THE SPORT OF HORSE-RACING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1184, 20 July 1911, Page 4

THE SPORT OF HORSE-RACING.

« The proceedings of the Racing Conference just ended are of particular interest at the present moment because of the special attention that has been directed to the sport _ of horse-racing through the complaints arising out of the Racing Commission's report. There can be little doubt that some additions have been made to the forces opposed to the Racing Clubs by the refusal of totalisator licenses to a number of clubs which previously enjoyed them. The attack on the totalisator through the medium of the Gaming Act of last session resulted in a mandate to reduce the number of totalisator permits issued, and it was inevitable in the circumstanccs that a certain number of clubs must suffer and a certain amount of soreness and discontent result. But whatever grievances the clubs affectejl may have, they cannot entirely absolve themselves from their share of responsibility for the position in which they find themselves to-day. The Gaming Act of last session would never have gone through in the form in which in now appears on the Statute Book but for the apathy and indifference of tlio Racing Clubs and those who take an interest in the sport of horse-racing. The section of the public which is opposed to the sport seizes every opportunity of decrying it and painting it in the worst colours possible, while its supporters seldom trouble to bestir themselves in any way in its defence. They deserve to suffer the consequenccs of their inaction.

In his presidential address to the Racing Conference, Sir George Clifford presented a very able review of the situation, and we have no doubt that his arguments in support of the sport will carry a great deal of weight with the bulk of the public. But however admirable his arguments, and tho policy which he propounds for strengthening the position of the Racing Clubs in their relations with the public may be, they will be of little avail unless backed .whole-heartedly by the clubs themselves and by the race-going public as well. VVe have expressed the opinion before that a good deal of the antagonism shown to horseracing is due to lack of knowledge of the sport on the part of its opponents, but apart, from' this it is clear that without the assistance of the indifferent section of the public who are persuaded by activc canvassing to append their signatures to petitions and. t so 0n,,, the .aggrcs-. sive anti-sporting" element' would carry comparatively little weight. The advice tendered by Sir George Clifford to the Racing Clubs to exercise every care to study the public convenience and to seek to raise the standard of the sport to the highest possible level, if taken seriously, is the best means available of winning popular approval and making the position of the sport more secure:

They all knew, lie said, their attainablo ideal—confidence that every competing horse shall bo allowed to (io its best to win; that every trainer and jockey shall take such honourablo pride in his profession, and in his personal rectitude, that no suspicion shall attach to occasional in-, different horsemanship; that every owner shall feel himself bound by honourable fellowship, with honourable men, to take no mean advantage of adversary or handicapper. Though most surmises of corrupt practice were ill-founded, tho public, were shrewd as a body to judge those whose actions wero continuously under view. As general confidence was won, opposition would be increasingly confined io tho ignoramus who imagined evil where there was none; or to the theorist who inconsistently condemns tho - totnlisator, while silently accepting profits from artificial variations of price in stocks and shares and tho commodities of trade. It rested, with them, released from a recent bondage, to establish their sport impregnabiy in the goodwill of their fellow citizens.

It is a matter for regret that the Conference could not see its way to give a practical evidence of its recognition of' the value of its president's advice, by adopting the proposal to appoint Stipendiary Stewards to act as a check on corrupt practices instead of leaving this duty entirely to the club stewards. It may he perfectly correct to state that the extent to which improper practices are pursued on racecourses is greatly • over-stated; but that ■is not the whole issue. No one who travels to and from race-meetings by railway can be so blind or so deaf to the opinion of a substantial section of the public respecting the neglect of clubs, from various causes, to call jockeys or owners to account where the running of horses seems open to' question. It does not matter in the least that in tho majority of cases the views expressed serve merely to cover the discomfiture of the racc-goer_ uttering them or arc based on.inability to dispassionately weigh the whole of the circumstances of the matter in question. The fact remains that these complaints would be materially minimised if the public could feel that there was someone present on the course, independent of the club, whose duty it would be to lodge ' complaint in any case which in 1 his opinion called for it. Stipendiary Stewards would be in this position, and provided proper judgment were exercised in the selection of the persons to fill the office, the public would very soon come to recognise these paid stewards as their representatives, for such they really would amount to seeing that their only concern would bo to ensure straightforward and honest racing. Sentiment counts for a good deal in these matters and it is idle to ignore the fact that public confidence would be strengthened by such appointments as proposed, however unnecessary some of the clubs may think them. In this connection it is regrettable to note that the Wellington Hacing Club was one of the clubs which opposed the proposal. The voting, however, made it cleav that the majority of the Conference delegates are anxious to place, the sport in that unassailable position to which their_ president urged them to aspire. We may add that they will be well advised not to lag by the