view raw text
MAY CHANGE THE ENGLISH RULE That Against Voiding1 Engagements Through Death of Owner Is in Danger Through the action of Lord Jersey the English Jockey Club now has under consideration an amend ¬ ment to that archaic outofdate rule of racing which makes an entry void on the death of the nominator even when the horse has been sold and the buyer is living and wishes to keep the nomina ¬ tion alive by assuming the liability of the original nominator At a recent meeting Lord Jersey gave notice of a motion to change the rule so that when yearlings or foals having engagements are sold their engagements may be transferred to the pur ¬ chasers by putting on record in the registry office a notice of such transfer signed by both seller and buyer The proposed amendment will be voted on at the annual meeting of the Jockey Club ClubLarge Large numbers of British breeders and horsemen have always objected to the present rule as being detrimental to racing because it frequently operates to blight or mar the turf career of some great horse but the Jockey Club has let it stand un ¬ changed from time immemorial and even now the chances are thought to be about even that the pro IK sod amendment will be rejected when it comes to the filial test testHow How the rule works was illustrated in the case of St Simon of which it has been said by so high an authority as Captain M M Hayes that he was one of the two greatest race iiorscs that ever lived His name does not appear among he winners of the Derby St Leger or any of the socalled classic races of the English turf because he was barred from starting by the fact that after entering him Prince Batthyany his breeder died before the races were run It mattered not that the colt had been sold to the Duke of Portland who was of course able and willing to assume all of St Simons en ¬ gagements The entries were void on the death of the original nominator and that ended it All his new owner could do was to find less important en ¬ gagements for him in late closing races and leave the Derby St Leger and other classics to horses that did not class with St Simon SimonAs As a twoyearold and as a threeyearold he defeated with case every horse he met and such was his prowess that when he had to start for the Gold Cup instead of the Derby at Epsom no op ¬ ponent ventured to face him He walked over for the trophy St Siircn never was beaten and when he went to the stud he proved la be one of among thoroughbreds thoroughbredsA A more recent case which sharply illustrates the operation of the present rule is that of Manilardo and tho other horses of the late Mr JFairio Cox the valuable engagements of which were voided by the present oldfashioned rule ruleThe The New York Jockey Club follows the lead of the English organization in this rule as in most other things but the Kentucky Jockey Clubs races are run under rules which enable the buyer of a horse to assume his engagements and race him regardless of the death of any previous owner
