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Here and There on the Turf Michigan Claiming Rule License to Claim Unjust UnjustHow How Racing Is Already Taxed Prospects for Detroit Sport Joseph A Murphy director of racing or the Detroit Racing Association hasl under ¬ taken to cear up what he considers a mis ¬ understanding over the claiming rule adopted by the Michigan Racing Commis ¬ sion but his explanation is not entirely sat ¬ isfactory isfactoryHe He quotes the rule that all persons not owning a staljle or authorized as an agent for a stable who desire to make a claim must take out a license the fee for which is 25 That is the very point where it is con ¬ tended the open claiming rule is nullified It is not an open claiming rule if the claim ¬ ant is required to be licensed before he is eligible to make a claim That is anything but open claiming claimingJudge Judge Murphy goes on to explain that mich a rule makes possible an investigation of the individual who makes the claim It Is also set forth that the rule is to prevent the claiming of a horse and then shipping him away to another course It was cited that last year at Detroit the horse Bill Orange was claimed put of a race and it was at least a week before anyone knew what had become of the horse or who had claimed him It would have been impossible with the records correctly kept not to know who had claimed the horse and the disposition of the horse after he has been claimed is no concern to any one other than his owner Open claiming means that any one is eligible to make a claim When a license is required1 to make a claim it is not open claiming claimingNo No association has the right to tell any claimant that he must not ship the horse away from the track As a matter of fact to require a license would not insure against the shipping of the horse to another track There is nothing in judge Murphys ex ¬ planation of the rule that alters the fact that open claiming is nullified if a claimant has to be licensed before he can take a horse from a claiming race raceThere There was no end of abuse in the racing of selling platers before the present claim ¬ ing rule that is the open claiming rule was adopted by various governors of racing and when it is properly administered it is a positive bar against safely masquerading a horse at less than his actual value valueThe The horse should be the same price in a race as he is at the stable door The purse money is a premium that may be won while the race is merely a showcase for a horse that has a fixed value Of course many horses are entered that are not really for sale but unless they are entered below ac ¬ tual value there is small chance of them Deing claimed The open claiming where nyone may make their claim is a necessary otection against collusion as was possible ihen only those with starters in the race were eligible to make claims There should be no obstacle thrown in the way of the claiming of horses if they arc to be honestly valued It makes no difference who shall make the claim or what disposition he makes of the horse after he is claimed The horse is his property to do with as he chooses and it is only a concern of the racing association to see that the rules of racing are observed The reputation of the man who should make Continued on twentyfifth page HERE AMD THERE ON THE TURFli Continued from second page a claim can not be questioned until he at temps to race the horse The associations only have a jurisdiction over the horse and the man in racing and no association has hasany any right to question a reputation before an effort is made to take part in the racing racingThe The claiming of a horse out of a race has hasnothing nothing whatever to do with racing itself and the claimant might claim a horse for breeding purposes or for some other en deavor other than racing It is ridiculous to require that such a claimant be asked to prove his reputation before he is eligible to make the claim Claiming of horses should be free from all restrictions and prohibitions if the idea of claiming races is carried out and horses j are raced for their actual value There is isno 1 no good reason for the Michigan rule and it surely is one that seeks to curb the free and unrestricted claiming as is intended in the rule that was written to keep these theseraces 1 races strictly for legitimate platers Incidentally it would be interesting to known just what qualifications commission er Hannah would require of an applicant for a claiming license other than the 25 25fee fee Owners trainers and jockeys already pay a considerable tax and they furnish the en tertainment When a horse is moved from one sector to another his trainer has to take out a new license and one must be taken out for the jockey that rides him Then there are some occupation taxes and in Florida it takes in every employe of a race course courseIn In the matter of licenses there should be a recognition of one license by every gov ¬ erning body with possibly a small fee for the registering of the license That has been suggested before but the national as ¬ sociation of racing commissions has not gone on record as even considering such an ex ¬ change of courtesies courtesiesThey They are seeking to bring about a uni ¬ form recognition of all rulings and this question of licenses and their recognition might well be considered Unfortunately in many states where a racing law has been enacted there has been shown a desire to squeeze the last dollar possible out of the sport The revenue from racing has been the big appeal and it has gone to rather unusual lengths in some states statesIn In Florida in addition to the tax on ad ¬ missions there is an employment tax of ten dollars that must be paid from the owners and the officials of racing right down to the swipes of the stables That is apart from the license fees that have already been charged the trainers and the jockeys Rac ¬ ing is paying its way despite the taxes im ¬ posed posedThe The associations have every reason to pay a considerable tax but when the tax reaches down among the horsemen trainers and their employes it is making racing pay a heavy toll tollThen Then with all the existing taxes on the sport Michigan racing is imposing another one A tax on the claiming of horses It is an unheard of regulation and can serve no good end in improving the conditions on claiming races In the meantime the Detroit season will be under way today and aside and apart from this unnatural rule there is every prospect that Michigan will have a brand of sport never before enjoyed in the state stateThe The awards for the meeting are liberal and the various specials that will be staged dur ¬ ing the long season will have immediate importance by reason of their value Already many of the best stables have entered liber ¬ ally in the offerings and will send some of their partThe best horses to take part The Detroit Derby with its added money value of 25000 at once takes its place with the big threeyearold classics of the year ind its running date June 16 fits in so admirably with other big prizes that it will probably bring together winners of the ear ¬ lier big features
