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Here and There on the Turf Racing Takes a Fresh Start All Horses a Year Older Today TodaySuggestions Suggestions for New York Racing Racing has come to another niile post with the closing of 1922 the most successful year in American turf history A year in which the prize money running well over 9000000 eclipsed the offerings of all the other coun ¬ tries where horses are raced Today each horse has its birthday The yearlings take on the responsibilities of twoyearolds and the day is here when their mettle will begin to be tried in actual contest The twoyear olds of yesterday are now threeyearolds with all the possibilities of that age division and all the rich stakes before them The three yearolds have passed on to the handicap divi ¬ sion and the older ones are a year older In each of the age divisions with the exception of the twoyearolds the American turf is bountifully supplied with good ones that have proved their worth The twoyearolds have shown their prowess Racing of last year gives every assurance that the handicap division will be of satisfactory strengths and the new threeyearolds embrace such an abundance of prospective good ones that the rich offerings for which they will race are sure to bring together both large and wellmatched fields Racing associations are already making their plans for 1923 and the same policy of liberal ¬ ity that placed America at the fore of the turf world will be continued There will be a further expansion of the sport with Chicago taking an important place according to pres ¬ ent plans and when the 1923 history is writ ¬ ten it will tell of racing in California The seemingly assured return of these two import ¬ ant racing fields means much for the thorough ¬ bred industry Both occupied a proud place in the sport at one time and the efforts for revivals are being carried along on lines that look for permanency Men of standing and of both social and financial prominence are behind both of the restorations The resump ¬ tion is already a fact in Chicago and Califor ¬ nia will have its return before long All of this is particularly heartening to those who have worked earnestly for the thoroughbred in this country countryIt It is the dawning of a particularly happy new year There will be a meeting of the Jockey Club this week when affairs of the turf will be discussed Later the stewards who do the really heavy work of turf control will be called together Fortunately there are no scandals of 1922 to be probed and there are few jockey cases to occupy attention Last year was wonderfully free from both scandals and foul riding There always will be foul riding Boys will be guilty of fouls in their eagerness to win and they will be punished for such guilt But such offenses may be atoned for while the really fraudulent ride is one of the unforgivable offenses The cam ¬ paign of 1922 saw few of such rides and the stewards have a cleaner docket than is usual at this time of the year yearThe The scratch rule is one that could be im ¬ proved on in the East It should not be pos ¬ sible for trainers to ruin a program by scratch ¬ ing merely because they did not care to start their horses without a valid reason It should not be permitted to scatch below eight in any raca without the consent of the stewards and the stewards seldom give such consent unless it is shown that a horse is not in condition to race Trainers have had a horse excused on the plea that he worked the same morning That should not be permitted for when a trainer makes an entry the horse becomes a part of that program and is more or less the property of the association It is a part of the entertainment and trainers should not be per ¬ mitted to unduly work a horse after having named it to start without first having him excused It would always be possible to give him the work between races after he has been excused from starting These are some of the things that the stewards would do well to consider in going over preparations for the 1923 racing campaign
