AMERICAN TROTS TO HAVE A NEW SPRING CLEANING

Chronicle (Levin), 12 March 1947, Page 7

AMERICAN TROTS TO HAVE A NEW SPRING CLEANING

The method of classifyiug harness horses for. starts in eoming races, the standardisation of starting and the edu cation of ofiicials were, discussed with enthusiasm at a recent meeting of tlie Wisconsin Trotting>- 'Olub Associatioii,, and Preston Jen'uih'e,-vthe 'principa! speakciy a.nd a mei|il)er;tof flip IUiho^ Horse Itacing Cornii/ission) ad]v"anced .his. ideas ou tHfe Unite^ Star.es;;Ih;pttihg sociatiort'4 deci.^ioii' to abaudon tfie time,' bai' fiysteiii; f br classification,; and tlie in; tfoductioii 'of the " jno'hey won" system to be used inits place. Jenuine' traced ,'the history of the totalisator in harness horse racing from its start in 1939, and said that the time classification did not satisfy either tlie drivers or the public. "The.owners and drivers were racing for second, not first, in order to keep their horses time bar high," he said. One could see in the poor finishes tlial the owners were dissatisfied with the. time bar system, said Jenuine. In many races there would be two horses at the linish with the rest'of tlie field strung half-way around the. track. Evidenee of "pulling of horses" wa? noticed on all the tracks this year, and as a result of requests from the own ers, the United States Trotting Associ ati.on did away with the time bar clas sification.

Emphasis on Ofiicials. " What harness racing really needs, over and above a better classifyiug sys tein, is good ofiicials — ofiicials who know what they are doing, and Avho are not afraid to enforce the rules, " said the commissioner. "We need ofiicials who do not fraternise with the drivers or owners, ofiicials who do not own horses, and ofiicials who can leave the totalisa tor alone. ' ' Jenuine also suggested that the United States Ti'otting Association es | tablish a clinic for harness " horse rac ing ofiicials, sthool tliem in the rules, pay them and assign theni to the various circuits. He said: "We have an ofiicials' association in every other sport and could well use Oue in harness horse racing. The ofiicials should discipline the drivers with a firmer hand. Harness racing is either going ahead or out. It's up to us to see that it is run correctly, to keep" cheating and gamblers out, and gain the confidence of the public." Standard Starting. As a possible solution for better rac ing, Jenuine advocated the staudardisa tion of purses and standard starting, whether it be by score or by a meehanical gate. By -standardising purses, owners would race their horses in classes equal to the worth of the horses, said Jenuine. By standardising starting, the trainers and drivers could work with their horses and train them to start one way, and not several. • "We've got to work to a single goal, to promote honest racing, apd to see that the game is kept elean and free of gamblers who will ruin us in a very short time," said Jenuine.