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REVISE SCALE OF WEIGHTS W. S. VOSBURGH SAYS THE PRESENT SYSTEM IS TWENTY YEARS OUT OF DATE. Changing Conditions on the Turf Show That Youngsters Have Altogether the Best of It Under Scale Now Prevailing. New York. January IS. — "Thorn is no task that W ulii please m better thiin to revise the seale of v, eight-." said AY. S. Aosburgh. unquestionably Hip premiei hantlioapper of tliis country. "We are fifteen or twenty years behind the times. Progrcs-sioa has battered the existing scale until it is practically useless during the summer and autumn sca-• nils. I ipif isllj as regards two-year-olds and three-y ar-olds ttllll older horses. For several years Hie three-year-olds have had a decided seale ad-..ntage in the last half of a year and in the au-tiini!i the weights provided for two-year-olds in i.iee. with older horses are possibly ten pounds lighter than they should lie. "l.vcrv year examples could be cited where the Male lun WMM and worse. I think this is probably due t i the consistent racing of older corses which rw» s them to deteriorate in the late months of racing, while the two and three-year-i Ids are growing stronger. This. I think, should be provided for in the scale in this count: y. •Let us take two of the three year-olds of last pear," enottaaed Mr. Yosburgh. "Spur and Dodge. They were actual top weights in hanlicais. giving many pounds to MM of their older opponents. Had 1 lit-;, been allotted scale weights, the older horses would have h;:d little or BO chance to win. Some Sample Handicaps. "In the last race run by Dodge, th" Latoniu Autumn Inaugural Handicap, he carried 123 pounds to i.aybcrry Candles 123 and she was a five-year-old. Kd Crump, a four-yt nr-old had 12S pounds. Hedge lM-at them both easily. With scale weights Dodge would have carried 113 pounds or nine pounds 1 - ■ :.: ."• ■ ....! Handicap at Laurel, on Oc tober 31. Spur picked tip 125 pounds and was beaten a bead by Banes, a four -year-old witli 109 pounds up. over a mile and an eighth course. In this rare Spur carried even weights with Borrow, an eight- ear-old. and boat him easily. Short Grass, with 128 pounds also finished a bad last in the peace. "These are only some of the instances shown as examples. With 113 pounds on Spur there s little : nest ion lie would have won the race easily. For several years 1 have advocated a revision of the scale of weights and am only awaiting the sanction if th Jockey Club to offer suggestions for its approval. Now that the sport is growing into greater favor than ever in this country and so ma iy im-p irtcd horses are coining over. more stakes will be : rranged at scale weights and it is in justice Uu all horsemen that the scab should lie revised anil arranged to fit the occasion. Of course in handicaps handienpoers can arrange the weights according to merits but if there are any weight-for-age races ;i ranged the two-yar-olds and three-year-olds will lave much the better of the weights according to the existing scale." Price KcKinney Is Hopeful. Price McKinney was in the city recently and is enthusiastic over his stable of horses now in Nintueky in charge of John Whalen. "You wiU find the colors of the WicklilT Stable out frequently tin nming season." said he. "Jimmy t.ir-rigan. my partner, is just as enthusiastic as I am over tlie outlook. We be If l fifteen three-year olds and twenty-six two-year-olds to introduce and most of them are pit tty well engaged in stakes. Of course they are net all -take horses. I wish they were, but I think we shall be much in the limelight. We shall begin the season in Keirtic -ky :.nd then come east. We ahM have two good riders ii M. QaratT and A. Schuttinger. consequently we are atell-eqnipped in all respects for the campaign.* David ideon is staying at the Claridge Hotel. Mr:.. Ghana has just undergone an operation at I be Post C.raduate Hospital and is doing as well as could be expected. fhe Empire City Stake blanks will be out shortly. Ii is probable there will be one or more new itfllwn arrange.!. Mr. Srhoinbcrg. the secretary, is awaiting to hear from manager Matt Winn on the subject.
