Show STAB03N HQESES SOME OF THE REASONS WHY THIS 18 A FFICULT BUSINESS Why It Is Harder Hero Than In Other Countries Bother of Short Da hcs Pop uJar Misunderstandings of Good and Dad Starts Starting raco horses is a fine art and the man who fancies it isnt will never be convinced until ho stands flag in hand facing 10000 persons and with a dozen or so thoroughbreds ridden by anxious i jockeys upon the track each rider doing I his best to get an advantage over his fellows In 19 cases out of 20 it is not the thoroughbred that is to blame for the trouble at the post nor is it the jockey directly but it is the owner trainer or some speculator in the background back-ground who has told the jockey to geoff ge-off in front no matter what happens and who has promised to pay his fine oz reimburse him for any penalty he may incur in carrying out instructions It is all very well to sit in the grand stand and criticise the work of tho starter One must try the business himself to appreciate its difficulties and its trials It is a much harder task to start racehorses race-horses as we race in this country than in England France Austria or Australia Aus-tralia where the pace is very slow at the start and a length or two advantage when the flag falls does not count for much With us and especially of late years since the system of short dashes has become so popular with horse owners own-ers which by the way has had such a depressing influence on the improvement improve-ment of the blooded horse the style has been to ride pellmell from the start and races are won and lost very frequent 1y when the flag falls Judgment of pace is fast becoming a lost art and even our best jockeys now with very rare exceptions have no more idea of race riding than to get away well and take the shortest course homo in the quickest possible fashion Consequently every boy becomes imbued with the idea that to win he must get off iu front The reader can easily picture to himself him-self the scene at the post when there are 15 or 20 horses marry of them ridden rid-den by boys not 1C years of ago all of whom have been toldsome of them with threats and others with promises of large rewardsto get the best of the start Any visitor to our race trauks ia familiar with the sceno at the post Half a dozen horses will rush away ai a false break when there is no possible chancu for an equitable start and when they come trotting back and before they have had time to wheel and get into line those that remained behind the first time will dash out and run perhaps a hundred yards leaving the first squad in their places This goes on indefinitely indefinite-ly Tho public iu also familiar with tho sight of one or more horses standing motionless somo lengths behind their eoijpLtitors Tho starter asks the rider of the horses in advance of the laggard to wait until they have taken their po Eitious Each boy seems to think it is his bounden duty to walk his horse when those in the rear attempt to move up at a walk and to break away madly if an attempt io made by those behind to coiiiG up at a run A starter should havo a thorough knowledge of racing should be a man of a high degree of intelligence be quick of eye and hfjnd and above all be of unimpeachable integrity Tho issue is-sue of mi ny thousands of dollars oftentimes often-times hundreds of thousands of dollars is decided oy Iho fall of his red flag and it is his duty to ECO that every horse no matter by whom he is owned has an equal chance when he leaves the post Every effcit lS made to catch the horses in motion and on as nearly even terms as possible The eye must take in the field in a twinkling and if the judgment is that the start is satisfactory satisfacto-ry the hand will act in unison with the eye and the brain Very often horses are in bad places and what might look re be a good star from tile grand stand would be a poor I one in the judgment of tho starter and I the flag does not fall Criticism follows and generally it is of the harshest and most unjust character Some horses aru quicker on their feet than others and will make a good start look like a poor one through their ability to get unde way much more rapidly than their competitors com-petitors A good start when the flag drops becomes to the unthinking and ignorant a poor start and abuse is heaped heap-ed upon the head of tho official From time to time mechanical appliances appli-ances for starting raco horses have been invented but they have not < been J > practical prac-tical and have not achieved success A swinging gate to be raised by electricity electrici-ty was spoken of some time ago but fractious thoroughbreds could not begot be-got near it There are again horses that are not to be controlled at times and collisions with the obstacle would undoubtedly bo of daily occurrence Then too it would take months of drilling drill-Ing to get horses to overcome the idea that they were not going to run into the gate This and many other objections objec-tions can bo raised against this system A western inventor has patented a gate to he lowered before the horses while they stand at the post which may be moved away from them at a rapid rate rf speed by electric power the barrier moving onward and upward at the same 1llotfew York Sun |