Sporting and Dramatic REVIEW AND LICENSED VICTUALLERS GAZETTE WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WEEKLY STANDAR THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1903 THE SIMILARITY OF RACING COLORS

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 693, 18 June 1903, Page 12

Sporting and Dramatic REVIEW AND LICENSED VICTUALLERS GAZETTE WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WEEKLY STANDAR THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1903 THE SIMILARITY OF RACING COLORS

It is greatly to be desired that during the interval which will now elapse before racing is resumed, something may be done to re-arrange the colors which as at present worn are little short of farcical. It must be taken for granted that the chief, if not the only, reason why colors are worn at all by jockeys is to enable them to be easily recognisable by the judge, the stewards, and the general public. There is no possible fault to be found with the custom, certainly a picturesque one, always provided, that colors are so arranged as to make it an easy matter to differentiate the various competitors in a race. Is this always done, however ? It would unfortunately appear not to be the case. Take for instance the list race meeting held at Ellerslie. There we find Mr J. George’s colours described as all black and majenta sash, Mr R. Hynes’ as black jacket, maroon sash and Mr M. Hogan’s as black jacket red sash, and black cap. Now, after a single shower of rain has wetted the silk it is practically an impossibility to distinguish maroon from majenta or red. One might do it if they were allowed to sit down and consider the matter, but to pick them out when the wearers are racing past at full speed is indeed another matter altogether. Then again there is Mr F. Watson’s blue jacket and amber cap, and Mr J. Donald’s blu z e jacket and yellow cap. Quite a number of horses were running with jockeys up whose colours were exactly similar with the exception of the cap. This should nut be allowed, for in the extremely probable contingency of the rider’s cap coming off during a race there would be simply nothing left for the judge to tell them by. There is plenty for this official to do in watching t close finish witn >ut making his task harder by allowing such very fine distinctions of colours tu be worn by the competing horsemen This matter has been exercising the minds of racegoers on the other side of the Tasman Sea, and that progressive body, the Australian Jockey Club, has determined to grapple with the difficulty, and has adopted a recommendation by a sub-committee appointed for the purpose. This states that in future all caps must be of one colour; all stars, hoops, sashes, braces, diamonds, and armbands must be at leasr. four ihches wide; facings, cuffs, collars, pipings, seams, braids, and vertical halves will not be allowed; fifteen colours only will be allowed to Be used, viz., white, black, brown, dark blue, pale blue, green, grey, tartan, maroon, red, pink, orange, yellow, purple, and lilac; the nomenclature of these fifteen sample colours must be adopted in all jackets and caps; that letters be sent to all owners interested to bring them within these regulations, and the sub committee be allowed to continue sitting to adjust any discrepancies that may arise, and to deal with all applications for new colours; that any registered owners of colours now on the list, where they do not conflict with these regulations, except in the name of the shade of colour, may retain the same, but the nomenclature laid down must be adhered to. There can be no shadow of doubt that racingj colours throughout New Zealand are in urgent need of alteration or regulation, and some such scheme as that now being tried by the governing body in New South Wales might well be adopted. Of the colours mentioned two might well be eliminated, namely, maroon and orange, for if the bands are at all narrow they strongly resemble red and yellow. It is a subject well worth the attention of the facing Conference, for the present haphazard method, instead of being a help to the racegoer, j in many instances, only serves to make j confusion worse confounded. I