The age-herald., 1902-02-02
Olny Method ofBeating Races

John P. Mackenzie in Washington Post. "Can the races be beaten?''
 If this query is put verbally to racing expert once, 1t is put dozen times day. Letters containing it reach him by every other mail It is stood up before him at every step on his career like buga- boo. He cannot evade or ignore it. be- cause there is evidently a wide public curiosity about it and grim determina- tion to sooner or later fill the doubt full of holes
 Horse racing is a difficult proposition, so difficult that those best qualified by long association with it to define it are those who admit they know least about it. On the other hand, people whose sole prehistoric bet of $2 in the back alley poolroom under municipal ban will tell you that they understand the whole business; that race betting is colossal swindle; turfmen are all bunkoers not race is run on any track but what the Judges, starter and club officials are all in a conspiracy to fleece the public.
 Now, man who argues this way is man who knows 1t all. and the man who knows 1t all knows all he knows Just masticate that verbal ragout moment and you'll find a smart man in 1t, who stands higher than all human institu- tions, and can tell you who mixed the mortar for the pyramid of Cneops. He is the sort of a man that will say. Why yes I'll go to the races with you, but understand, old man, Pm not taken In by sch fakes. So long as you don't ask
 to believe that single race is run
 .hc square, why, I'm willing to join
 l know the turf, my boy; there
 phase of it I haven't battled over Go salx. Anaaf nclY mo to bet that's all" s.
 It is this kind of Solomon who will pooh-pooh everything but a foil to him we have thousands of level-headed men tutored in turf methods, matters, and manners, who have seen enough of life to wait for particulars before sweeping away a proposition, however unlikely 1t may appear at first glance ...
 Let's look back a little.
 A certain editor, whose identity doesn't matter. sat one morning at his desk fig uring his leader for the week. Be- side his chair was another, called by courtesy the visitors, though it served rather a dump for exchanges than a vehicle of rest. On this occasion, how ever, it had an occupant, between whom and the editor the following colloquy oc- cured:
 My name is-"
 Glad to meet you'
 "I'm on Inspector Byrnes' staff"
 "Yes?"
 "Yes. I sometimes follow the races and. Well. to make a long story short, I've a proposition to make to you"
 "I'm following you said the editor
 well, sir" the visitor continued I've got a system. Oh, it's all straight, I as- sure you. What I want is a partner who'll put up enough to start us. Now, you are in cahoots with the big guns of the turf. and can easy make a touch for thousand or so. Three would more than do but I'd feel safer with three. Any how, I want first top rove to you that my system will really beat 'em. Why, if we'd followed it last year you and I would have had s5OO0O apiece at the end of the season. Now"
 Here the editor interrupted, saving he was too busy to go into the matter Just then; besides. while he knew there were a number of systems" afioat he had no faith in any of them. In short he would not touch the best of them with the far end of fishing pole. But the detective he was perfectly genuine, by the way Insisted on his system being examined by the light of his past records; any time would do; he'd call again in a week or so. Meanwhile here was the code, which would speak for itself
 The strange part of it was not that the editor was wrong, but that the detective was right; the system actually was in- fallible, and. followed strictly and faith fully, meant an assured and liberal profit. This much the editor learned when in an Idle hour such as is so frequent with edi- tors he investigated the system and ap- piled it theoretically for month of back records The result was very startling It showed that had the editor begun on a capital of $500 he would have been some thing over 5000 ahead at the end of the thirty days
 Long before he had arrived at this re- suit he realized that nobody on ear- un- derstands at the right momenet how woe fully purple his gray matter is For he saw that it Is possible to harness the thoroughbred and discount his speed and stamina by means of mathematics The process may have been applied to other purposes at Monte Carlo, at Homburg at Long Branch, but the principle Is the same There never lived d race horse and there never existed a jockey club that might not he made absolutely sub servient to figural calculatDn. for senti ment. worth, ability. and the whole cata logue of human and equine virtues plsy a sorry tune alongside the prosaic ore. sentiment of two and two m ake four. In