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BETTER KENTUCKY RACING Commission Takes Steps to Improve Sport in Blue Grass State LEXINGTON Ky April 28 There is to be cleaner and better racing in Kentucky this year That was determined at the meet ¬ ing of the state racing commission here this morning The matter was put forward by Senator J N Camden chairman of the commission who had invited the four stew ¬ ards of racing Messrs Charles F Price Sam C Nuckols Jr Andrew G Leonard and C W Hay to be present presentMessrs Messrs J O Keene and Ernest A Pollard members of the commission Edward G Stoll secretary of the commission Col Matt J VYinn vicepresident and general manager of the Kentucky Jockey Club M L Galvin director of the Kentucky Jockey Club Arthur B Hancock vicepresident of the Thoroughbred Horse Association and Thom ¬ as B Cromwell secretary of the Thorough ¬ bred Horse Association were the others pres ¬ ent Major Thomas C McDowell and Rob ert W Hunter members of the commission were not present because of illness illnessIt It being desirable that there be created in Kentucky a fund for the benefit of the disabled trainers and jockeys that is to say trainers and jockeys injured while in the pursuit of their regular avocations it was voted that all money paid in the nature of license for training and for riding at and on the tracks in Kentucky under control of the Kentucky State Racing Commission shall be for this year and in future paid into a fund for that purpose said license fees to be collected by the owners of the race courses and turned over to a committee to be composed of one member each of the state racing commission the Kentucky Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Horse Association the fund to be administered under the state racing commission which shall approve all licenses and any license disapproved is to be invalid The stewards of racing are to determine the merit of any application for assistance or benefit from the fund and if the stewards do not recommend the application it will be denied deniedThe The report of the stewards relative to ap ¬ plications of trainers jockeys and apprentice jockeys was read and unanimously approved approvedTO TO STOP ROUGH KIDLNG KIDLNGThereupon Thereupon Senator Camden said Gen ¬ tlemen it has been apparent to all who at ¬ tend racing in Kentucky that our sport has become somewhat demoralized by what we have chosen to denominate rough riding I shall not undertake to say that we have more of it in Kentucky than elsewhere but we certainly have more than a sufficiency of it and the time is here for us to determine the cause or causes of the evil for evil it unquestionably is and to wbrk out the remedy For this purpose I am going to request from each steward his opinion as to the cause and the remedy and I shall invite all others present to take part in the discus ¬ sion sionIt It was the sense of the meeting that the laws of racing require every horse to main ¬ tain that portion of the course duly allotted to him until such time as he is clear a length or two in advance of all other horses when it is permissible that he may make his choice of the course courseOwners Owners and trainers are expected to know the rules and to instruct their jockeys ac ¬ cording to the rules and not otherwise otherwiseJockeys Jockeys are expected to know the rules and to abide by the rules Horses profiting by foul running are to be disqualified and jockeys riding other than in accordance with the rules are to be punished severely They are not to be merely fined or lightly sus ¬ pended pendedThey They are to incur longtime suspensions and loss of license There is to be a re ¬ quirement of all making derogatory state ¬ ments about the racing that they should sub ¬ stantiate those statements or be denied the privilege of the course In other words if a man asserts that his horse was pulled it will be up to him to prove that charge if the matter reaches the ears of the stewards stewardsThe The stewards one and all promised th commission that they would put forth the best efforts to attain the desire of the commission for wholesome sport free of any taint or irregularity and the representa ¬ tives of the horsemen promised their co ¬ operation to that end endJockeys Jockeys who have been in the habit of taking hold of bridles and saddle cloths lev locking and pinching off and carrying out and bumping on the turns and througi the stretches to say nothing of striking riders and horses with whips may as well make up their minds to quit it or sell their riding equipment equipmentTrainers Trainers who have been in the habit of telling their jockeys to beat the barrier and get back home as quickly as possible re ¬ gardless of what may happen and promising the boys protection and immunity will have to quit it or find another occupation Regard ¬ less of the importance of the persons for whom they are training such men will find that they are most unwelcome in Kentucky in future according to the discussion ana decision arrived at by the commission and andthe the stewards today
