Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-23
FOLLOWERS OF LIGHTWEIGHT
TAKE THE MONEY
Consistent Riding and Many Long
Shots Combine to Make Little
Jockey Best Coin Get
ter at Ascot
BY Forest Lowry

I
of necessity big bunch of people try
ing to figure out winning combina-
ton that will put a klnk in the bank
rolls of the bookmakers and pass a lit
tie easy money into the pocket OF the
one who guesses right. Dope sheets
are gone over carefully each night and
the result Of the next days play is
made to depend largely on the past
performances of each and every horse
OF course there are lots of TURTLES
who pass the dope book UP and depend
on lunches and tips to gather in the
coin. The majority of these are pix
ers" pure and simple, who go along
shooting at the moon whenever a
long shot appears on the boards and
who catch every once in a while, just
often enough to make the one who held
the winning ticket think the racing
game is a nailed to the mast cinch that
can be beaten If only played right.
The moon shooters" have certain
bunch of horses that they play every
| time out, regardless Of odds, track con-
ditions, company, jockey or anything
else a form player will consider before
he risks his dollars. Such old cam
paigners as Louwelsea Dug Martin and
a host of others, which some time or
other have come in at fat prices are
sure to draw big play and put many
dollar into the field books on each
performance. Dutiful, the gray streak,
now performing as top notcher, is an
other down on the piker's books as
live one and will draw big play every
time the price is ten to one or better
Your genuine piker scorns to play any,
thing which is down on the slate at
less than double figure, for according
to the piker's way Of figuring there Is
no money in playing favorites or sec
ond and third choices.
One piker system, which is also fol-
lowed by the big Sucker money" Is
to pick out a certain jockey and follow
him to the end, playing his mounts
without hesitation or question. No
matter what kind Of an old skate he is
on the boy will be played if the odds
are 400 to 1.
| Miller GOOD BOY
Had the system of playing the boy
instead of a horse been followed this
season at Ascot, there is but one pig
skin artist whose finishes would have
made a goodly sum for his hackers,
and that boy is little w. Miller, one of
the lightest boys at the track. Follow
ing Miller from the opening of the sea-
son down to last Saturday, playing him
across the boards where possible. $40
each way and always making place
bet at odds of one to three or better,
would have cleaned up a tidy sum.
With a start of less than $100 to tide
off the first loss, any one who stayed
with the youngster and played him ev-
ery time he was in the saddle would at
present be an even 1886 to. the good.
The winnings would amount to $2396
and the losses to $1410, making differ
ence of nearly $1,000 on the winning side
of the books to the one following the
boy.
One advantage in playing Miller to
any other boy has been the fact that
he seldom has more than two or three
mounts the same day and If he was
off in his riding during any one pc
riod his hackers would be out but a
comparatively small amount. If, on
the other hand, McDaniels or some
other boy who is riding five or six
times a day. were being played when
the losing streak developed it would
be bad business for the one doing the
betting.
Playing Miller on the thirty-sixth
day of the present meeting would have
been like finding money, for the boy
piloted home what would have netted
s4O5 for his hackers playing his mount
across the board for a ten spot each
way. On that day Miller had the leg
on but one horse, Dutiful. and he sent
the gray horse over the wire win
ner at the juicy odds of 80 to /, with
8 to 1 a place and 5 to to show.
Poor Day for Players
Miller's poorest day this season was
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