The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-09
BETTING AT SHEEPSHE FAD.
EHE RECENT MEETING NOT sATIs-
FACTORY TO TRACK D.pO1EEG

Good systems Brought In Small winnings
The Predictions a. 10 tho Meetinf
Nerihcd-The Cobb System aud the Wa,
1t Worked Out Pointers for Brighton
As usual. the recent meeting at Shecpshead
has been unsatisfactory to the great army Of
punters Some Of the large bettors, those In
close touch with information. and with nno,
experienced judgment. have brought or the
usual good things" (which the public noto
with envy. never hearing OF the debit side OF
the account with tie rngl, but the average
visitor is out" Many OF the system players
with insufficient capital. as compared with the
initial bet. were also pnchCd, but tie good
systems weathered the storm easily. even II
the gross winnings were smaller in proper
ton than would have becn the case with
o more even meeting. The percentage OF
1893 was the worst in its record In fact. was
only cQualled by that phenomenal one Of Cliff
ton. \. j.. in 1895, when the percentage
dropped to IT, This year Shcepshcad has sur
passed even its last bad record. The percent
age Of winning first favorites opened Mt ~. rs.
IL. 25 80. 80 3j. 81. 80. 30, Al and 80 per cent.
closing at 40 per cent. while last year it ran
o. %, H. 20. 2B. ~. %. 81, ~. -. IS. 81, and
30 per cent. Recall the prediction made in
these articles on June IL. 1897 that IT would no
well to look out for It all along the line: tho
than the drop in percentage to continue" A
pretty good prediction 1t is also worthy Of
note that in the first eighteen races OF 1898
only three favorics finished I'm front
and that this year only two In tho
eighteen scored Here is where the sys-
tenn beats tho Handicapped! OF the first
favorites ~ won and II gained tho place. OF
which y were at worse than 1-2 on. there
being one day. June 20, with not n favorite to
finish in front: last year % won 81 gained the
place. with IA 81 those at less than ID on.
The running Of the second favorites was phe-
nomenal. On June 10 ) won in succession. fol-
lowed on June 20 by 1 more. the total being
q won. IL placed. with with worse than 1-2
on. Last year the record was n very oven one.
with ~ ahead. 10 placed. only at less than
l. on. There were at unplayable odds on June
~. Admiration. ii. won June 81 Admiration.
1-3. won: June -. Rhineander. II won
June 20. Ethelbert, IA won July 3. Sadducee.
ID. won, but disqualified. and July 4, Ethel
bert, 10, won as against in 1893 and . in
1897 The long shots We're scarce on June 10.
Prestige, SOL. second Prestidigitatrice.
20-1. second; June 20 Miss Patron. 2O-1:
June "a. Azucena 2O-1. King r.. 2O-1; June
20. Fast Black. Id June ~, Knight OF the
Garter. 4O-1: June ~. Mazarine. 20-1: as
against X last year. The entries to the races
averaged each race. as against 6'l last year,
and the odds showed n decided Improvement.
being 10. as against G-j last spring meet
ing at this track.
The Cobb system outlined in detail in THE
SuS OF April -. 10 ~. deals solely with the
duplicates Of the first and second favortes. the
duplicate first favorite being played for the
next race succeeding n win. Where the second
favorito wins or gets the place in tho next race
1t is played to get the place only never straight.
the advantage of this system being that it
avoids TO very great extent tho long success
sions OF losses such as occurred at Grnvesend
on June and T. The plan Of scaling the bets
IS to take 50 rs the initial amount. and when
the first bet is made place a o. in the left
hand OF the betting book for calculation
purposes. another So to show the amount of
the bot. the name of the horse and the odds
This bet Of )? Is continued until loss occurs.
one at the eft-hand margin and the two added
TO make the amount OF the next bet. SO II
this is won both 5s are cancelled. and II lost
the 10 is transferred to the marginal column
and the top . " and the bottom 10" give the
amount OF the next bet In brief. place all bets
in the margin. canceliing ali amounts won, the
addition OF the top and bottom figures showing
the amount of the next bet. II the first favor
lite wins n race and the second fnvorite gets
second, thus indicating both for ne 1t race play.
the ono giving the best odds-thus. IL the
fnvorite is 30 to win aud the second favcrite
Ii for the p'hce-play the second favorite.
as follows: