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Here and There on the Turf Jefferson Parks Long Dis ¬ tance Racing RacingSecretaries Secretaries to Blame for Too Much Sprinting SprintingExcessive Excessive Two Year Old Racing If there was any doubt of the popularity of the racing at Jefferson Park during the lenten season it must have been removed with the opening of that meeting The crowd that welcomed the thoroughbred back to the Shrewsbury track was a large one and the size of the fields testified to the popularity of the sport with the horsemen The program that lias been prepared for the meeting shows a becoming number of considerable distance races and the lengthening of the races for two yearolds from three to three and a half fur ¬ longs is commendable For the opening day three of the six races were at greater distances than a mile and one of those carded was for twoyearolds Then on the second day four of the six races were at a distance greater than a mile with both a mile and an eighth and a mile and threesixteenth figuring in the picture pictureFriday Friday boasted of a race of a mile and a half and there were two other races at greater dis ¬ tances than a mile with a twoyearold dash as one of the races This same scheme is found throughout the program book and it is racing that gives Jefferson Park some dis ¬ tinction tinctionIt It has been shown repeatedly at New Orleans that it is possible to fill these long distance races at any meeting if the conditions are properly written Ninety per cent of the train ¬ ers would rather have short races and un ¬ fortunately there are tracks where these train ¬ ers have altogether too much to say in the framing of the programs When the secre ¬ taries make the conditions themselves and ad ¬ here strictly to them the trainers will find that their sprinters are capable of racing at dis ¬ tances of more than a mile mileNo No matter what be the class of the horse the test of his excellence should be at a dis ¬ tance that calls for something more than mere ability to leave the post fast Too many short races are decided in the first quarter either by reason of the nimbleness of the horse or the skill of his rider These are not races worthy of the name and as spectacles they can never compare with those at a mile or a greater dis ¬ tance tanceAlthough Although the Bowie track is a particularly difficult one for many horses Joseph McLen nan in his excellent programs has had the platers racing over considerable distances ever fiince he has had the making of the book Ilis success with these races furnishes an excellent example for some of the other racing secre ¬ taries who though their meetings come later in the year have their racing cards cluttered up with sprints for horses three years old and over overTlie Tlie Jockey Club with a desire to make the races adequate has two rules looking to this regulation of meetings One reads readsAfter After May 31 in each year only one over ¬ night event for a distance less than a mile for horses three years old and over shall be given on any race day dayThe The following rules provide that after June 30 in each year there shall be no race at less than fiveeighths fiveeighthsOf Of course these rules give the early meet ¬ ings a free hand in the making of their pro ¬ grams but the intent of the rules is plain It is a desire to as far as is possible to do away with sprints for old horses horsesUnfortunately Unfortunately some of the racing secretaries even well into the summer evade the intent of the rule by putting on an unreasonable number of twoyearold races There is no rule limiting the number of races for any one age and it affords easy work for those secre ¬ taries tariesOf Of course there are so many new twoyear olds each year that they should be afforded frequent opportunities but it is a mistake to have them dominate a racing program It is a business mistake for the reason that these little dashes for the juveniles do not afford much of a spectacle and they are never popu ¬ lar with the racing crowd crowdIt It is not much of a trick to patch out a program that is within the rules by filling in with twoyearold races but it is an un ¬ worthy entertainment to offer those who come out to view the sport sportEarly Early in the year races for twoyearolds are sure to fill exceedingly well but there seems to be no excuse for offering them more than two of a card of six races racesAll All of this refers to the eastern race season after May 31 31At At Belmont Park and Aqueduct last year it was the usual custom to have two such races a day though one of the Aqueduct programs showed three of the six races for twoyearolds Then at the meeting of the Empire City Rac ¬ ing Association in July there was one day when half of the program was devoted to two yearolds while on other days there were al ways two in which they could be started But at Saratoga in August where the best racing is annually expected there was a marked abuse of the intent of the rules Dur ¬ j ing the twentyseven days of racing at Sara ¬ toga there were nine days on which three of the six races were devoted to twoyearolds On some of these days the program also had a steeplechase In all there were sixtytwo races for the juveniles of the 192 races that were run That left 100 races to be divided up among the elder flat runners and the stee ¬ plechasers The same excuse for races for j twoyearolds does not exist in August as it does in June and July and the entertainment at this famous track where the best of the j East and West come together was not what i it should have been in 1922 1922Nor Nor does the West do much better There as in the East the twoyearolds are over raced to their detriment and the impairment of their ability to race well in the development of their future vears
