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REMOVE CEILING ON WEIGHTS Imposts in Handicaps at Santa Anita Up to Handicapper. Horses Which Earn Weights Exceeding 130 Pounds Will Be Handicapped Accordingly in the Future. ARCADIA, Calif., April 16 The practice of making 130 pounds "tops" in weights for handicaps at Santa Anita Park, died with the meeting that closed last month. Henceforth there will be no "ceiling limit," so announced Dr. Charles Strub, general manager of the track here today. "Hereafter the assignment of weights will have no top limit. The bottom of 100 pounds is mandatory, under the rules of the California Horse Racing Board," Strub stated, "but the 130 pounds which Santa Anita formerly voluntarily .maintained as the top, will no longer be in effect. Instead, the weighting of horses in handicaps will be left solely to the judgment of the official handicapper and racing secretary. "If the studied opinion of the handicapper is that a horse should be assigned more than 130 pounds, the assignment shall be made. This will apply to all races at Santa Anita." MUCH CRITICISM. Though Dr. Strub did not so state, it is understood that considerable critcism has been voiced every winter at Santa Anita over the arbitrary weight limit, and that it was decided to eliminate cause for such criticism once and for all. It is realized that it will seldom be necessary to weight a horse at more than 130 pounds. However, the job of a handicapper and racing secretary will be made easier, as well as possibly making weights more equitable to all horses eligible, as they now will be able to start at the arbirtary bottom of 100 pounds and work upward without fear of running into an arbitrary top. The pronouncement will come in for considerable attention on the part of owners of "big horses" which may be eyeing the rich Santa Anita Handicap and other handicap events next winter. Incidentlly, it Was pointed out by turf experts that at the present time only two horses in America could possibly be weighted at over 130 pounds in any handicap event on the racing calendar for the next few months. These, of course, are War Admiral and Seabiscuit, and whether a weight of -over 130 pounds could be properly assigned either of them, would, of course, depend on the other horses eligible to compete in the race. PATTERNED AFTER NEW YORK. The scale of weights for California Is patterned after that of New York and gives 129 pounds as the absolute top. This is the scale for five-year-olds and upward at a mile and a quarter during March and April. During May it is 127 pounds and for the rest of the year it will be i.26 pounds. The scale for four-year-olds is 128 pounds during March and April and the same as for. five-year-olds and upward afterward during the year. Therefore, the scale for both Seabiscuit and War Admiral in their match race on May 30 at Belmont Park would be 127 pounds. The scale of weights, of course, does not govern the assignments of weights for handicap races, and handicappers.have frequently in the past assigned heavy burdens to standout horses.
