DRIVERS IN CONTROL

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 242, 12 October 1929, Page 17

DRIVERS IN CONTROL

FRUSTRATE BARRIER STARTING. INNOVATION NOT GIVEN FAIR TESI LEADING AMERICAN REIXSMEX OPPOSED TO IT. If any driver in New Zealand deliber ately set himself to frustrate any innova tion brought in by a club in the endea your to improve a branch of the sport il is safe to say that the individual woulc soon be on the outside of the fence look ing in. But apparently the drivers, 01 some of them, in America consider them selves of so much importance that thej feel they are not taking any risk. Tliit was shown when at the Grand Circuii meeting at Goshen an effort was made to start the races with the barrier. Refer ence to the report of the meeting published in the American "Horse Review , shows that the device had to be dispensec with before the meeting had proceeded half its length owing to the lack of cooperation on the part of the drivers. « number of whom made no secret of the fact that they "were, out to "queer" it from the "beginning. Says the "Review":— The Avljole incident illustrates ver\ forcibly one of the reasons—or, rather two of the reasons—why innovation; and attempts at much-needed reforms or the Grand Circuit and all other Americar harness race tracks "die a-borning. . There is always a sector of constitutional objectors ready to condemn them beforehand, together with another sector onh too glad to do anything they can ir actual practice to make them "fail. Ii: addition, the rules of racing and those officials who administer them are toe little honoured to make it possible tc whip the recalcitrants into line anci "make 'em like it," if it is a good thing whether they propose to or not. Whicl last, in all too many cases, is the one thing that badly needs to be done. Insubordination on the part of driven is almost 100 per cent responsible for the lamentable condition of the starting anc scoring on American harness race tracks which has cost the sport, in popularity prestige and public regard, more than car be computed. Insubordination on the pari of the jockeys who ride thoroughbred; has also brought the starting at running race meetings into only less lamentable state. While the powers of the startei on running tracks are much greater thai they are on harness race tracks and the rules of racing there are much more generally respected because of their firmei administration, the unruliness of the riders is a cause of constant complaini by critics of that form of sport. A barrier very similar to that tried at Gosher was not long ago tried out at the greal thoroughbred racecourse, Belmont Park but had to be discarded because the antics of the jockeys, who were out tc "queer" it, caused accidents to severa horses, while one rider was quite badlj hurt. Mr. Widener then ordered all further attempts to use it abandoned though he had himself, as the head of the Westchester Racing Association, caused its introduction. Barriers of the kinds attemptedly introduced at Belmont and Good Time Par! are in use in other parts of the worlc with, great success, for both harness anc thoroughbred racing, and it is admittec that the starting there is far better thai in this country. This is due solely tc the fact that those in control there, aftei becoming convinced of the value of the device, forced the riders and drivers tc adapt themselves and train their horses to its use, despite all attempts on theii part to "robust." It is importable thai any permanent results can be obtainec in this country until that system ii employed. And as there is little liability of this being done, we see little chance for the barrier.