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1 [ , 1 • - - - ■ • - I ; e » . • i [ ■ i , ! I I I GOSSIP OF THE TURF. I An incident of the racing at Latonia Thursday that might have led to complications is i thus described in yesterdays Commercial Tribune. "There were arguments galore at Latonia yesterday after the third race, the event in which Starter Caldwell threw his flag, and the recall man failing to see it, did not dip his flag, all the jockeys pulling up in consequence. Most turfmen argued that when the starter threw his flag it was not a start, because the front flag did not fall, and, had any one of the boys made the circuit with his mount, he would not have been given the purse. This argument is not 1 correct, according to the rules of the American 1 Turf Congrees, and when Starter Caldwell threw his flag it was a legal start. Rule 124 reads as follows : "The horses shall be started by machine or flag or by both, and there shall be no start . until, and no recall after, the starter has ; dropped his flag, and, if no flag is used, tthere I shall be no start until, and no recall after, the starter has thrown the machine." "Thus it is plain from the above rule of the , Turf Congress code that when the starter . dropped his flag it was a go, despite the failure , of the recall flag to dip, and under the circum- . ; stances, had any of the horses gone on and covered . the mile and a sixteenth, he would have , been awarded the purse by the judges. "The turfmen who insisted it was not a start t were no doubt basing their arguments on the , rule of the Jockey Club which covers this point, The Jockey Club rule is the same as the one in , j ! force on the English turf, but is vitally different I • from the Turf Congress rule in that the recall I i flag must drop in response to the starters flag , before it is a go. The Jockey Club rule is as . follows : "The horses shall be started by a flag, and I there shall be no start until, and no recall after, i the assistant starter has dropped his flag in answer to the flag of the starter." Judges Price and Tarleton, after the race, saiii there would have been no recourse but to pay the purse to the horse that finished, "The rule as to what constitutes a start as , now in force is faulty, and it would be a wise , move for the Turf Congress to follow the Jockey Club on this point. Some years ago an attempt was made by the Turf Congress to have the rule , j as in force on Jockey Club tracks, adopted, but j it was killed by the opposition of Ed Corrigan. Judge Tarleton said he would advocate at the . next meeting of Turf Congress the adoption of | the rule as it now stands in the Jockey Club , code."
