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Here and There on the Turf It was only after a long and thorough in ¬ vestigation that the stewards of The Jockey Club went through with the commendable house cleaning in preparation for the New York season that is to begin with the meet ¬ ing of the Metropolitan Jockey Club at Ja ¬ maica next Monday MondayThe The denial of some licenses was the least of this house cleaning What was much more far reaching in the effect for better sport came in the quiet warning to many others that it would avail them nothing if they made application And this was a warning to those who had intended a campaign over the New York circuit Before it is possible to conduct a racing stable there must be a registration of racing silks and it is there The Jockey Club has its control of the owners Any man may buy a horse but before he is eligible for racing the ownership must be registered and stable colors must be regis ¬ tered The Jockey Club by withholding the registration at once puts the bars up against any undesirable owner ownerDummy Dummy owners who owned nothing more than a set of colors and a registration of ownership have been a blot on racing for a considerable time and it was becoming a serious menace to clean racing in New York It is really an offence against racing that is hard to run down but The Jockey Club has been quietly conducting a thorough in ¬ vestigation and the stewards were well satis ¬ fied of the undesirability of each one of the prospective applicants for registration registrationAnd And the actual owner who employs these dummies to carry on his nefarious schemes is really more guilty than the poor devil who lends his name to the plan They are in ¬ cluded in the general order that has gone against the pernicious practice practiceIt It is a big thing for racing and nothing has been done in many seasons that is more calculated to inspire respect and confidence in the sport Those who have been quietly informed that it would be useless for them to seek a registration if they are wise will seek no further The stewards of The Jockey Club took no action until the activities of every possible applicant were carefully in ¬ vestigated and any attempt to force the issue on the part of proposed applicants would only bring about unpleasant publicity of reasons for the ruling rulingIt It is hardly possible that any of the men rated as undesirable will go any further to attempt to force The Jockey Club to grant registration registrationOf Of course it is deplored that racing should be saddled with a menace that makes such a ruling necessary but such rulings give an idea of the absolute necessity of the govern ¬ ing body and an idea of some of the labors of these gentlemen whose duty it is to see to it that racing is kept above reproach Too often there is an idea that membership in The Jockey Club or on its board of stewards ia nothing more than a mark of social and sporting distinction Too often there is an idea that the officials of the turf are more or less figure heads They are not credited with any real labor in the interests of the turf turfOf Of course there has been no such estimate among those who know but the fact re ¬ mains that the racing public generally has no conception of half of the labor of the stewards of The Jockey Club And there is much accomplished quietly for the upbuilding of racing that shows a real devotion to the high office of these gentlemen gentlemenIn In recent years with great wealth coming to some men of questionable reputation and wealth acquired through questionable chan ¬ nels it is natural that many of them should be attracted to racing Many of these whose code of morals is peculiarly elastic have no conception of true sportsmanship They have no interest in the sport that is commendable They care nothing for the horse himself nor the perpetuation and improvement of the breed They have on occasions debauched the sport for their own selfish ends and they are a constant menace It is against such that the stewards of The Jockey Club must use constant vigilance and this most recent action tells of how wide awake the stewards have become to the evils of the sport sportJust Just as long as the stewards of The Jockey Club show the devotion to clean racing sug ¬ gested by the recent action there need be no fear of the rascals of the sport bringing it into disrepute
