"A QUESTION,GF SHOES."

Otago Witness, Issue 2634, 7 September 1904, Page 51

"A QUESTION, GF SHOES."

A pony which _was raced at an Ascot (Vic). meeting. recently had somewhat"bulky--jlooking ''^plates" on -liex feet, .which, liexv "'trainer assm?ed_i;Ke. > stevFafQs7 were mad 6_ r of aluminium, biifc .an inspection-jproy^d^'otnC'r--■wise, and' a -disqualification of six'-fmonths' was, bestowed- on fhe horse and -owner.;-" The iwriter has'Fjjoticed not. a- few- equines carrying shoes; in their races in -this -island, -but the stewards . did not notice, or deem it worthy of :no±ice,--tiiat -the animals .were shod in_a speed.-harnpering.-mann"er. Racing experts know what ra. vast difference the /wearing of heavy ~or light shoes makes .in the- times .registereS by. -a. horse in his gal-lops,-and-if .the; horse can 1 do-so-and-so "with. nis-«hoes"on, J ' it.<i3 confidently expected that -the reco.rds.of -the .gallop -will :.be -"consider--' ably improved -'upon-; when iihe "iron"' is jOff .and the '^Sgold" .'is^oni- -Somejfcwo .-years; '»go, prior* lx> • the -meeting ".of. tne Rdcins Conference ' of > that .yeax, the ,writer sug-tJhat-the*Rules ■ of -Racing should an— ,- elude-.. one ."whicJi-fwffliuld'rmalc©. itTiilegal .for "any horse "to race in "shoes/ •unless a >good s aaichfiuSk&ent -reason.rfor ,do«.ing -so . was -.^forthco-rniirg', jind ithat the stewards -saoukT-be notified before "the race in. which th© /horse^was: to .start. The value arid importance of such a mile is at once' apparent to . anyone who is in ihe. habit of contirmaHy- witnessing -the -work, trials, and 1 , xacing of -lioiraes, but it has -not yet beendeemed w<n*hy''of?a. place "in the laws which govern*Jicrserraeiijg.niithis-colony." An up- ; to-dato Illustration of '.the effect -which .a ihorse'-s shoes'^ i have in "the time of -his gallops.is furnished :\j tltea'cmarks -which are> .given in connection with the .work done by r Mx St€ad's;t«amLat;RandwiG&, -where Grand: • Rapids and co. 'have Ibeen creating track xecors which tiae, toute- considerably discount because the New ■Zeala.niler.3 ar-e- lightly shod' with- concave «hoes,.-jand the following- training -cotes, taken, from .the Sydney Mail <of lAugust- 24-, .are given with the donble-bar-areHe'd of showing how our representatives are -preparing 'for .the A.J.G-; sprittg campaign and'lhow the -differsaee in --shoes- a'fltects gallops ;'f roni .a lime point cf -•view. •R. /J. 3ifason, who "trains Mr -Steads ' Lorses,-is & stickler for-.the.ligbtesfkind^ol ■ shoes/ and- never -gallops his- horses with - -iheavy -^weights . up. He rightly Aolds •that iight shoes , and -light -weights teach a "horse. *o etretcn 'out, -aua they do -not contribute . towards teg weariness. This "being- so. .has horses generally make, faster -time against iiho watch .than -those who carry the-iegula-. -■fcion iron. Cruciform, "who is .improving _ -jdaily, ihas not yet treated ub <to one of those. " swallow-catching (gallop 3( gallop 3 which she showed" 'la-st -spring] '.but it .may be said that she '^haanot-jcot-basn. asked to lo so. Sbe worKs -with Martian, «who is very much ( her , inferior, -and merely *tays with .him during .the *gaHop. -Oa Saturday Martian, ridden out- by a light-weight, with Cruciform, who

eaxred Hewitt, about 7.12, going easily alongside, ran nine furlonga in 2min 3seo, the last mile in Imin 50sec, and both kept out as wide as the fence would allow. On Tuesday Cruciform was £gain the dominant power in a mile and a-quartcr spin, which occupied 2min 17sec, the last mile in Imin 50seo, the pair again keeping well out against the fence. Nightfall, the } fourtii member of M_ason's ream, shows ' fiome pace- for a fihort distance, but she evidently cannot stay. On Saturday Grand Rapids, with a light-weight up, wenb a mil© and a furlong, and ran the distance in ' 2min 2sec; the first mile of the journey I was cut out in Imin 47-Jsec, and the last jin Imin 4-Bseo. Nightfall began at the seven-furlong post, nearly 20 lengths m front of Grand Rapids, but he ca«jght her at the turn, and badly beat ber^ home. On Tuesday -fche pair were bracketed! for a, mile. Jumping off from a standing start, and keeping in close, they ran the first half of the trip in 50sec, and the five furlongs in a tick under Imin 4sec. Here • Nightfall began to falter, and Grand Rapids, leaving her, completed seven furlongs in Imin 31sec, and the. mile in Imin 44Jsec, tiring, as the watch showed, over the last .furlong. That this was a good gallop was proved by Famous in carrying a lightweight (A. 35. Cornwell) and running a mile in a tick umler Imin 465 CC. Famous i« a --free -worker, who, xinder equal eondifions, can generally gee a mile as well as the 'best, ana, as ne carried heavier iron than Grand Rapids, the- two gallops work out about the. .same; but in handicaps Famous is considered by paid experts to lie .a, stone better fhan the New Zsalander.