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[ DETROIT CHANGES RULE ] j ON DISQUALIFICATIONS j DETROIT, Mich., July 16.— The stewards of the Detroit Racing Association with the approval of racing commissioner Mark Hanna, Monday announced that commencing tomorrow, they will make optional with themselves the extent of disqualifications in races where a foul has been committed. This will give them the power instead of placing last a horse which finishes first, to place it second, if, in their opinion, no other horse in the race was interfered with. Joseph A. Murphy, for the stewards, made the following explanation for the reasons of the new order: "A disqualification is the most disconcerting thing in thoroughbred racing. We are building racing in Detroit up to a major sport, but we must not overlook the fact that we are dealing through an entirely new generation which has sprung up since horse racing was held in the city of Detroit and the majority of whom are entirely unfamiliar with racing and its rules. While a foul might be apparent to them, they are rather mystified when two horses are far out in front of their field and one of them is placed behind every other horse in the race, although all but the contender might be soundly beaten. Very frankly, I have often wondered why this should be so myself. The rule is not new. In the old days of racing in California, when judge Charles F. Price, E. C. Hopper and myself were the stewards, this rule was in vogue and continued so until the repeal of the old racing act there early in the century. The claim that was made at the time that it would be an inducement for a rider to take more chances, did not materialize and as I recall it, there was no more rough riding than there is at the present day. With the new rule, the stewards have announced that they will be more strict than ever with deliberate rough riders and will increase the punishment in all flagrant cases. They have notified all riders who persist in rough riding that a recommendation will be made to the commission to withdraw their licenses." The stewards also announced that if at any time a horse returned to the scales short of weight and it became necessary to disqualify it, mutuel tickets on such horse would be refunded. This, however, does not include cases where a horse carries the weight on the program or corrected on the bulletin board and a protest is filed on the grounds that it failed to carry its proper weight or that an allowance to which it was not entitled had been claimed. In such cases the stewards may disqualify such horse without affecting the betting.
