Incompetent Driving Is Menace To Good Racing.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18889, 12 October 1929, Page 12

Incompetent Driving Is Menace To Good Racing.

SPOILS MANY WINNING CHANCES, AND IS FREQUENT CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS.

There have been noticeable in many harness events during the last few months certain happenings which can be chiefly attributed to incompetent driving. Horses have been driven into positions from which exit was almost impossible; erratic courses have been taken; innumerable cases of interference have taken place; and in a few cases serious accidents have eventuated.

Races are being run at a faster speed which naturally requires more ability on the part of those who drive, and unless steps are taken deal with incoinpetency the evil will go on until a very serious accident takes place, when possibly some action will be taken. In an important race a few months ago a well backed pacer who looked likely to play an important part in the final issue broke up and finished a long way back just when he was making a fast run for a good position. The weil backed one was being driven by one of the best of reinsmen and the writer could not understand the cause of his sudden stopping. Inquiry elicited the fact that a bad driver had hurriedly decided to endeavour to take an impossible position which he subsequently found out too late. In addition to preventing his own horse from going on he stopped several behind ancf caused all the trouble. None of the other drivers imputed foul driving but just stated that he did not know any better.

That there have not been many more accidents can be put down to the great ability of most of the regular reinsmen. In some cases the happenings have been brought about by a deliberate attempt on the part of the driver to prevent a horse winning, but in most cases incompetency can be named without deliberate intent. In a field of ten or twelve with fast pacers or trotters engaged it only requires one incompetent reinsman to upset the whole field. Those who witness the fast run races have nothing but praise for most of the drivers who are keyed up to a high tension, but are fully alive to all that is required and can control their horses satisfactorily. But with an incompetent driver m their midst they are all on edge and are continuously calling out to the reckless or incompetent one to be careful. It is a great pleasure to see brilliant reinsmen together in a race Determination, courage, quickness of eye and hand and a thorough knowledge of how their horse is going is necessary and part of their stock-in-trade.

It has long been difficult to understand why an owner who has a horse with a good chance puts up a driver, who he must know will not get the best out of his horse in the race, and in addition will be likely to cause trouble throughout the contest. Expert drivers can be seen in the trainers’ stand viewing a race in which those who are anything but competent are out in charge of horses. As there are degrees in speed in horses so there are degrees in ability to drive them, and the sooner owners realise this fact the better it will be for them in every way. Unfortunately many capable trainers are not equally capable drivers but this does not seem to be thoroughly realised. Without making reference to any one in particular there is one high grade reinsman w'ho is not always seen in the sulky, whereas if owners were fully alive to their duties he would seldom be seen standing down, especially in high class racing. Owners seem content, however, to allow their horses to be controlled by others who are not in any way to be compared with this well-known reinsman in skill. Is it any wonder that complaints are often made, over bad driving after the events have taken place?

After a recent race the writer interviewed one of the best reinsmen in the. Dominion, who was in the contest, to ascertain why his horse did not do better, and received the answer; “ I would have won easily but for bad driving on the part of another reinsman in the race. All the others were all right but it was courting disaster to go near to” (mentioning the name of the'careless drivei). When a reinsman drives a bad race which causes defeat of his horse he has only himself to blame—and there have already been this season a number of cases, but whdn he is a menace to others in the race he should be punished, and punished severely. At one of the recent meetings at which slow classes predominated a prominent official stated; “ Did you ever see so much poor driving in your life? ’’ And he thoroughly summed up the situation. Unfortunately fie was not one of the officials in charge of the running on the day in question. Nothing seems to be done by those who are supposed to control the actual running unless an accident hap pens, and then the usual “ No action taken ” is the verdict given to the Press.

The new season is just starting and practically all the big events are yet to be decided. Those whose duty it is to see that good driving is essential should promptly deal with any departure from the best work *by reinsmen. The foul or wilful driver should of course be severely punished—there is no room for him in a race—but the incompetent should be told that his right to drive will be cancelled unless he can show

considerable improvement. Par too much is taken for granted in races and it is only when a really obvious bad piece of driving is seen that any comment is made. Stipendiary stewards have not in the past received as much support from the honorary Judicial Committee as they deserve, but this is gradually being improved and more consideration is being given to expressions of opinion from the paid official

'Trotting and pacing races require very careful supervision and the time may not be far distant when paid offi cials will have full control of all races When this much desired state is reach ed it is possible there will be a decided improvement in the control of the actual racing, a branch of the sport which in the past has not received sufficient consideration from those who are responsible. On the other hand if the paid officials fail to do their dP fc y in this direction those who are respoq sible for their appointment have an easv remedy by dismissing them and finding others who will do their duty towards the sport.