A MUCH-NEEDED REFORM.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 708, 1 October 1903, Page 6

A MUCH-NEEDED REFORM.

Is it not high time that something was dune to bring about a much-needed reform in the matter of racing colours ? At present, instead of being of use to differentiate the various competing horses, they in many cases only serve to make confusion worse confounded. For instance, in a race at Avondale out of six runners three horsemen wore blue and gold, a sufficiently confusing state of affairs. Talking with one of our bestknown judges, he said that a worse difficulty, however, was the prevalence of black jackets In the Welter Handicap, for instance, on Saturday, out of fifteen entries the colours of no less than nine were described as a black jacket, with sundry variations in the colours ol the sleeves and cap. If this sort of thing bothers the judge it should be checked, for no one wants mistakes from the man in the box, yet the present haphazard system makes that official’s duties far more difficult than there is any occasion for them to be. If this similarity in colours is confusing to the judge, it is easy to imagine what it must prove to the ordinary racegoers. If those responsible would only occasionally go into the public stand and listen to the hopeless flounderings of a great many of the sightseers there in their efforts to pick out the various competitors they would be somewhat edified. It is to be presumed that the primary object of wearing colors at all is to enable the public to readily distinguish the horses, and if the present system fails in that, then a change must be made. The executive might do worse than follow the Australian Jockey Club in this respect. That body Bet up sub-committee to go into the question and their funding was unanimously approved. It is a subject on which much has been written, and it is high time that words gave place to deeds. Everybody gives tho new committee of the Auckland Racing Club credit for being desirous of benefiting the sport. Here is one reform urgently needed.