Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-02-16
PITTSBURGH PILLS BETTING.
He Relates Interesting Incidents About
Horses and Men 10 Judge Burke.
Chicago Herald.)


"What do you think Of the weights for
the Brooklyn Handicap" was the ques-
ton put to the famous "Pittsburg
Phir' one evening recently. lie had just
returned from New Orleans where he
had gone after the Corbett-Mitchell flas-
co.
II think Don Alonzo is we'll in he
answered. Eat Ils pounds. If this horse
RECEIVERS his early 3-year-old form, | am
satisfied he will be hart TO beat"
"How about Sir WalterY' was asked.
NOW you speak of true running
horse" he said. "A horse Ike Sir Walter
is worth his weight in gold to man
who bets his money. The rogues and
sulkers of the turf are enough TO drive
some men crazy. 1t is a positive pleasure
10 see a horse like Sir Walter always
run n second or two OF his best form.
on the second thought | do not know or
a horse in the handicap which j would
prefer 10 back against Sir Walter"
How about G. w. JohnsOn?'
81 think he has such bad legs that IL Is
doubtful IL he will stand training" was
the reply.
And Rainbow" was the next question.
Now you have hit upon n sulker or the
that horse at Sheepshead Bay mile and
one half at 2:S6 and a fraction. II he
would run up to his work he would beat
every horse in training. / remember one
day Mt Monmouth Park Sir Walter was
worked mile and one half In 2:4j. Or.
Knapp said to me, What do you think OF
himY and | answered. You will win the
stake: that move was good enough for me-
You see you can always bet on Sir Wal
ter's running four or five seconds faster In
n race than in his work. Some horses are
very poor work horses. Such horse was
senator Grady. j remember one day he
and Henry of Navarro were to meet in
race A chestnut colt worked through the
stretch / asked n rail-bird who the colt
was, and he replied, Senator Grady That
is good enough for me. thought !. and /
went into the ring TO back him. The price
was good long one. Before l had made
bet the rail-bird, who had followed me In,
tapped me on the shoulder. and said: No,
that was not Senator Grady; that was
Henry of Navarro whereupon ! backed
Henry OF Navarro. and Senator Grady
won. Now, YOU sec how / lost some sl5,-
co., III l had not been told ii was Henry
OF Navarro l would have stuck TO my
first selection, Senator Grady. You may
think 1t would have been an accidental
~
just the same as though ii was won by
superior Judgment"
"PIttsburg Phil' is most certainly a
keen observer. Toward the latter part OF
last week he had seen Doggett ride Cap
tain Hammer at New Orleans Although
public form said that the horse ought TO
win. he was beaten, running a good Sec
ond: but in order TO run second Doggett
was forced to punish the horse very
much. On Monday OF the next week Cap
tain Hammer was down to start again.
This time Overton rode him, and the
horse was heavily backed but not by
"Pittsburg Phil" He had argued this
way: II had seen the horse go through
the stretch on the day Dogget rode him.
and | called my friends attention TO
his peculiar proppy action. That horse
Is a suIker,' / said. The race seemed TO
Justify IT, Now says Phil, If Captain
Hammer could not win with Doggett up,
how is he going to win with Overton up.
especially after his hard punishment for
the previous racer The sequel showed he
WAS correct Captain Hammer was not
one two. three. Another example OF
how closely Phil OBSERVES: Prior TO the
recent fight In Florida he had visited
both contestants. Corbett had great
annette, enjoyed his food. and afterward
nIayed baseball. when / saw Mitchell
eat" said Phil, ''he did not seem TO relish
mis- food. 1 watched him intentiy, and
noted that Afterward heard that only
a few days before his stomach had gone
back on him. He and his trainer started
on a twelve-mile spin, and they only
went three miles. was so convinced
that Mitchell would be easily defeated,
that I had determined. the fight was
nostponed DOT TO stay over for II. In my
opinion, it was hundred to one on Cor
pett." .,.
speaking OF Lamplighter, Phil said: "ir
| had not lost so much money IN 1883, II
,,,o,,,d have taken a great deal more than
20 600 10 have bought him, and he would
nave gone straight back to Mr.. Rogers.
nroyiding Rogers would have trained him
for me. He Is a most peculiar horse 70
tram, and 1 believe Rogers. VINO haa
20 his best form. Still. think he Is yet
n good horse"