profits of heavy racetrack race-track gamblers will be taken away. They (the gamblers) will no longer be able to use the sport for coups nnd killings. Tho practice of dropping handicap horses Into races In which they are not entitled to run will be done away with. "When the big turf gamblers gam-blers find that they may lose horses they put In such races they will not take so many chances and tho sport will be conducted on a fairer basis. Tho small professional owner, who makes It his business to prey upon rich and ln-lluentlal ln-lluentlal sportsmen, who, under the present system, do not take tho trouble to levj- reprisals, will have to seek new pastures. But, best of all, the pernicious perni-cious practice of returning run-up money will be wiped out. This custom, which in the last few years has spread until it has come to bo regarded as a cardinal principle among the small-fry owners, Is really the most pernicious of the American selling-race proposition. proposi-tion. It makes the selling race a mere gambling medium, nnd sets at naught some of the most important regulations of the Jockey club. School for Autdmobilists. The Young Men's Christian association associa-tion of New York has opened Its special spe-cial course for Instruction and practice of automobiles and automoblllng, nnd more than seventy-five students were enrolled the first night, some of them from distant parts of the country. Clarence Bowne Brokaw, who has general charge of the school, was much gratified at the size of the enrollment. Provision has been made, he said, for giving Instruction to forty-eight night students In operative work. The night classes, he said, were already filled, though there Is still room In the 'day classes. Three courses of Instruction are to be given. One will be a series of Illustrated Illus-trated lectures on steam, gasoline and electric vehicles, by Charles E. Lucke. Ph. D., director of the department of experimental engineering, Columbia university. The second will be a course In designing and draughting under un-der the direction of Amasa Trobrldge, professor of mechanical engineering In Columbia, and the third, a course of operative work, under the supervision of Mr. Brokaw and an assistant. Tho alms of these courses will be to train and supply competent operators and chauffeurs, and to give owners and prospective owners a sufficient knowledge knowl-edge of automobiles to enable them to meet any emergency that may arise on the road. Certificates will be given upon the successful completion of the courses, showing that the holder Is competent com-petent to operate a machine. Is skilled In detecting causes of derangements and in applying the remedies, and that he Is able to attend to such ordinary repairs as may be necessary In touring. The operative course will be divided into three sections. One will be on construction, con-struction, another on the general care of a machine and the third on Its use on the road. In construction there will be sub-dlvislons. in three motive powers. pow-ers. Machines of various types will be shown and operated by teachers and students and the various parts will be placed on exhibition for study. It Is expected that students who give serious attention to the work will complete com-plete the operative course In twelve weeks. A list of graduated chauffeurs will be maintained and certificated operators ope-rators will be recommended and furnished fur-nished by the association. The first of the regular classes Is expected ex-pected to be opened shortly with an address by Winthrop E. Scarrltt, pres- "nit of the Automobile club of America. |