Morning journal and courier., 1890-03-07
ALUCKYVALENTINE.
The Most Remarkable Story of Bet.
 ting on Horses on Record.

The Most Remarkable Story Of Bet-
 ting on Horses on Record.
 From the Baltimore Sun.l
 A remarkable case of gambling luck occur ed in Baltimore race pool room on Satur- day. member of large grain and flour firm who now and then tries to pick out a winner of the races received valentine Fri day, which was the unique production of lady who knew his fondness for betting on races. The tenor of the verses was to the ef- feet that he had better play the seventh horse on the board for every race, as the judgement would be equally as sensible as trying to play the horse on their previous performances and their supposed present form. The merchant took the cue, after the manner of all gam- blers, from the humble crap player to the high-priced plunger, and though his judg- ment and the general opinion of the public and bookmakers was that the seventh horse was in most of the six races at Guttenburg Crank duffer," he showed his valentine, and asked what odds they would lay on a combin- antion, all six horses to win. Seven hundred dollars to $1 was laid willingly, as 1t was hardly possible that even ono of the horses would win. The merchant put g against $1,- 400, and was laughed at for doing 50. The first race was at five furlougs, and their wore ten starters. Bass Viol was number seven on the board. He won. The third race was at seven furlongs and had eleven starters. King Idler was the seventh on the slate. He won. The third race was at six furlongs and had ten starters. Paradise was number seven. He won. The fourth race was at one mile, with six starters. Wahoo headed the list on the board, and by counting down, the grain merchant had to go to the top again for his seventh horse. Wahoo won. As the mer- chant was also playing the horses straight on each race, the others in the room "got on to his curves" as it were, and began to take stock in his valentine and to play the horses
 The operator, in singing out the descriptions of the races as they were run, instead of giv- ing the names of horses, designated the win- ner as number seven, and each time that he sang out the number 1t was greeted with cheers. The fifth race was at one and quar- ter miles, and had five starters. Swift was number two on the board, and by the valen- tine count was number seven. She won. The sixth and last race, which was to decide the bet, was at seven furlongs, and was exciting, as by this time the the betters, loungers, and other people who had heard of the affair crowded into the pool room to hear the result There were nine starters. Alva was number and was never headed, winning the valentine bet and pot of money for the man who made and for others who followed him. Ev. cry favorite on the board was beaten, four short horses had won. While the odds of $700 to $1, which the bookmaksIs laid, look snor- nous, @ glance at the odds as laid against each individual seventh horse on the board will show how much the advantage of the transaction the bookmakers had. Had the bettor started with g and played it straight through, the result would have been as fol- lows: In the first racs odds of $1O to $1 were laid that Bass Viol would not win. Two dollars would have netted $22 in return. The $22 could then have been played against the next seventh horse, King Idler, at odds of 8 to $1, which would have nstted $88, which at odds of $6 to $1 laid against Para disc would have nettsd $616. This at $8 to $1, which were laid against Wahoo, would have realized $5, 544, which at $10 to $1, the odds against Swift. would have netted $66.- 994. This at $5 to $1, Alva's odds, would have made for the bettor grand total of $395, BOA. But that is what might have been. As it was, the bookmaker only paid him $2, ,402. The odds were figured on the track odds, whereas if the odds as laid by Baltimore bookmakers, which were some- what higher on several of the horses, had been followed. his winnings would have been very perceptibly increased. The merchant is credited with having won besides this bet over S, ,000 on playing the horses straight. The bet is considered the most remarkable on record, not because the amount won was l large, but because of the seemingly Crank outsiders" which won, and the peculiar tip which led to making the play.