The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-11
THE REAL THING
/ IN RINGERS.
"Reminiscences of the Palmy Days
Of the Outlaw Tracks In
Mary,anj.

MAtYi1u5s
They'll ring 'em as long as they race
EN-" sardonically remarked a veteran
trainer of thoroughbreds in commenting
upon the stories about The Fiddler's ACE
at Morris Park a week ago. Just as long
a. racehorses are bred that look alike and
have similar gaits, just 80 long will the sure
| spikers with the know-how be making the
bookmakers bleat over these ringer killings.
'The smarties who think they know the
| out OF the jib and the texture Of the hide Of
| every horse In training in the country are
| never by any chance the people to nail the
ringers. They never land on the right
| ones.
"A year ago last summer when Capt.
Castor won at Sheepshead Bay with such
foolishness as 200 to painted about his
chance on all OF the bookies' slates-and
their chalk set them back little smudge OF
$3.50 900 or so that time-a crafty coterie OF
these deep ones made three jumps Of 1t to
get under the spot light and then delivered
themselves Of the much up stage opinion
that Capt. Castor was a ringer. But he
wasn't. He was the Captain. all correct.
Expecting that some such crack would
be made about the horse II the great thing
went through, his people had about dray-
load of parchments all ready. giving tabu-
lstion Of every bran mash and bucket Of
water that Capt. CASTOR had taken since
yearling. and containing about forty-seven
different Bertillons Of him as set down by
the most reputable veterinarians Of the
West. The stewards took just one glance
at the first few papers on the top OF that
heap, and then they knew that Capt. CASTOR
was himself and not another ono.
And that's the way the foxy ones with
An eye out for ringers generally pick them.
There may have been an actual ringer
winner on the very day Of the Capt CASTOR
shoat sticking. for all they found out.
"A couple Of years ago this fall the Morris
Park stewards had about four lively but
puzzled minutes with one OF these wise
ringer spoilers. 1t was after the days
racing card had been run Of and the stew
! ards were holding a short conference in
their Office.
The slammer-in with the bug for de-
tecting ringers burst in upon them. He
tipped them a sudsed sailors wink and
| asked them II they ever paid out real, sure
| enough money to persons who put them
| wise to crooked practices In connection
with tho racing.
sHereupon the stewards laid their ears
we'll forward. What did he have? they
| asked him. They wouldn't commit them
selves about paying money for information
a. to framo-ups, but, they add ed, persons
with we'll founded facts, &c.
L. all
| with expectancy, they slid ringer by you
| people to-day
'The stewards began to champ their
| chewing gum quite lot at this, and they
looked each other over quite amazedly.
What made him think 90? they inquired.
4. Tho horse that was carded as Syrlin,
winner Of the fourth race at 8 to L. oozed
! tho Johnny He-Seen-It, excitedly. WASH
, any more Syrlin than Salvador was Hick-
DRY Jim. He's Western horse named
Sevoy. could tell Sevoy six miles OF
through River Platte sand storm
-Then the stewards told the wise one
| to g'way. quick. Sevoy's name had been
officially changed months before to Syrlin
| by the owners Of the horse, and the shift
| Of names was q matter of official record in
the files OF the Jockey Club.
! 1The ringer cases that are sifted nearly
| always come to light through the squealing
| Of some fellow who hasn't got his slice OF
! the watermelon. An owner OF jumpers
| who was ruled OF In the East couple OF
| years ago, and who didn't care how remi-
niscent he became after that. told me how
he got tin-canned out Of the ringer killing
OF his life on one OF the Chicago tracks a
few years ago.
sHe owned an old land crab Of chaser
who hadn't won race over the stills for
a couple OF years. A half-brother Of this
old horse was being trained on New York
track for jumping races, after a swell
career On the fiat. The alf-brothers were
dead eir!gers for each other, from the white
! starred forehead to the three and a hall
white stockings.
-The old plug that had been over the
jumps fer years was entered for q jumping
race In Chicago, and the half-brother was
secretly brought on to Chicago from New
York and put into the old fellows stall
| while the old chap was struggled out to
! the brush somewhere. The two horses
! were so much alike that even the needle
eyed stable hands couldn't have told them
one from the other II they were tethered
side by side.
-The Eastern half-brother was taken
over the Chicago jumps one dawn to make
sure. and he got away with the work as
easy as a subway Giuseppe hops the loose
bouIders for his tin bucket when the whistle
goes. It looked az good as catching the
Superintendent OF the Mint alone in one OF
the vaults on Sunday afternoon, with the
keys jingling loosely in his hand. 1t was
any money that the price against the ringer
would have been as good as $50 or 200 to /,
considering the field Of timber toppers
that no was to 60 up against. and it was
even better than that that the ringer would
win the race by several knots.
| But It was necessary to scatter a number
Of people around the country and get the
| duff down. Great care was exercised in
this. The boys with the money were put
on the trains three days before the race
was to happen, but, before the start, one
| Of them acquired souse in his anticipatory
delight over the thing. and while in that
shape unreeled enough Of the yarn to put
a whole raft OF yannigans next.
"They swooped upon the ringer worker
and told him that they were wise and
demanded their bit. So the ringer man
had to shovel out money to them.
He shoveled II out for about twenty