“PROTECTING THE PUBLIC INTEREST?”

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 692, 11 June 1903, Page 19

“PROTECTING THE PUBLIC INTEREST?”

The following article entitled “ Fleecing the Public,” which appears in the “ Mauawatu Times ” is well worth reproducing:—Apart altogether from the question of whether the sport of horse racing per se, makes for the moral good of the community or otherwise, there can be no question that, looked from a broadminded and impartial standqoint, the rules and customs that at present govern the game are open to the severest criticism. The Racing Conference meets once a year for the purpose of improving the Bules of Racing and altering the conditions affecting the welfare of the owners, trainers, and jockeys; and, in this respect it must be admitted, does good work. Generally speaking, however, the interests of the public are among the last things to receive investigation and consideration The first essential to the existence of racing clubs is the public support Those who patronise racing supply the sinews of war. It follows, therefore, that the public should receive every possible consideration. So far ftom this being the case at present, the public are in almost the first to suffer when any foul riding, dispute, protest, or disqualification occurs. It is a well known fact that “ arranged ” races are frequently run; that it is the prac ice of some owners to start horses for he sole purpose of working down their weight; and that at meetings nowadays the question is not “ Can a horse win P” but “Is he after it ?” In view of these distracting elements it ir sufficiently difficult for the public to select winners without having to labour under penalities, disadvantages and customs on the part of racing bodies that in many instances amount to almost downright robbery. A club employs a handicapper to adjust relatives weights for a race. Weights are suppossed to be adjusted so as to give every starter a chance to win. Is it fair that the public, having selected a winner, should be penalis ed because that winner is condemned for unfair practices P As an instance, take a case that occurred at Waverley last year. A mare was entered for two races. The first she lost. Before the second race it was freely hinted that she would be disqualified if she won The position of the public then was that they were in the first place backing the animal against the field, and ia the second place against the stewards. She won, was disqualified, and the public, who supplied the money the meeting was run on lost their money through a fault in which they were in no way to blame. Qhe most glaring instance of “ taking the public down ” which could be cited in connection ' with racing, was furnished by the Ashburton Olub stewards at their recent meeting. In the Ashburton Stakes Pallas carrying 10st, was made favourite, and won easily. Because the horse carried 41b overweight, through an oversight on the part of the owner, the stewards returned ad to the machine investments, lees 10 per cent The public are 'reported to have received the shock with signs and expressions of disfavour. And rightly so. This action on the part of the Clab is so palpably and ridiculously unjust that tnere is absolutely no point in its favour In such a case the whole of the investors were bound to lose money whatever happened. This is only a sample of the treatment the public receive at the hands of the clubs whose existence by their support they make possible. Until clnbs place the public in such a position ihat they lose no money exespt that backing losers, they will never receive unanimous co operation and goodwill that is the great essential to the success of the sport. In all cases of dis qualification the money on the horse disqualified should be returned to the investors in full. In no case of disqualification is the public to blame, therefore they should not be the losers Amendment of the rules of racing in this direction would perhaps slightly lessen the profits of the Clubs—which can well afford it and give increased confidence to the great army of backers whose support keeps the ball rolling. If, however, the present order of things is allowed to continue, it will not be long before the “ Sport of Kings ” will be the Sport of Kings only.