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NEW RULES FOR ILLINOIS Aurora "Daily Double" and Quinella Close Before Post Time. Jockey Agents Eliminated This Year-Graded Handicaps Scheduled in Place of Claiming Races. AURORA, III., April 22 Racegoers addicted to such specialized forms of wagering as the "Daily Double" and "Quinella" will be forced to abandon their former habit of waiting until the horses are near the post during the coming Illinois season, which opens a week from tomorrow at Aurora. In order to bring the practice at Illinois race courses closer to the standard which major race tracks everywhere are adopting, the closing time of the mutuels on "Daily Doubles" and "Quinellas" will be advanced five minutes this season. Regular betting may still be continued until the first horse has entered the starting gate, but "Double" and "Quinella" windows will be closed five minutes before the advertised post time. The change has been requested by the Illinois racing commission as a compromise measure. In Florida, California and New England, the "Doubles" wagering is closed fifteen minutes before the advertised post time for the first race of the combination. The change was recommended by the National Association of Racing Commissioners, which in turn was merely reflecting the wishes of thousands of racegoers. Many bettors, while making a "Daily Double" wager each afternoon as a matter of course, likewise desire to back up or bet around their choices in the regular mutuels. With both "Doubles" and mutuels closing simultaneously, they have often found themselves waiting in the "Doubles" lines so long that the regular mutuels had closed before they were given a chance to protect their "Doubles" wagers. Other experiments of several sorts which have been suggested by the Illinois racing commission and the National Association will be tried out at Aurora, which has ever been receptive toward possible improvements in the sport. One of the most significant will be the attempt to eliminate entirely the "jockey agent," an individual who serves as a contact man between the jockey and the trainer who is seeking a rider for his horse in a particular race. While there have been able jockey agents in the past, many of them are regarded as pests by racing men, and sporadic attempts have been made to eliminate them from the sport for many years. The Illinois racing commission will this season grant no licenses to jockey agents, nor will any badges be issued to them by racing secretaries. A jockeys engagements will be made by his contract employer if he is under contract. If he is riding free lance a system will be worked out, if possible, whereby the securing of mounts for him will be handled through the racing secretarys office without the payment of any fee by the jockey being necessary. Among other suggestions which Aurora will carry out are those requesting the running of graded handicaps in place of the better grade of claiming races, of carding more races exclusively for fillies, of running as many races as possible for horses foaled in Illinois in order to encourage the states breeding industry, and of raising weights in order that experienced jockeys may be given a larger share of the opportunities to ride that now fall only to the lightweight and inexperienced apprentice youngsters.
