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SUPERVISION OF RACING EQUIPMENTS. English Comment on American Restrictions in Regard to the Use of Blinkers. The question whether horses may be run in blinkers or without them at the discretion of their owners or trainers has for some time past been a subject of discussion in American newspapers. Until a fortnight ago owners and trainers in the New York radius were allowed to please themselves with regard to the equipment of their horses, but then the stewards of the Queens County Jockey Club meeting at Aqueduct published a notice to the effect that permission must be granted by the stewards for any change of equipment in the running of horses. According to the New York World the question, which had been under consideration, was brought to a head by the marked improvement in form of Mr. Whitneys Chicle over that shown by him in previous races this year. Chicle sported blinkers for the first time in the Brooklyn Derby, and, as already mentioned, won that race from Star Hawk, Churchill, Friar Rock and others. That some horses run better when wearing blinkers every one is aware, and there was. of course, no suggestion of ulterior motives as f;ir as the connections of Chicle was concerned. The stewards of the meeting, however, wen; evidently of opinion that to continue to give owners and trainers of horses carte blanche would not improbably lead to sharp practice. That it might do so is obvious, but we in this country have got on all right so far without placing any restrictions on the rights of owners to please themselves in the matter referred to. Such a ruling as that of the Aqueduct stewards might easily deal hardly with a small owner, or a little known one. who might be refused permission to try blinkers on his disappointing horse, whereas another and bigger or better-known owner might be accorded permission to use them on a horse of similar temperament. The question of undue interference with the liberty of owners is involved in the American ruling under notice. An owner might discover that his horse ran his best unshod, but if he had previously beeii run in racing plates it would become necessary for him to obtain the stewards permission before making the alteration. The use of the new elastic girth would, in similar fashion, be subject to permission of the stewards. If we had such a rule over here how would it go with an owner of a horse in the Grand National if snow fell and he had 11m forethought us one owner of a National winner had to tallow, or grease his hoofs before the nice in order to prevent the snow from hailing V It would amply suffice, iii my idea, were marked variations in equipment carefully noted, and in the event of there being ground for suspicion at any time the stewards could then exercise their powers. I notice that Chicle, whose victory, when for the first time wearing blinkers, in the Brooklyn Derby, was apparently responsible for the American stewards new ruling, had a week previously failed to stay home, in torrential rain, in the race for the .Long Beach Handicap, only finishing third to Roiy and Short Grass. Mr. Whitneys colt, however, is a son of Spearmint, which is a sire of stayers, and it was not at all surprising, therefore, in the more favorable conditions as to weather that he should have stayed on over the extra furlong in the Brooklyn Derby. Roly, the winner of the Long Beach Handicap, is, I see. a tail-male descendant of Bend Or. his sire. Golden Maxim, being by the 1880 Derby winners son, Golden Garter. The last-named was by Bend Or out of Sanda dam of Sainfoin and Black Sand. The Bend Or male line is indeed doing well in the States, for Dodge, also a grandson of Golden Garter, which used to belong to Sir Blundell Maple, recently carried olf the Latouia Derby. "Vigilant," in London Sportsman of July IS.
