The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-19

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
THE seasons young yet but I've al
ready had more kinky peoples numbers
on my sheets than 1 ever had before IN
the course OF whole summers racing"
remarked a member OF the Delmar ring
last week.
The freak betters are moro numerous
this year than they ever were before since
] first began to hold down a stool. and
that goes back some several tides.
Il like the freak bettors. They arc 50
drolL don't care whether they sting ms
or not. 1 like them, they are SO naive,
yes?
"One OF them. by the way, did sting mo
the other afternoon for thousand He
had on what looked to me like q two
days leftover and tavised up TO my stool
5ust as Twas making ready TO 20 out to
the lawn to look at the third race for the
horses were at the post.
Say he said to me. TIL lay you
twenty the favorite finishes last and he
poked the bill at me.
why. thatIl Just pay my manicurtng
BILL said I. and took the twenty.
Nothing could have looked much bot
ter than that did. for the favoits was q
to shot in field of fouf horses. with
The rank outsider at % to e
''ou ought 10 be a Pink. Jack I said
10 him 'ou must know something about
tho gee-gees IN this race
BET FAoRITE TO BE LAST.
Nope said the man with the left
over. I don't know one OF 'em from the
other. But / Just want to prove TO my
own satisfaction that you block-sauatters
are I'D on kite when you think you know
N1nu
ositions as horse races. I've got theory
that only Omnipotence knows IN advance
what horse is going to beat another horse
What are you laying me that the favortte
doesn't finish lastr
How about 80 to II" I asked hint
figured a good deal longer than that, but
my book was rounded up and 1 didn't feel
like offering him a higher quotation unless
he bucked for it
Thousand to twenty-safe a bet as any
of en-. said the man. and my sheet-writer
recorded the bet down In one corner Of the
THE s-to-5 favorite did finish punk last
and the freak bet killed whatever prom
] had made on the race. The man with
iayorite, and there wasn't anythink espe-
ciaI the matter with the horse, except that
he just didn't feel like running fast that
THE freak bettor's theory looked as
sound to hum as a bo!lermaker's cnisel after
that race, and he came at me again.
Now. he said to me before the fourth
race. IN lay you the thousand that the
bum outsider wins this race
The outsider was a So-to-1 shot on my
slate. but wanted that thousand back.
ana 1 took the bet, one Of the biggest that
were ever registered on my sheet. $1,000
10 5000
LONG SHOT JUST DID LOSE.
It figured that no funny bettor could
get In right twice in a row. but, all the
same, my heart was beating a hard-pedal
devils tattoo against my ribs at the finish
of that race: The so-to-1 shot that 1 stood
pretty nearly to go out of business on
hooked it up with the favorite at the top
of the stretch, and then It was Just nod
and nod between them right down to the
out and win on the post, but 1 was some
lottery as l climbed down from my stool,
ana didn't take a long breath until the
1avorite's number was hung out.
II had another one OF these run-last
bets at the Fair Grounds In May. A dis
Gusted owner who who was selling out his
stable of dogs had one OF them in a
race.
BACKED HIS HORSE TO BE LAST.
-" Bet you fifty my crab runs rotten
last. he said to me.
ing L said TO him, but, being as how I'm
a gay dog OF gambler, I'll lay you hun
dred to your fifty that your mutt beats at
least one other Shetland In the sprint
1T looked good enough 10 me that way.
too. His horse was the rank outsider in
the betting, but they don't always run TO
chalk-maybe you've heard that said some
where before; nor-and 1 figured It decent
enough thing that the skate would trot in
shead of at least one Of the other horses.
. for they were all a cavalry lot of maidens.
This freak bet wound up in "A crouch
The owners dog did finish last OF all of the
horses that actually ran. but there was one
course, declared that he had beaten me out.
eat l couldn't see it. since the horse that