The sun., 1897-10-10
SYSTEMS AT GRAVESEND.
UPsETs ~ THE RACING THAT WE'RE
PEZZLING TO PUNTERS.

The Experience OF last Wear WINS Repeated
npd Many FnVoritcs faiicd to win-same
Good Polnts About the Meeting, Though
systems That WON Money for Their Bnckers.
In tho preliminary remarks about tho fall
meeting at Gravescnd Just closed this warning
was given: "Play with great caution, reduce
the amount OF the initial bot IL ahead,
and whom the percentage runs up go slow.
Those who needed this warning arc probably
money in pocket. As was expected, the depar-
turo from the established record OF winning ia
vorites which occurred at the fall meeting at
this track In 1898 WAS repeated this year. For
ak years preceding last fall tho proportion Of
winning favorites ran from ~ 10 so per cent.
almost with the regularity OF pendulum
swinging and any favorite backing system made
money with little capital but in 1896 the record
changed. and there were variations of 80, 80.
%, 81. 81, "a, SO. 81. 81, 81, 40, 80, 4o 80, 40
and 36 per cent. Tho proportion OF winning
favorites never rose above 40 per cent, thus
crowding strict percentage favorite players so
that not bet was made at tina; meeting. In the
meeting just closed the ratios ran 80. so. AZ, AS
40, 40, SO, 30, 81. i0 and 30 per cent. closing
at 30 per cent. Note that 40 per cent. on the
fourth day was tho highest OF tho meeting from
thon on. Still, as 40 per cent. was the point of
oscillation, there were some good wins to DO
made by expert players on at least five days and
at good prices. Last year broke tho recoyd Of
elk years as showing tho lowest percentage. but
this year the record has gone still lower and
would have severely taxed old time systems.
In 1895, at the corresponding meeting, al
favorites won in 1o3 races and 10 ran second,
and OF these 8 were at less than 1-2 on for the
place. At the meeting just closed % favorites
won in 72 races and 1S second. with only
at less than 1-2 on. OF the second favorites IN
1895, 81 won and % ran second, all at good
place odds. In 1897 16 second favorites won
and % ran second, but of these five were at pro
hibitive odds for the place. very unusual
state of things and difficult to understand, as
tho average price against the favorites has
shown an improvement. The two most difficult
races OF the year for those playing dupli-
cate favorites to recover losses were the
third and fifth races on Sept. 25. Three
second favorites had just in 80 races.
not one q duplicate. In the third race Dacian
and La Golets opened at Al and closed at
90, were both in at the same weight and had
only four races between them; so it was hard to
play La Goleta and lose. In the fifth race the
Wallace stable and the Sensation stable opened
Al and 6-1 respectively. both closed at
al, and Komurasaki was also backed down to
al, and he had run in the same previous
race, that fact forced the bet to be made on the
Sensation stable by reason Of Fleeting Colds
lighter weight. Tho Wallace stable won. This
answers in detail several correspondents who
ask questions on this point.
In 1896 there were only two prohibitive priced
favorites Buckwa. to run third at 1-3 on. and
Buckwa to win at 1-5 on. This year there were
three of them: on Sept 16. Hamburg, 1-0 won;
Sept 20, Ornament, Is. won, and Sept %,
Cavalero. $50. ran second. In 1896 there
dead heat between Roundsman and Soufe.
and in 1897 a walkover on Sept. % for Ben
Brush. SO honors are easy. For the second time
this year came day with not single favorite
to the 'front.' That was Sept. %. which showed
fve losers and the walkover. Here eight favor.
tics went down in succession, running close
to record for the year in this mat.
ter and on Sept. 30 there was only one favor
10 to win. with five losers in succession.
In 1896 sixteen outsiders ran into tho money,
but this fall only six managed to show. these
being Sept 16, Woodranger, 1OO-1, 40-1. won;
Sept. 81, rimor, SOL. 3O-1, third in five horse
race; Sept 90, Plaudit, 4o-1. 81 won; Sept. 80.
Demagogue, 2O-1, 6-1, third; Oct. .. Klepper.
SOL. SOL, who was running third at s. and
got second at 3d. to be beaten in the next few
STILES half length and head by Rubicon,
second and J. A. Grey, won; and on the same
day Napamax, 15-1, 81, won.
number Of players who deride systems in
the abstract have nevertheless been syst em
players this year in that they have taken horses
who showed prominently in one race and yet
at the post were beaten of. and played them
later at long odds These players. up to this
Gravesend meeting. made money; where they
fell down at this meeting was in not keeping
their eye on the percentages of such wins.
In the matter Of entries. this meeting shows
another advance for the season. The average
was Sle horses to a race, or 900 in the 72 races,
as compared with Zig and ia in lO3 races for
1896. The improvement all through this season
in this direction has been large The odds also
showed an improvement, the average again st
the winning favorite in 1896 being nearly 81
against. and in 1897 exactly % against.
The bookmaker's favorite system won addi.
tional laurels, and one of the first things to note
Is the fact that six out OF the first ten races at
this meeting were won by the players of this
eystem. and. that thirty-two wins were scored in
the sixty six playable races at odds varying
from Ii to So against. The maximum capital
required was only 1920 on Sept. 10 and 81 10 on
Sept. %. This system consists of going into the
ring at the opening OF betting and noting all
horses at 81 and less against them; waiting
those noted that has receded to the longest
odds. playing that for ]. ., 3, place win,
whichever way even money or the thing nearest
TO It can be obtained; thus 7-5. 30 Is played
TO win, and 81, 81, Ii Is played TO GO third
tho first stake $40. and then to recover the loss
aud still will $40. Following are the details OF
this system at this meeting just closed:
s.Da Dstf ,.1a nst' 7ro,1s Mor'e Odds WO" Lest s;
20 Ren Eder. l. g. l-l....... $50 :.
10 Archduke. 7-2. -. 10
Ran nruia ah g. "a