Work of Kentucky Commission: It is Doing the Things for Which it Was Created-Better Sport Coming, Daily Racing Form, 1907-07-24

article


view raw text

WORK OF KENTUCKY COMMISSION. It Is Doing the Things for Which It Was Created Better Sport Coming. "No turf gorprnlng body In the country Is giving more attention to the sport than the Racing Commission of Kcptucky. While its recent meeting which cut the Latonia meeting short did not meet with general, approval, it is believed hy many now to have been the best thing that could Ik done, and the future of racing will lie assured in the old commonwealth," says the Cincinnati Knquirer. "The Racing Commission was created for the purpose of governing the turf in Kentucky and to raise the standard of the sport. That it is going to go through with that was shown by their recent action in the Latonia case. More so by the resolution, which comes up at the next meeting for adoption, which wipes out the bookmnking owner. The idea of the commisison is to minimize the chances for adverse criticism. The bookmaklng owner, in its opinion, is a menace to horse racing, at least it creates that impression. "Hut the commisison is not going to stop there. Being created to govern the sport, it wants to appoint the olticials under whose eyes the same Is conducted, for in reality they arc but agents of the commission. To them the commission must look for the enforcement of its rules, and an appeal can be taken to the commission by any one who has fallen under the ban of the racing officials. It looks like it would be a good thing to Iiayc the otllcials of a race track free from all entanglements and under obligations to no oue. Their decision should go, then, unquestioned. A jockey under contract to oue stable should not be allowed to ride for another owner in a race where the stable is running a horse. That was the rule, but was changed when the American Turf Association was founded, and a shortage of jockeys was anticipated, but it ought to have been wiped out ere this. Further still, the Racing Commission will seek to divorce the betting ring from the racing game. It wants the game to stand up without the direct income from the ring. The fact that bookmakers pay over 00 a day to the race track makes them an asset of the racing association. The bookmaker who is one that profits by dishonest raping gets all the protection. "Horses, owners and trainers are banished, but the bookie escapes. Why not? He represents too much to the association, while owners, horses, trainers and jockeys, why, the woods arc full of them. With the booking unrecognized it is believed that the judges can be depended on for their best efforts in running fraud to the bottom and get at the ones who were responsible for the crooked work. "If the commission goes through with all of these things, then the racing in Kentucky will be the best in the land as far as the honesty of the sport is concerned."


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1907072401/drf1907072401_6_1
Local Identifier: drf1907072401_6_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800