§ LORD REDESDALEsaid, he had to ask their Lordships to give a first reading to a 1103 Bill for regulating the weights carried by racehorses. The ridiculously light weights now carried in some cases led to gambling practices on the turf, and were, he believed, exceedingly prejudicial to the breed of horses. At one time Parliament imposed restrictions on the weights allowed to be run at races; and although that Act had been repealed, the evil now prevailed to such an extent, that, although it might not be possible to remedy it altogether, something ought to be done. Every one, he thought, would admit that if a horse could not carry seven stone he could be of no use except to swell the crowd of horses in a race, and could not answer any legitimate purpose of racing. He proposed to enact by his Bill, that after the 1st January, 1861, no horse should start for any racing prize carrying less than seven stone, under penalty of forfeiture of the horse and £200. The penalty was made recoverable by any person whatever in the superior courts, and the person suing should be entitled to one moiety of the penalty, the other moiety being applicable to a weight for age race over the same course on which the illegal race had been run. The offender was also to pay double costs. He would not at present name a day for the second reading, in order that persons interested might have sufficient time for considering the matter.
§ Bill to prevent the entering or running Horses carrying very light weights for any Plate or Money, presented, and read la.