TOD SLOAN 



As several officials have been mentioned in this 

 chapter and the starting gate discussed in the previous 

 one, there might be just a word or two about the 

 system of judging. Photographing the finishes has 

 been tried in Belgium and the film records kept. I 

 had a chance of seeing one privately on one occasion 

 when it was proved beyond doubt that the judge's 

 verdict was incorrect. Perhaps the system of the 

 film will never come into general use but other things 

 could be devised where a judge would be in a better 

 position to be absolutely correct. To begin with 

 every horse should have his number largely indicated 

 on the saddle cloth. This would help both the public 

 and the official. I also favour raising the height of 

 judges' boxes ; there would be much more oppor- 

 tunity of viewing those in front, especially on wide 

 courses, such for instance as Newmarket. But what 

 should be done also is that there should be a screen 

 erected on one side of the box which should make it 

 impossible for the judge to follow the race with his 

 eye until the horses were almost passing him, then he 

 could take in the first, second, third and fourth. As 

 it is now a judge follows the leaders for a long way and 

 may get one set of colours fixed in his mind and not 

 get it out of it even by the time the verdict has to be 

 given. His duty is to see the horses as they pass the 

 post and that is all. This would be a scheme to try 

 and see how it worked. I am quite sure that there 

 will be many criticisms of this suggestion, chief of 

 which may be that the judge has to look out for foul 

 riding and give his evidence if necessary. My editor 

 reminds me that in the Ascot Gold Cup, when Eider 

 and The Wliite Knight ran a dead -heat and the 

 former was disqualified, the judge's evidence went a 

 great deal towards the decision of the stewards. A 



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