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CHANGE IN SCALE OF WEIGHTS NEAR Proposed Alteration Likely to Be Favorably Acted Upon at February Meeting of Jockey Club. NEW YORK. N. Y., January 18. The much needed change in the scale of weights is near accomplishment. After years of appeal by the official handieapper, W. S. Vosburgh, to have the scale revised, it was not until this winter that his desires were considered and practically adopted, for they will probably be passed upon favorably at the February meeting of the Jockey Club. As intimated some weeks ago, when the changes were in the course of preparation, the chief alterations will be in regard to two-year-olds when racing with older horses in the closing months of the year. Handicaiw of the past have shown Mr. Vosburgh, upon which subject there is no better living authority, that under the old scale the weights assigned for two-year-olds were not sufficiently uniform with that of older horses to create contest of equality. Two-year-olds had far the better of the concessions, so much so that there have lieen times when the official handieapper lias had to make the younger horses carry considerable weight alove the scale to make any kind of an even race, so much superior were they to older horses under scale conditions. The changes that are proiosed will meet the approval of all horsemen who have any idea of equality; in fact, so far everyone spoken to on the subject welcomes the suggested improvement. The projmsed alterations in the scale for the more mature horses has been trifling; in fact, so little, that it is barely noticeable to the ordinary person, but it was evidently necessary to fill out the scale or it would not have lceh discussed by Mr. Vosburgh and his associates in revision unless they deemed it necessary. Mr. Vosburgh has iiad many years of experience in such matters, and he has analyzed Ids data on foundations laid more than half a century ago. While the new scale will hardly be noticed in the every day racing, to the experienced eye of the hundreds of what can be termed experts the fine points of the labors of handicapping will be brought to the pinnacle of tantalizing scrutiny. HANDICAPPERS ATTENTION CALLED. Handicapners will now have to revise their ideas of former years regarding the ability of one horse to beat another under scale conditions. They will have to remember when analyzing a race that the "on" and "off" figures applying to horses will look "quite different under the new scale than they did when the old one was in oieration. A two-year-old in the fall with two pounds "on" will mean that it is equal to ten or twelve pounds "on," according to the abolished scale. Many handicappers make these deductions in their work of picking out winners, and unless close attention is pfV to the newly proposed scale they will find tbemsyes going awry quite suddenly. It would be a good test of the proposed changes in the scale if all associations would offer a goodly purse for the best horses in their several classes at each meeting. Such races would serve a double purpose attractiveness as well as demonstrating the value of a scale of weights in practice as well as principle. The race between Billy Kelly and Leochares last year at Laurel was a spectacular contest. Supposing the best three and four-year-old sprinters had started in that contest, horses of the type of Motor Cop, Sun Rriar, Polymelian and Old Koenig; it would have given a practical demonstration of the weight scale. A stake of value commensurate with the importance of such a contest would no doubt bring the best horses in training of every age into the event. Weight-for-nge races are rare, but when the best could be brought out in a regular contest for a stake of value, it would assuredly be an attraction worth arranging.
