Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-23
LUCK ON THE TURF.
Some Popular Superstitions of the
Race Course.

Some Popular SuperstftiOns of the
Race Course.
That D. T. Withers has won so few
races at Monmouth this season may be
attributed to the scarcity OF crows in New
Jersey. A year ago the corn fields and
oat stubble along the line of the New
York and Long Branch railroad were
alive with these highly civilized and sa-
gacious friends of the farmer,
and whenever a race train sped
past there was vast chorus Of
caws and such a futtering of wings as
drew heads out of windows from one end
of the train to the other. And then the
old stagers we're wont to remark one to
another, "The all-black wins today"
No better or safer "tip" could have been
desired by those old-time followers of the
turf. When the all.black rose on the
wing nothing could have induced them
to invest their money in anything but
Brookdale horses.
II a person on the way to the race
track happens to run across United
s ates flag in such place as to have his
attention strongly directed toward it. his
first thought is ''Has Cassatt anything in
today?" He then goes over the pro-
gramme looking for a Chesterbrook
entry. Mr.. Cassatt's colors are com.
monty spoken of as the National colors,
but in reality they are more French than
American, and more Dutch than either.
When betting man loses nerve, after
a series of heavy losses, he will accept q
tip from anybody and anything. A
young man, who doesn't know one horse
from another, was approached in the
paddock few days ago by New Yorker
who bets from $500 to $1,000 on race,
and who is regarded as successful
"plunger."
'For heavens sake give me winner"
he implored. 81 haven't had place
horse in two weeks"
He was completely unstrung and
should have been in bed. As he spoke
crimson veil, such as pale women wear
over their hats and faces to heighten the
color, foated down from the Bridge of
Signs, as that part of the grand stand be-
tween the club house and the Secretary's
office is called, and fell at his feet. He
picked it up and noticed that it had a
narrow white border. At that instant
Heckler's buglei summoned the horses to
the post, and Tenny passed him with
Hamilton up, wearing the red and white
of the Pulsifer establishment. He
sought no better tip, but hurried to the
ring and put 81 900 on the winner of the
Choice Stakes, getting even money. He
held on to the veil till the race was run,
then called messenger boy and sent it
to the young woman who had lost it.
Many persons have an odd fancy for
backing horses according to certain num-
bers on the programme, but the reason
sv,~ nd IoApoffapn 0f kvxy<~ i
same. Suppose No. 2 wins the first race
and No. 6 runs the second. A concludes
by method of reasoning peculiar to
himself that No. must win the second
race because No. finished second in the
first. B argues that No. 2 is going to
win all the races because No.
2 won the first. @, who believes
in arithmetical progression, says that No.
3 will take the second race, No. the
third, and so on. d, who believes in geo.
metrical progression, contends that No. 4
will be successful in the second, No. s
in the third, and No. 16 in the fourth.
If No. should win the first race and No.
2 the second, there is likely to be a una
nimity of opinion with regard to the win
her of the third, for two reasons-6rst,
one and two make three; second, horses
always finish one-two-three.
A Spectator in doubt resorts to in
Vulnerable devices in his search for tips.
If only two horses 90 to the post he
probably fips dime, head for one, tails
for the other, to decide which is the
winner. If there are ten starters, he
writes their respective numbers on small
bits of paper, shakes them into his two
hands, presses the palms close together,
opens them and blows the numbers
away. The last one to leave his hand Is
the winner.
Women who bet have their faverite
messenger boys, and will allow no others
to place their commissions. ooh, where
is my lucky boy?" is the anxious in
quiry, that is heard over and over again.
If the lucky boy fails to turn up there is
no bet.
Sticking pin through the programme
from back to front is q popular method
of picking winners and it is about az good
a way as any in these degenerate times.
Of all tips that which is known at the
track as the "nigger tip is the best.
When an accident occurs at the starting
post, and jockey finds it necessary to
dismount, there is a great
scrambling among the superstitious to
bet on his horse. Many times this sea-
son this tip las been successful. It is
very remarkable, very mysterious. It
may be possible that REIMBURSEMENT of
the saddle or tightening of the girth in
fuses fresh spirit in the horse. At
the last Cedarhurst meeting, Donald,
an outsider in the betting spread
eagled field of fast horses.
There was much delay at the post and
much breaking away, in the course OF
which Donald's saddle slipped back I'M
til the girth became loose. The hackers
of the horse saw it and in their hearts
blamed the jockey, who seemed wholly
unconscious of the situation. Finally an
attendant called the starter attention to
Donald, and the jockey was ordered to
dismount Ehile the trainer moved the
saddle forward to its proper place and
frightened the cinch. Donald got of at
last, went through his horses like dose
of salts, and won hands down.
Many persons are playing the black
horses this year because of q superstitious
notion that it is time for the blacks to