St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-12
WHIPS AND TIPS.
Gossip of Horses. Their Owners
and Trainers.

and Trainers.
A new and distinct class of turf fol-
lowers has spIung up i'll the last five or
six years-the commissioners. The
commissioner is the man who places the
money for the big bettOTs. He must be
keen-eyed, quick-witted and active. for
it is his duty TO push through the
crowds about the bookmakers' stands
and pluck off the very best odds. The
commissioner must especially have good
Judgment about odds, for if the odds go
up after he has placed his bets it may
make $4,000 or $1,000 difference to his
employer. There are twenty or thirty
of these men at Monmouth Park now,
and they are paid from SIS to S25 day
for their work. OF course they must be
perfectly trustworthy, for they some
times handle $4,000 in single day.
Sometimes the big bettors will employ
a dozen of them on race. When the
bOOkmaker puts up his odds a man of
fers him 800, or 500, or $500 immedi-
ately. He takes the bet. At the same
time dozen other bOOkmakeTs have
taken similar bets: then there is great
wiping off of chalk and cutting of odds.
This method of placing money is en-
piOyed because bookmakers are notori-
ously timid. and if they saw one man
coming down the line with a roll of
money, betting on one horse. they would
cut the odds on general principles.
Previous to the days of Solomon
horses were rare among the Hebrews,
but it appears that the author of the
famous remark about all being vanity
was great admlrer OF horses, and after
his marriage with the daughter of
ha hoI hnrcnC hrnI1nnf Of
Egypt, and so rapidly did he multiply
them by purchase and breeding that
those kept for his own use required, as
it is written, 1000 stables and 40, 600
Stalls.'' Hence. when hOnored by a
visit from the beautiful queen of Sheba,
bringing with her ''camels bearing
Spices and very much gold and prec-
ious stones" it was doubtless in the
contemplation of his magnificent stud
of horses and chariots, kept for the
amusement of his Mormon settlement
of wives. as we'll as of his other vast
displays of power and mag niticence,
that her majesty exclaimed in the full
ness of her admiration: "HoWbeit [
believed not the words until came and
mine eyes had seen it, and behold the
half was not told me-" This gallant
monarch appears to have enjoyed a
monopoly of the horse trade in Egypt.
His merchants supplied horses in great
abundance to the Hittite kings. The
fixed price was 150 shekels for one horse
and 600 shekels for a set of chariot
horses.
Four weeks of good sport in the pleas
ant month of September will be pro-
vided by the Great Northern circuit
Stevens Point, Wis, holds the opening
meeting on Sept. 4, and 6, and an eX-
cellent bill of fare has been provided.
The trotters will compete in the 500,
$50, 2:40. 2:34, 2:30 and the free-for-all
classes. and there is also class for
warnings. Three running races COM
Aug. %. Green Bay, Wis, is the sec
ond place in the circuit, and the pro-
gramme calls for the 500. 2:45. 2:40,
2::34, 2:30. 2:26 and the free-fOr-all trot-
ting classes ana the 2:30 pacing class.
The entry list for Green Bay closes on
Sept. 6. OcontO, Wis. has not yet pub
lished its programme. but the dates are
Sept. II, IS and 10. The last meeting of
the circuit will be held at MenOminee,
Mich. and the trotters are invited to
compete in the 800, 2:40. 2:34. 2:30, 2:25
and the free-for-all classes, and the
PAGERS in the 2:35 class. A purse for
runners and $500 special complete the
card.
Mai. P. P. Johnston, president of the
National Trotting association. has tenn
porarily reinstated j. n. Bradley. w.
Z. Leteher and Ed A. Upton, all of
whom are under the ban of suspension,
caused by W. R. Brasfeld showing dis
respect to the judges at the recent
trotting meeting at Paris, KY, by with
drawing from a race his mare Linnie
upon the refusal of those officials TO set