272 HANDBOOK OF THE TURF. 



exactly one thousand seven hundred and sixty yards in length ; 



whether straight away, kite, oval or ring-shaped. 



The great point in track building is to get a perfect cushion— one that 

 is smooth, springy and clean, where there is a certain amount of 

 yielding when the foot strikes, bnt yet no softness of surface. The 

 aim is to have Ihe track smooth yet springy, to have it clean Avith- 

 ont being hard, and elastic without being clinging. — ^Training the 

 Trotting Horse, Charles Marvin. 



The kite trade is considered to be about two seconds faster than the 

 ordinary or regulation track, because it consists almost entirely of 

 two long stretches; but it is of course very unsatisfactory to tlie 

 spectator, who is able to see in any real sense, only the beginning 

 and the finish of the race. It seems unlikely that these tracks will 

 long be tolerated. — Road, Track and Stable, H. C. Merwin. 



Track, Covered. The only covered mile track in the 

 world is that at the breeding farm of Henry C. Jewett, Jewett- 

 ville, (near Buffalo), N. Y. It is completely covered, shingled 

 and painted, forming an enclosure 5286 feet long. The build- 

 ing is lighted by twenty thousand panes of glass, has a grand 

 stand that will seat twenty-five persons, and has electric bells 

 at each quarter post. The surface of the track is made in a 

 series of small grades the highest of which is thirteen feet in 

 one hundred, so that the muscles of the horse are changed six 

 times in going one mile. 



Track Decorviin. By the trotting rules, improper 

 language to officers or judges, or to drivers, owners, trainers, 

 riders or attendants ; loud shouting ; making improper use of 

 the whip, or other improper conduct is strictly forbidden dur- 

 ing the pendency of a heat, and is punishable by fine, suspen- 

 sion or expulsion. 



Track Rules. The special rules relating more particu- 

 larly to tracks are : That the track shall be measured by a 

 competent civil engineer, and its exact length obtained three 

 feet from the pole, that is, from the inside fence or ditch, and 

 his certificate of measurement, made under oath, shall be 

 deposited with the secretary of that national association of 

 w^hich the track is a member; that horses called for a race 

 have the exclusive right of the course, all other horses being 

 obliged to leave the track ; that horses meeting on a track shall 

 pass to the left, and that the track must be level. Upon this 

 last point the rule of the American Trotting Register Associa- 

 tion is, that "the registrar is instructed not to accept for pur- 

 poses of registration the record of any animal not made on a 

 track where the start and finish are not on the same level." If 

 a track is not in membership with the national associations, a 

 person winning a premium or purse has no redress for non- 

 payment of the same ; but if it is an association track the man- 

 agement can be suspended for non-payment of premiums. 



