New-York tribune., 1896-06-21
EER BETTING SYSTEMS.
A MAN WHO Is GUIDED ENTIRELY BY
NAMES IN BACKING HORSES.


Many men have funny ways OF trying to pick the
winners of horse races. As the Irishman said, IF
there is anything harder to pick than the winner Of
one horse race 1t is the winner of another" sys-
TENS innumerable have been invented 10 beat the
layers OF odds at the races and the inventors have
started ont with much enthusiasm and money TO
put their systems TO practical tests, and they have
Invariably emerged from the smoke OF the battle
without either Many OF them have afterwdrd
gone into the business of selling the right use
their systems to unsophsticated individuals wao
have no systems Of their II Is distinctly con-
trary 10 the theory that human intelligence has al
vanced with the progress OF civilization tina, men
can sell methods OF making fortunes without cap
ital 10 other men. one would naturally suppose
that the victims would readily that II these
sharpers had good way OF making fortune they
would sell the idea FOR little or nothing to 9TH
ers but would lose time in reaping the benefit OF
1t for themselves. But. p r. Barnum used TO
say the public likes TO be humbuggei." Mr.. Bar
mum died a rich man.
James Gallus. a young coOred man. has Of late
been elcctrifying the "T-nderloin district" with
display OF wealth which he says he made NJ the
by playing original system James goes altogether
by numbers; this is due probably to the fact that
he formerly a policy fend. He says that he has
noticed that the horses which win the majority OF
races are those which are numbered the black
board from one to four. He says that he has made
a comfortable living by taking advantage OF this
fact. According to James's story he takes one OF
these numbers and puts a small bet on the horse
which carries It. II the animal wins. all Is well
and good. II the horse loses. James bets the
horse carrying the same number in the next race.
and should the beast fail to come under the wire
FIRST he puts still another bet the horse with the
same number in the following race. and 50 he goes
on until tie number is at the head of the
hoisted the blackboard the end of race. lie
always bets enough money on race to cover any
losses which he may have suffered in previous
races. and leave him winner of a considerable
sum besides. James thinks his scheme fine
It is not absolutely original. however as many men
have studied the numbers the blackboard before
and tried to follow them and pick winners by doing
so. James admits all this but insists that their
failure was due 10 their not being persistent
enough
There Is another who visits the racetracks
occasionally who goes altogether by the names Of
the horses. This man does not pretend to have any
knowledge OF the horses or their breeding nor to
know the difference between horss-owner Ike
August Belmont and one like William Calous DAILY.
Taral He says that he has noticed that the names
OF many of the horses are characteristics of some
trait which they possess
Such a name The Winner, for instance, would
Indicate that the owner Of II could beat the other
COLTS in ne stable The RunaWay, on the other
was hard brute to control, though having more
than the usual amount or speed one Love ac-
cordng to the theory of this philosopher would be
animal which anybody should be proud 10 own.
The Sirs have always been fayOrltes with him. He
argues that colt would never be named Sir this
Sir that unless It possessed some noble character
istic. For the same reason he has liking for such
names Peter the Great and Henry OF Navarro
A name like Birdcacher throws this man into an
ecstasy OF delight. To HIS mind horse with such
a run fast enough to catch the birds OF
the air "Vncertainty" would clearly show to his
mind that the horse with that name was not 10 be
depended Rapidan. on the other hand. must
necessarily be A runner from way back This
quaint person has also a weakness for funny or
odd names BuckJumper he would consider AMI
nal which given TO buckjumpng rather than
10 running He would glory In such
Fleewing He made big winning once by back
ing the Flying Dutchman.
Bustup might be a good horse but this man
would not back him because he could not deter
mine whether the name signined that the animal
would burst up the pocketbooks OF the "bookes'
or those OF the deluded persons who backed him TO