view raw text
Mehorter Elected N ASRC President Seventeen Seekina Massachusetts Jersey Solon Heads National Turf Body BodyAdopt Adopt Legislation Committee Report Perlman Swinebroad And Morris Give Addresses AddressesBy By CHARLES HATTON HATTONBOSTON BOSTON Mass June 9 An election of officers originally scheduled for Wednes ¬ day an open forum and a very profound report submitted by the Committee oir Legislation and presented by Judge Earl Moyer highlighted the second days busi ¬ ness session of the National Association of State Racing Commissioners in this his ¬ toric city cityThe The new officers unanimously approved by the members are president Hugh L Mehorter NJ first vicepresident Dr F R Menne Ore second vicepresident Wathen Knebelkamp Ky third vice president Thomas J Beedem Mass and Dr Curtis A Haggard Fla treasurer Mrs A E Billie Smith was reelected sec ¬ retary and assistanttreasurer Mehorter is chairman of the New Jersey commission and formerly was speaker of the state as ¬ sembly He now is an insurance executive Dr Menne and Knebelkamp who is a Louisville distiller also are chairmen of their commissions and Beedem who owns a chain of mens clothing stores in New England formerly was chairman of his commission Dr Haggard head of the Flor ¬ ida turf governing body is a dentist of Miami MiamiRecommendations Recommendations Accepted AcceptedOne One of the more important developments of this convention was the acceptance by the NASRC of the legislation committees report incorporating the following recom ¬ mendations 1 That a committee on legislation be appointed for the ensuing year 2 That said committee continue its study of the properiety of a uniform racing code for all states in which racing is legal ¬ ized 3 That the NASRC through its com ¬ mittee on legislation respectfully protest to the Congress of the United States the Passage of legislation which will discrim ¬ inate against racing 4 That the National Association oppose the passage of legislation which prohibits or seeks to prohibit the transmission to legitimate publications of complete infor ¬ mation respecting racing or the placing of undue restriction or regulations on racing that are not applied to other sports 5 That the committee continue its study of legislation on the state level and confer conferContinued Continued on Page Five EARL MOVER The Nebraska commis ¬ sioner presented the report of the com ¬ mittee on legislation at yesterdays ses ¬ sion of the National Association of State Racing Commissioners 4 4Hugh Hugh LMehorter of New Jersey Elected President of NASRC Adopt Legislation Committee Report Perl man Swinebroad And Morris Give Addresses AddressesContinued Continued from Page One Onewith with commissions boards and others on legislative matters when requested to do so 6 That the National Association is op ¬ posed to increased taxation in the several jurisdictions in which racing is legalized and should exercise every reasonable means to discourage the trend in that direction 7 That each commission furnish the central office of the association at Lexing ¬ ton copies of all bills introduced for passage in the several legislative bodies which af ¬ fect racing and the information thus ob ¬ tained be forwarded to the members of the committee on legislation for study and for such action as may be deemed appropriate appropriateSpeakers Speakers in the course of the open forum were J JSamuel Perlman publisher of DAILY RACING FORM and The Morning Tele ¬ graph the TRAs John A Morris the Thoroughbred Club of Americas George Swinebroad the Jockey Guilds Bert ThompsonSterling Young and Ike Bassett and Gerry Sullivan president of the New England Turf Writers Association And each of the speakers proved to have some ¬ thing of value to offer his audience audienceThere There was only one dislocation or open divergence of opinion during the forum Swinebroads speech approved by the TCA directorate referred to a feeling among breeders I have talked with to be op ¬ posed to the payment o fifth money in purse distribution Fourth moneys are enough A few moments later Perlman advocated fifth moneys and observed Many who have discussed this matter with me have offered the reasonable suggestion that fifth money should not be paid in claiming races under 7500 and should be confined only to allowance races and high priced claiming races in order to discourage the racing of cheap horses They also be ¬ lieve that the payment beyond the fourth horse would help race tracks fill the bet ¬ ter races racesTo To Examine Matter Further FurtherClearly Clearly from the statistics quoted by the publisher he had made a study of the dis ¬ tribution And both he and Swinebroad seemed to consider the matter important enough to the economic soundness of rac ¬ ing to warrant further examination examinationThe The first speaker introduced by the pre ¬ siding officer D Thomas Testa was Gerry Sullivan He was brief saying I have only one point Id like to get home You dont have to be told of the tremendous gains racing has made in xecent years You need not be reminded that the sport con ¬ tinues to grow in popularity and with its growing pains closer supervision becomes more and more important importantAt At the moment there is a movementJn New England that would eliminate a very important question from owners applica ¬ tion forms The question that a minority would choose to delete reads in effect Were you ever arrested or convicted of a crime other than traffic violations violationsSupporters Supporters of the movement maintain this question may bring to light something that goes back 30 years something that has been well paid for and should be forgotten But what they done emphasize is that an honest answer of the question does not nec ¬ essarily mean that an applicant would be denied a license licenseIt It is my information that an honest answer would be reviewed by the stewards and the racing commission and a decision arrived at atBefore Before closing I would like to commend the New England racing commissioners for their continued cooperation with the press Never has there been an attempt to evade a question Information has always been available at all times a situation I know will always prevail prevailAsks Asks More FillyMare Races RacesSwineboroad Swineboroad followed Sullivan on the rostrum His address contained a renewa of thoroughbred breeders pleas for more filly and mare races so vital in stabilizing the bloodstock industry commercially and as a selection of future broodmares broodmaresThe The noted auctioneer said for a good many years the Thoroughbred Club has gathered statistics on the number of mare and filly races in North America in com ¬ parison with the total number of races The latest figures available show that only 46 per cent of the races held at the nations tracks permitted mares and fillies to race against each other The other 95 per cent of the time they had to compete againsl more rugged male horses and thus were at a disadvantage disadvantageBreeders Breeders would like to see more races for fillies and mares so that the process of broodmare selection could be advanced and so mares and fillies wouldbe able to re ¬ main in competition long enough to prove their merit or their lack of merit from still another standpoint breeders are at a disadvantage because of the present pat ¬ tern in American racing This is from the marketing standpoint Slightly more than 50 per cent of all the thoroughbred foals born each year are females yet the oppor ¬ tunity for selling females at a price com ¬ parable to male horses is markedly lower In 1952 at the auction sales for yearling thoroughbreds colts sold for an average price of slightly above 5000 while fillies brought an average of about 3400 It costs a breeder just as much to raise a filly as it does a colt yet he has to sell his fillies for about onethird less than he could get for a comparable colt The reason for this is simply that buyers are lukewarm toward fillies as racing prospects because they havent the earning potential of colts ex ¬ cept in rare cases casesTurning Turning now to the somewhat piquant subject of purse distribution Swinebroad commented It takes a brave horseman to undertake to campaign the average horse for a whole year on a bankroll of or less than 3500 and it takes careful management to hold costs to this level The fact is that for a normal operation with average horses the cost of keeping a horse in training for a year lies between 4500 and 5000 This includes shipping charges veterinary fees shoeing insur ¬ ance training charges racing colors jock ¬ ey fees wages of grooms and exercise boys and other essential items You can no more keep a horse in training without having to meet these expenses than you can operate your automobile on air airTrack Track Operators and Purse Distribution DistributionKeeping Keeping in mind this minimum of 3500 which I consider to be the barest of minimums Against this place the fact that the average starter at a North Ameri ¬ can track last year earned only about 2700 This figure can be verified in The American Racing Manual The Manual re ¬ cords the total purse distribution in 1952 was 62950000 The Manual also states that 23813 horses started on North Ameri ¬ can tracks last year Divide 63950000 by 23813 and the answer is 2686 That is an average potential of 2686 per starter and it also is a theoretical potential because some horses actually won more than that since racings prizes go to the fleetest and still many horses earned substantially less As the representative of the Thor ¬ oughbred Club of America I have no de ¬ sire to project myself of my organization into a dispute which already has provoked a great deal of bitterness and harsh talk Btit I do suggestt hat if race horse owners are willing to face the odds that constantly confront them in the hope of making i little money or at least breaking even then race track managements might well be beContinued Continued on Page ThirtyHint Hugh LMehorter of New Jersey Elected President of NASRC Adopt Legislation Committee Report Perl man Swinebroad SwinebroadAnd And Morris Give Addresses Continued from Page Five Fivesatisfied satisfied with a reasonable return on their ness to meet the horsemen and arrive at a investment and ezhibit a sincere willing purse distribution figure which takes into account the cost of maintaining a racing stable stableSwinebroads Swinebroads address also brought out that the TCA finds a growing resentment 1 of 100000 purses that it would suggest all commissions availal themselyes of the TRPBs services when advisable and that it feels the tote and film patrol should be adopted by all tracks Swinebroad con ¬ cluded by saying that the few undesirables who turn up in the ranks of the horsemen and many undesirables among the horses may be expelled through a careful screen ¬ ing of applications for stalls stallsPerlman Perlman next was recognized prefacing the text of his address with some rather penetrating observations He commented that I believe this association is in many ways the most important organization in U S racing The supervision of the sport is in your hands It is your responsibility to approve officials officialsSome Some have deplored that NASRC has not accomplished as much work as they would like but I am profoundly impressed by the progress that it has made The dis ¬ cussions one might almost say arguments are a healthy indication Perlman thought possibly the NASRC undertakes discussing too many subjects in its conventions He suggested perhaps its functions might be expedited also if committee reports made available to the members for study welMn advance of the date of convening so that they would come better prepared to act He saw no reason for considering such matters as night racing and offcourse wagering in conventions held during an interval they are not a problem problemTurning Turning to racing generally Perlman estimated that In many ways the turf has made much progress Much of its wide spreading public acceptance is owing its supervision Pausing to compliment Spen ¬ cer Drayton the TRA and other forces for improved public relations the publisher warned that the authorities must be ex ¬ tremely careful the enforcement of the stimulations rules is in no way relaxed The beginning of public confidence is in the saliva tests he declared declaredPerlman Perlman Presents Statistics StatisticsIn In thejjourse of his speech relative to the distribution of purse moneys appear ¬ ing elsewhere in this edition Perlman pre ¬ sented some rather illuminating statistics in support of his advocacy of fifth moneys moneysAnd And concerning the TCAs remarks in the latter he observed that they may be right However I feel that everybody in any way interested should make a thorough study of the subject The mere fact that the present pattern of purse distribution closely parallels an original conceived more than a century ago raises aTquestion in my mind if it any longer applies and is practicable Conditions in 1894 were so vastly different from those in 1953 Perl ¬ man noted that racing quite apart from being the finest of all sports has become a major industry When I was in England last season he recalled I was struck by the comparatively small values of the purses The distribution makes it impera ¬ tive the owners with a rare few exceptions must win a bet in order to maintain their stables One can readily imagine the temp ¬ tations Horses are trained in private It becomes very important to obtain the best odds possible possiblePerlmans Perlmans reference to the situation in England was very appropriate to his sub ¬ ject of a broader purse distribution for the reason that not only are the winners shares of most events relatively small but the minor awards are negligible in the ex ¬ treme The old theory of winner take all or nearly all no longer is feasible and sound economically On the contrary it is fraught with dangers to the sport For nat ¬ urally as the distribution becomes less ade ¬ quately distributed there is a relative in ¬ crease in the incentive to be dishonest dishonestJockeys Jockeys Guild Officials Heard HeardRepresentatives Representatives Thompson Young anc Bassett of the Jockeys Guild were nexl heard in the order in which we have men ¬ tion them Each had prepared an interest ¬ ing address Thompsons is as follows followsIt It is most pleasant for me to attend an ¬ other meeting of the NASCR I look for ¬ ward each year to this opportunity to dis ¬ cuss what has been accomplished in racing during the year yearYou You will recall that during that 1952 convention in San Francisco it was agreed that the Jockeys Guild would evolve a standard apprentice contract which could be adopted to all states I am pleased to report that the Guild has worked closely with The Jockey Club in preparing the contract now in use in New YorkThis contract specifies a minimum monthly salary plus board medical and traveling expenses It also states that 35 per cen of the money earned by the apprentice be held in trust until he is 21 An apprentice must be at least 16 when the contract is signed but it not granted approval to ride until he is 17 17Thompson Thompson interposed here that some states may be unable to go along with the plan of holding 35 per cent earned in trust trustThe The Jockeys Guild is heartily in favor of these points The directors have long felt that more care should be taken in de ¬ veloping the apprentice rider The appren ¬ tice riders come from all walks but all are instilled with a common desire to ride in races Usually they do not take much in ¬ terest in the financial arrangements con corned with a contract All too often they find themselves bound to an employer who is more interested in securing the services of a combination groom exercise boy and hotwalker at a low salary than he is in developing a race rider It is tragic to see these boys when their contracts have been terminated or transferred Their meager knowledge of the fundamentals of riding has not prepared them lor the competition of race riding Eagerness and native ability can never take the place of experience These boys should be protected from the employer who callously places them under contract at a poor salary when he is well aware that he may never give them the opportunity to ride which they are so anxiously awaiting awaitingUrge Urge Adoption of New York Contract ContractThe The directors of the Jockeys Guild strongly urge that all states adopt the con tract now in use in New York Copies are filed with the Jockey Club the racing commission and the Jockeys Guild This keeps the Guild informed of all new con ¬ tracts It would be appreciated if reports were also made of transfer of contracts Many times the Guild receives requests of aid from jockeys whose contracts have been transferred several times This practice should be voided as it is most difficult to trace the different transactions If the Guild is notified of each transfer proper records could be maintained maintainedThere There is also much confusion on the number of winners ridden by an apprentice It is vital that this information be correct jmuch depends upon it most important being the weight allowance When these records are loosely kept an apprentice may continue to claim the allowance without realizing he is not entitled to do so Some thought should be given to furnishing the apprentice with a book in which the stew ¬ ards could enter each of his winners This could be carried with him from track to track and would be ah accurate record of his mounts It would save a great deal of confusion and would be well worth the time the stewards spend in entering the statistics If the stewards insisted that the apprentice present the book when he ap ¬ plied for a license the rider would soon develop the habit of delivering the book to the stewards at the beginning of the meet ¬ ing and reclaiming it when he moves on I onI am most happy with the progress made to improve conditions for the riders A uniform contract will be one more step in this prgress The Guild would like to bring another matter with reference to licensing to the attention of you gentle ¬ men Sterling Young will now present this subject subjectYoung Young Speaks SpeaksYoung Young began with I would like to dis ¬ cuss some of the problems I have encount ¬ ered regarding rulings According to the Guilds bylaws a ride must be in good standing with all racing officials to be eligible for membership in the Jockeys Guild When he is suspended he is auto ¬ matically suspended from Guild member ¬ ship shipHowever However there have been several in ¬ stances in which a rider does not have an official ruling placed against him but is requested to withdraw his application and move to another track The Guild appre ¬ ciates the reluctance of the officials to issue a ruling and so place a mark on the riders record However instead of helping his reputation they are actually injuring it Homehow the news always gets around that such and such jockey is not welcome at a certain track Immediately suspicions are aroused and when that rider applies for a license at another track he is in ¬ formed that his application cannot be ap ¬ proved until he is cleared at the original track It becomes a merrygoround for all concerned The rider appeals to the Guild and since officially he is in good standing the Guild is honor bound to assist him Sometimes this brings accusations that the Guild is interceding for riders who are un ¬ deserving Gentlemen every rider is considered de ¬ serving unless proof is given to the con ¬ trary We feel that it is unfair to him and to racing to simply ignore his misdeeds by requesting him to leave If he has done wrong he should be punished When he has served his suspension he should be given an opportunity to apply for a license without any off the record misdemeanor hanging over him The Jockeys Guild will never knowingly front for an offender but strongly feels he should be given an oppor opporContinucd Continucd on Page FortyTwo Hugh Mehorter Elected President of NASRC NASRCConvention Convention Adopts Legislation Committees Important Report ReportContinued Continued from Page ThirtyNine ThirtyNinetunity tunity to prove his innocence or guilt We are asking riders to request a hearing when they are asked to leave a track on suspicion and sincerely hope that you gentlemen will grant these requests You will be doing them a great service serviceDiscusses Discusses Rough Riding RidingWhile While on the subject of rulings I would like to bring up the subject of rough riding You will recall that the Guild requested that a minimum suspension of 10 days be give nf or rough riding The Guild received splendid cooperatio nand found the de ¬ crease in accidents most gratifying How ¬ ever the directors are much concerned with the growing tendency of some stew ¬ ards to revert to the old practice of levying fines or setting the rider down for a few days for rough riding This is regrettable for the minimum 10day suspension has proved its worth The riders may have a tendency to become careless and all the good work accomplished will be lost The Guild will much appreciate it if you will bring this to the attention of the racing stewards and request that a minimum sus ¬ pension of 10 days for rough riding be ad ¬ hered to at all times timesI I am much pleased to be here and to be given this opportunity to present the jock ¬ eys views on this subject There is no place in racing for the habitual offender but care must be taken that the innocent do not suffer because of the guilty I would now like to introduce Ike Bassett the Guilds Central Section manager who will speak to you regarding jockeys fees Proposed Scale of Fees FeesIn In 1946 the Jockeys Guild requested all racing commissions to consider these factors and increase the mount fees in effect at that time You gentlemen were most cooperative and a higher scale was adopted Since that time racing has pros ¬ pered Changes have been made in purse distribution but jockey fees have remained static For example in my territory the minimum purse at one meeting was 900 in 1951 The minimum purse at that meet ¬ ing is now 1500 But the losing mount fee of 15 remains the same sameIn In order to evolve an equitable distribu ¬ tion I am offering the following graduated scale of mount fees for your consideration Purse Losing Mt 3rd ML 2nd Mt Winning Mt Bassett said It gives me great pleasure to be here as a representative of the riders in the central section and bring your at ¬ tention to one of their problems problemsI I believe that the subject of riding fees is of importance to all riders We are well aware that the cost of living has increased tremendously during the past few years Unfortunately the jockeys earnings have not kept pace with this thisRace Race riding is a hazardous profession The jockeys take the highest risks and re ¬ ceive a small proportion of the monies paid The majority of riders have brief careers because of increasing weight injuries etc Therefore their earning capacities are limited limitedMost Most Increase From Second Down DownYou You will notice that the maximum in ¬ crease is in the second third and losing mounts Only one rider can win each race therefore a greater number of riders would benefit through this increase increaseWhen When you consider the agent and valet fees depreciation of tack plus the high taxes now in effect I feel sure you will agree the riders are not asking too much muchThe The Guild is appreciative of the interest you have shown in the problems of the jockeys and will be grateful for your assist ¬ ance in the adoption of the proposed scale of mount fees on a nationwide basis basisTesta Testa then introduced John A Morris president of the TBA Morris address ap ¬ pears elsewhere in this edition He made some very peritnent wellreceived remarks concerning the enforcement of the rules and regulations and the importance of keeping legislators informed of racings economic facts of life lifeOf Of the rules Morris feels very strongly stronglythey they must be universally recognized recognizedand and applicable to all without modification modificationor or relavation This is the first basis of a firm foundation foundationAnd And of the spiraling takes Morris said The relationship between increased taxa ¬ tion and dwindling parimutuel play and consequent reduction of revenue has been observed in recent years Hiinformed or uninformed legislators however are quick to seek still further taxes on the partici ¬ pants dollar It is to fight the tendency toward everincreasing taxation by the aforementioned educationalmeans Moyer Describes Legal Status StatusEarl Earl Moyer then addressed the assembled turf solons and satraps with a foreword to his legislation committee report Moyer de ¬ scribed at some length and with great par ¬ ticularity the precise legal status and functions of racing commissions He said the most vital problem facing the NASRC today is the difficulty some times experi ¬ enced in settling disputes between manage ¬ ment and horsemen The state also is a partner A measure of state appropriations is represented by anticipated racing rev ¬ enue I believe in negotiation and arbi ¬ tration Also that racing as a sport should not suffer because of the managements horsemen nor anybody alse We the com ¬ missioners must act in pursuance of the delegated authority vested in commissions by the people peopleThere There are no absolute cures and a de ¬ gree of flexibility must be maintained It would some times seem that horsemen are not altogether convinced commissions are as much on their side in these issues as on the side of the tracks tracksWe We must be unbiased We are quasi judicial bodies And it is our duty to re ¬ main strictly impartial And yet as I re ¬ view instances of disagreements manage ¬ ment has consistently wielded rightly or wrongly This puts us in bad light 1 be ¬ lieve that we adminstering racing must permit negotiations and arbitration to the fullest extent But that when the dis ¬ putants are unable to reach an agreement then the commissions must intervene in the interest of the public and the sport Full divulgence of the facts should be de ¬ manded to determine what is right We may remind horsemen we have the right to insist tracks operate in the interests of the public We Cannot go on placing our ¬ selves in bad light And racing cannot be overridden by organizations as if their con ¬ cern is that only one interest is to be served Our primary interest is the best interest of the sport and public
