The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-08-30
LARGE WINNINGS ON
FREAK TIPS ON RACES
Actor Backed Hearse After
Riding on Coffin.
WON BY HUNCH ON ST. BLAiSE
After Seeing a Fire Three English
SpoItsmen Backed Him to Win the
EPSON Downs and Cashed.

There's scarcely one man in ten thou
sand who bets on horse races who
hasn't story OF how he won lot OF
money "once upon a time" on queer
tip Racegoers are a curious lot. Judg
ment, good information, form and every
thing else will be thrown aside at times
in favor of what vulgarly is called a
''hunch." The highest and the lowest
are subject TO the mysterious influence
of the bunch" Ii affects W. c. Whitney
as strongly as it does the negro stable
boy.
Probably one of the strangest tips on
record was one a prominent actor got
when he was playing in Chicago. 1t was
in the days of the Roby track. He had an
engagement to take one of the women of
the company to the races. OF course,
she was late. Women always are. They
missed the last race train and were
about to leave the station when the
actress suggested that he inquire IL there
wasn't some other train by which they
could reach the track.
Well" said an attendant, there's
| funeral train going to the cemetery near
the Roby track. l don't think the
mourners would take you sports along
If they knew it, but maybe you could
ride in the baggage car with the coffin
If the lady doesn't object"
On Funeral Train.
The actress had the racing fever bad
enough to do anything, and the two
players made the journey to the track
| seated on the coffin. They arrived In time
for the third race. Bad luck attended
them. They lost on that race and they
lost on the fourth. Then the horse they
bet on in the fifth fell. When they
reached the track the actor had 500 and
the woman s45. or this only $40 re-
manned. They were desperate In look
ing over the entries for the last race
the woman saw the name Hearse. They
had never heard of the horse before
There's our funeral tip" the woman
cried to the actor. Let's play him for
all we've got!"
Hearse Wins.
They did. Hearse was at 20 to 1 and
won. 1t was enc of the few times the
skate ever did win.
! prominent Englishman tells of some
strange tips that have come under his
personal observation. lighted match
carelessly thrown into a bush of furze
on EPSON Downs some years ago. he
says, put $4,000 into the pockets of
three men. The match set the furze on
| fire, causing, as one of the three sports
men remarked, "a regular blaze" Hardly
were the words out OF his mouth than
IL struck him as coincidental that ST.
| Blaise was the name of one of the can
| didates for the blue ribbon. He sug-
gested putting some money on the horse,
and his two friends jumped at the idea.
! The fact that st. Blaise was rank out
slider and stood at so to l against did not
deter them, which was lucky, for St
Blaise got home first, thus winning for
one of the plungers e1 900. and $500
each for his two friends
Memory Serves as Tip.
Memory gave William Redmond, VI. p,
a splendid up one day year or two
ago, and the fact served 10 console him
for the unpleasant incident which had
bestirred his memory. He was Just leav-
ing the house of commons. after being
! suspended" when it occurred TO him
that the last time he had been "sus-
pended" he had O'Donovan Rosa for a
companion. 1t also occurred 10 him that
next day at GoOdwood a horse named
O'Donovan Rosa was to race for the
Stewards Cup. Taking into consideration
that the horse was so TO / chance he
cautiously laid a single sovereign on
! O'Donovan Rosa. He probably was as
much surprised as pleased when he heard
the next day that his memory had given
him the straight tip"
Backed His Name.
\ Mr.. Forth who died recently. leav-
ing a handsome fortune OF more than
GOO. turned the corner In his career
by acting upon an idea suggested 20 his
mind by a singular coincidence At that
time he was the manager of a small
Lambeth public house. and, despite his
environment. he had never been led into
betting One day, however, while serY-
ing in his bar, he heard his customers
discussing the forthcoming Derby, and
was gradually drawn into the conversa-
ton. during which he learned that one
Of the horses entered for the race bore
, tho same name as himself-Frederick
his Christian name. This interested him
so much that he watched the papers to
see how his namesake rose and fell in
: the betting. But he never for a moment
. dreamed of backing IL until the day be
fore the race was to be run, when he
learned that the horse was to be ridden
by veteran jockey whose surname was
/ the same as his own-Forth. He at once
declared his intention of laying $40 on
the animal. In vain his friends argued
/ that Frederick stood at 80 to L: that
Forth was sixtyseven years old, and
that there could not be a chance of the
horse winning. He stoutly replied that
for horse TO bear his Christian name
and be ridden by a jockey having his
I l. q