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VIEWS OF SECRETARY F. REHBERGER Docs Not Think the. Gelding- Exclusion Rule Destined to Produce Striking Effect. . NEW YOBK. N. Y.. February 23. Fred Hehbcrgcr, secretary of Aqueduct, Havre de Grace and other racing institutions, was interviewed upon the new gelding Yule that has lust been adopted by the Jockey Club. IIe is practically neutral on the question whether it would turn out advantageous or otherwise. "All these new rules have to 1m; tried out," said he. "and until they have had a fair trial one can hardly tell what the outcome will be. This rule may do a lot of good, and then it may hardly effect the desired improvement iu horses. The two-year-old rule was tried for a couple of racing seasons and was rescinded. The same thing may be the fate of the gelding rule. If one will go back thirty years, it will be discovered that we have had few really good geldings in this country. There have not been ten iu my experience, tin best being Banquet, Baceland. Boanier, Billy Kelly, Old Bosehud, Stromboli and Borrow. Wis have had hundreds of high-class colts and horses in that time, so that it is difficult .to see where the rule will have a great effect anywhere. "At this time It closes the door to geldings iu the Withers. Belmont and Bealization at Belmont Park; the Travcrs, Kenncr and Saratoga Cup at Saratoga; the Dwyer at Aqueduct, and the Derby at Empire City. Of course it may effect future events that may lie instituted at some of these tracks, but new stakes of- iniKrtanee are not now" being contemplated. One tiling is positive: it will make owners and breeders think twice before uusexing a colt, tiiough records prove that geldings wear much longer than entire Mrses. which W an incentive for uusexing what look like common horses. Consequently I cannot see where the new rule is going to have any great effect upon the sport, excepting where a high-class horse is concerned, in which case his earning possibilities will be lessened. Hut as I said before, extra good geldings are so few that- their absence in the weight-for-age races will hardly be noticed."
