THE COLOR SYSTEM.

NZ Truth, Issue 104, 15 June 1907, Page 2

THE COLOR SYSTEM.

Many people who go on to a racecourse find it very difficult to distinguish between the different candidates m ttoo various racers, and thus the events are not nearly so interesting as they otherwise would ue. To many who are unacquainted with the horses and riders the colors and numbers are the only means of- distal guishing ome candidate from auyther; amd as the roumters can only be seen at class 'quarters one is compelled to fallback on the'coiors. Here" the tirouto'le 'arises, ' fo^r "the similarity '.between many of the registered ; colors very often leads to confusion. 'As an example, one owner registers . yellow jacket arid -black eat) and another old gold jacket and black cap— two colors which, when seen on the racecourse, are one and the same thing to the spectator. -All rod and all cerise present another knotty problem, and -so it is with a -dozen- other cases. Black, dark blue, purple, anid brown are colors . which one finds it hard to differentiate between when viewed at ,-a distiaaioe. iTfoen again, an owner, imay register his colors as black and red, and • dish them up m m'aiiy differeirfc forms. One day it may be red jacket amd black .capj while sashes and (hoops may also be used. To combat the confusion .so caused and to assist the public tc pick out the different hors* es, it has often been ■■ suggested, that « system might be adopted - whereby a fixed color would be allotted . to the oa-ndi'dates according to their- position m the Jh-aowUcap. That is to say; No. -1 woudd a'lwayswear black, No; 2 blue, and so on. Wli©^ 1 such a system wouW succeed m practice has 1 yet .to fbe protved. When there.are bwl) half-a-ifliozen candidates m & race it wioulid be, very easy to alljot each oro a idistinct color, but m a field from say -twelve' to thirty horses- it is difficuli to see how the- Jackets and caps can be sui-tably arranged, Besides that, it must be, taken, . into consideration that stables, ofc 1 ' .'loAgstaßiding will not relinquish-the old colors withouii a struggle. However, a pl«an has b;eem worked out, and was triad at the Pony meetings m New Sou<th Wales last week. For the benefit of readers, ah illustration of the system appears m these columns. Whether or not it does away . with the confusion is of oburse, another •question. •