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AIMING TO REDUCE FIELDS. At a recent meeting of the Board of Management of the Associated Racing Clubs, it was decided that a compulsory sweepstakes of 10 shillings should accompany nominations for all future events, such sweepstakes to be added to the prize money. This action was taken, no doubt, with the object of reducing to some extent the unwieldy fields that have for some time nast been left in various events at meetings of the clubs forming the association, and the compulsory running in divisions of which has been responsible for such an excess of racing. These 12 to 14 event programs have nothing to recommend them, and the fact of those in control having laid themselves out to modify this excess will be generally appreciated by most patrons of these meetings. The 10 shilling sweewpstakes will not meet with the approval of some owners and trainers, who may not always be prepared to give their charges a run under such conditions, the effect of which will be that fields for many races which, under the old conditions would necessitate resorting to divisions will iu future be reduced to normal dimensions. Were bigger fields productive of more interest or better snort, this action might hs deemed inadvisable, but "this is not so: on the coutrary. fields of moderate dimensions are invariably responsible for more speculation and better racing. Sydney Referee.
