See a Hope for Legislative Relief: Sportsmen Look to Albany for Action Removing Present Handicap to Thoroughbred Racing, Daily Racing Form, 1917-01-30

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SEE A HOPE FOR LEGISLATIVE RELIEF. Sportsmen Look to Albany for Action Removing Present Handicap to Thoroughbred Racing. By Ed Cole. New York. January 29. — A canvass of horsemen and those most concerned elicited surprise at th» State Racing Commissions re part, intimating tha.* the paaaage of a measure permitting mutuel speculation would be of great benefit to the thoroughbred industry. "I would not have been at all surprised." said one of the clubhouse members, •had the commission recommended some milder measure for tin* relief of those who patronize racing. If we could get a bill regulating mutuel betting it would lie the greatest help the turf and the thoroughbred industry could obtain. Put I am a bit doubtful if such a thing could be accomplished in the face of the existing constitution and laws. "Racing and its supplementary connections should be governed in this country as it is in Kunqie: it could then be helpful to all kinds of charities anil improvement. As it is it is just one continuous battle between polities, promoters and reformers. Of course the commission would never have at -tached their signatures to the document had tin y not been convinced of the possibilities of their suggestion being carried out at some future time. Things of this magnitude cannot be decided iu a day anil the suggestion may only be the entering of the thin end of the relief wedge. "That rating of horses is receiving more recognition these days than expected by the most optiinistic is assured by the immense sums of mom y being expended by wealthy ami influential men of affairs in horses and racing plants. That racing cannot be conducted on n scale it deserves unless there is some sort of wagering is acknowledged. It is governing the speculating end of the sport that Deeds regulating. To that end the legislature should turn its attention. "Thousands — and one might say hundreds of thousands of men rely upon racing as their vocation. They like the excitement, the surroundings and atmosphere of a rice course, yet under the existing conditions in this state, if one were to make a wager and put up even the price of a cigar, he is liable to be escorted to the courts for an infraction of the law. This is the part of the amusement that needs legislative relief. One might say millions of dollars were bet on the recent election and the money in most cases jtosted. yet no one heard of an arrest being made. Had such speculation occurred oa a race course in this state there is no telling what would have been the result. All the racing associations ask is for some relief that they will not be held responsible should two persons disagree in their opinion anil wager accordingly while on their grounds. "Naturally tie- system of speculating approved in European countries would answer the purpose here ami I should only be too pleasetl to see such regulation, not only for the peace of mind of patrons of racing, but for the betterment of the sport anil the improvement of the horse."


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1917013001/drf1917013001_2_11
Local Identifier: drf1917013001_2_11
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800