What is a Record?

What Is a Record ?

A Record is a fact written down officially for preservation and reference. When, in a race, the rules require the time made to be written down, the writing of that time is the "record" of the time made. The time is officially ascertained and officially recorded. When one horse trots against another, the time made by the horse first to the wire is recorded against him. When a horse trots against time, say to beat 2:28, and his time is recorded as 2:28, that time is officially ascertained and must be officially recorded. The essence of the contest in this case is the time made, and hence it must be measured with greater care than where it is horse against horse. Now, when the horse has been officially timed and that time officially recorded as shall we reject that fact because he did not trot a quarter of a second faster? How can we avoid accepting it as a fact duly ascertained and officially recorded? Where is the rule which provides that if a horse against time does not win, the time made shall not be a record? It makes no difference what the "usage" may have been in the long past, the rules as they now stand require the time so made to be recorded. They make it an official "record." We have always accepted it as a " record," and we will continue to so accept it till the rules provide that lime so made shall not be recorded. In this office we have nothing to do with the future racing career of the horse. All we want to know is that he trotted regularly and to rule in 2:2S#. and with this performance officially recorded we are compelled to admit him and his family to all the benefits of the 2:10 class.

Excerpted from

Wallace's monthly, Volume 14

By John Hankins Wallace