The Indianapolis journal., 1904-02-28
WINTER BOOK BETTING
IS OFTEN SUCCESSFUL
Main Object in Placing Such a Bet
Is to Pick a Horse That Is
Sure to Start.
SOME PROFITABLE BETS
How a Stake Can Be Made on
Horses Like Claude, Sure to
Start in Suburban.

SHOW me horse that is sure to start
and / will show you how to make a little
change this season." said a follower of
the ponies the otter day There are many
players who will make quite stake every
year by backing a horse in the winter books.
when they know he will surely go TO the
post.
Claude, the great little Derby horse,
which has earned the distinction of 1.-The
iron horse" has been named as a sure
starter in the Brooklyn and Suburban han
dicaps and with Only 1G5 pounds on his
back horsemen are wondering what can
beat him. The weight allotted Claude by
Handicapped Vosburg seems ridicuIously
small. From the showing made by Days
horse it is a question if any horse in the
country can give him fifteen pounds and
beating at TX miles and over. 1t is almost
certainty that no horse in the country
can cOhceGe twenty pounds to him at
distance OF IL miles or over From all re-
ports Claude's hard season of racing last
year has done him no harm. Claude should
De one OF the best fOur-year-Olds i'm training
this year. He * handicapped at top weight
Tor the Montgomery Handicap at 123
pounds, but with his light imposts in the
East he Is not likely to be sent to the post
in this event.
AT present Claude is held at odds Of %
TO 70 70. FOR the Suburban handicap. and 20 TO
Tor the Brooklyn. Now if Claude is to be
an absolute starter in the Suburban as all
nounced by his owner, il seems that his
price OF % to is liberal enough and many
VINO follow the races can back him at that
price and lay off enough to earn a good
proht by the time the rolls around.
III Claude really starts in the Suburban.
as his owner says he will, he will be about
TO at the time the horse goes to the post
and those who backed him at % to l can
lay off their bets and still have a good
amount of profit
There have been many cases where a
player has received the right tip from an
owner and profted by it, Three years ago
a young man got the tip from the Scha ffer
brothers that Terminus would be a sure
starter In the American Derby and this
y0uhs you follower of the ponies placed $40
bill on Terminus at odds of 1000 to 10 in
| OLeary's winter book in Chicago.
The day that the American Derby was
run this young follower of the turf was
IN Detroit and out at Highland Park he
layed Is to / where the bookmakers were
only chalking up 10 to 1 against Terminus,
and in this manner he got in $50 worth of
bets, so no matter how Terminus finished
finish $40 to the good. Terminus ran sec
ond to Robert Waddell that year and had
not he laid eff considerable of his bet he
would have been loser instead of $40 win
ner. This is only an instance of how a
stake can be made on the races provided
the right tip is on hand.
AuOllleT promising colt Wnlcn mas been
named as sure starter in one of the
big races of this year is Bearcatcher, which
owner Garnet Ferguson has announced as
a sure starter in the American Derby. Bear
catcher is undoubtedly the best three-year-
old in California, and II he is sure TO start
in the big Chicago classic he will be worth
a bet in the winter book.
The first book of the year the Brook
! lyn and Suburban handicaps does not give
the followers of the game much enthusi-
asm to follow the ponies. All the horses
Il WI a SIM cd 70 hox Cl1a i'm
either the Brooklyn or Suburban are held at
comparatively short odds. McChesney is
held favorite in the Brooklyn at odds of
! IL TO l. HermlS and Africander are the
second choices at 10 to 1. But the majority
of the books are now offering 10 to l or bet
ter and the results have been all that could
| be desired.
! The winter book which is being made
| by a New York bookmaker looks rather
alright. Not a horse in the list that
showed any kind of form last season is
| for the Brooklyn at II to /. Hermis, At
| ricander and The Picket quoted at Is
to 1; Major Daingerfield, Charles Elwood,
| ShorthoSe, Hurstbourne, Claude, Broom
stick. Pulsus, Hamburg Belle and Dick
! Bernard 20 to 1. These prices hold the field
| pretty safe and seem very short for a Win
| ter book.
In the Suburban handicap, Waterboy.
McChesney, The Picket and Highball are
equal favorites at - to l. Who would back
| Highball at Is to 1 at this time of year?
The chances are that Highball will be at
least Is to l when the horses go to the post.
| so there would be advantage of TAX
| ing a chance so early in the year of an
accident which would prevent him from
| starting. Not a single starter in any OF
| the big races should be less than % to
at this time of the year unless an extra
| heavy play should necesSitate cutting the
/ price The object of future book is to
| get the public to bite at the long prices,
but if the first quotations sent out from
New York stand ii is not likely that the
| future book will receive much patronage