Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-05
HoRSBMEN IN WINTER

In about Z week from now that psren-
NAL query Of the horsemen, How have you
winteredf viii be elicitinG thousand and
one quaint stories around Washington, ana
the hotel lobbies will be given over to az
perience meetings participated In by the
followers Of the greatest Of all ses-sew,
up-and-down games," said Secretary Wal
ton Of the Warrington Jockey Club at the
Barton. Washington IL the place whore
all Of the incense (and money! burners at
the shrine Of the horse get together in
body, after being distributed all over the
country-and the world, for the matter Of
that-during the winter months, and with
the horsemen and the horse followers that
inquiry. How have you winteredT is no
actually solicitous question, demanding an
answer.
TT isn't essentially an inquiry as to how
the health of the person addressed has
something wholly different from that
When a horseman to whom this question
Is put by friend whom he hasn't seen for
months replies, Bad, bad he doesn't mean
bust. health since their last meeting. He
means simply that They haven't been rum
ming right for him. and the inquirer fully
understands 1t that way. I won't go 80
ton. How have you wintered? exactly
means Have you been a winner? or Have
you got yours? but 1t comes perllousiy
close to 1t.
There will be drifting into Washington
presently from the winter race tracks
scores of chaps who at the close OF the
last Benning meeting had to actually ny
pothecate-pOlite word, that-their per-
town, and they'll come back here with bum
dies Of Ochre-hued money In every pocket
And there'll be, to balance these, scores
and hundreds of fellows who left here last
kind Of 'bank-r rolls reduced to the last de-
gree of bustedness by their operations
during the winter months, and optimistic
ally looking about them for chances to
get in right at the opening or the eastern
racing season here.
THE bOokmakers from New Orleans and
San Francisco and Los Angeles ana Hot
Springs, who will presently begin TO MOCK
into Washington, will all. of course have
long and mournful tales of their losses at
the winter tracks. Queer, how these poor
bookmakers always lose. isn't III L often
wonder who gets all the money. 1t IS the
same at the close of the res eiar eastern rae
ing season. Ask any bookmaker how he
has made out during the season. ana the
chances are ten to one that he Will pull
wry countenance and tell you that ne mas
been Jared from center to circumference
by the wise players. And yet you observe
that he spends the winter In Egypt or the
Riviera. or makes a hurry pleasure trip
around the world during the months inter-
vening between the eastern racing seasons.
I know one famous bookmaker who has told
me, with the most distressed manner. at the
close of each racing season during the past
twenty years. that he was TWO nunoreo
thousand to the bad on the season NOW.
that makes a loss Of 100000 for the
twenty years, doesn't it7 And yet this
bookmaker is esteemed one of the richest
In the business, withreal estate all over New
York and gilt-edged securities clutter1ng
up safe deposit vaults In several cities IL
certainly Is powerfully puzzlfng just what
becomes of the money. 1t Is really SORROW
full, I sometimes think. how the race-piay-
ing public batten upon the bookmakers
and grow rich by that Kind OF battening.
Just incline your ear in any hotel lobby
during the next couple of weeks or so while
some bookmaker fresh from the winter
tracks is replying to that question: How
have you winteredY and II he doesn't nave
some dreadful tale Of calamity as reply.
I miss my guess. Some rainy afternoon,
when I've got nothing else to do. I'm going
to organize society for the protection OF
abused bookmakers, and invite phflanthro-
in toward a fund for caring for them In
their misfortune AND old age.
mot less interesting than the up-and-
down variations OF the in-focking pure
and-simpie SPECTATORS connected WIN n .me
game are tho stories OF the horsemen them
selves. who have been running their strings
on the winter tracks Some OF them VINO
left WASHINGTON last fall with small strings
of horses that were deemed OF Httie or no
account as racing, propositions have won
race after race. some OF them actuaiiy
high class with these poorly regarded am
mails and are now returning to the eastern
circuit and full wallets and ampilhea rep tao
tations as trainers Of bad horses. On the
other side, owners who. at the close OF the
Renninr meeting, took large strings OF
horses that had performed well on the ear
ern tracks to the winter tracks, expe sa h
to sweap the programs with them VIII DO
com,nr hack with tales Of woe as to the
inter inability OF their horses to connect
with the purses or even with the seihns
platter money. I'll, ,..,t
along "a members Of their strings OF
horses. untried two-year-olds. from Wnon.
thew are with the everything hopeiuiness
the horsemau, expecting marvellous thihsS.
and the hotel Hobbies WIN De nllen or T.sa
quarters and halves and fve-eighths IN
nothing ,... go.
meetings have been sending to Wasnine
ton friends tips ON horses that failed 10
eot into the money. will be meeting up
vith these Washington friends curing tne
coming month. and explaining Just why
these tips didn't connect. and the owners
whose tips to the Wasmns.o,m', I p r.pt1r
themselves on the back. while they re.
ceive praises for their horse preseience ana
erudItion. .S
Last. but not least. little tikes OF jock
evs who have developed tremendous repu-
tations at the winter tracks. VIII he COM
mo along to lord 1t over the Jealous older
tncks h,It nobody connected with the game
will have to ask them how they have win
tered All the turfmen know all about
that, for isn't the fame OF an eighty-nve
pound youngster who has got INTO sns
habit Of riding three or four winners day
orea tar than that Of any conqueror?
"The coming meeting at Benning-
..Hello. old man. how have you win
teredY' four rudy horsemen. breezing into
M waIton's Office. demanded Of him In a
chorus at this juncture. and he had to got
busy replying to the Joint inquiry.
-e The Republic Of Canada.
From Lssiie's Monthly