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NO SECALL STARTING. Notwithstanding the opposition to no-recall start- : ing it has been accepted in the east as it was in San Francisco, and there seems to be a great probability of it becoming universal. From almost every section comes reports of it being "tried," and wherever it is tried intelligently and given a fair show it will be upheld. Of course there will always be those who object to it, and the trouble is that long after their objection proper has worn itself out they will continue to object, simply to sustain their own mistaken first opinion. The average American will not give in, he considers himself infallible ! It will, however, be well if some action is taken by the governing bodies in various sections to arrive at some definite understanding, and official notice be taken of certain phenomena which is inseparable from the use of the barrier and the no-recall method. From time to time the barrier is 1 inadvertently sprung, or a horse backs against it : and forces it up. At these times certain of the field get away with others standing, and if the boys i riding were not amenable to the call of the starter some horse would complete the circuit and claim , the purse. This would precipitate a tangle, and 1 there is precedent for such claim being allowed. . To date no official action has been taken on the , matter, although three such starts inside of ten days have been precipitated on the metropolitan tracks alone. Some day some aggressive owner will make a test case of it. He may get himself disliked, but probably that will not worry him much. There has been, it is rumored, an unofficial state ment made by a popular official to the effect that any such start would not be recognized, but how much ice does that statement cut? As a prominent trainer said on hearing of it: "Bosh, it is a start or not, by the courtesy of the jockey," and he about hit the mark. It is a point clearly within the jurisdiction of the ruling bodies of various sections, and there appears no reason for it not being taken up, other than the old stereotyped of not liking to be told what should be done before they are ready to do it. In some sections a bell rings when the barrier rise and unlesB the bell rings it is no start. The bell does not ring when an unintentional rise of barrier takes place. There lies a solution of the problem in a nutshell. Where is the bell and the ruling on the metropolitan tracks? Either it or a satisfactory substitute should be put in use without delay. Spirit of the Times.
