The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-27
GOSSIP OF THE RACETRACK,
MIN FEW CHANCES TO Ret,
PTBLIC HANKERS FOR SPORT.
,solroom MEN say Their old Graft Is Dead
and That Successful BOOkmakers Are
Scalpers-MOntgOmery Handicap Hun
To-day, With Rams Horn PavOrite.

Although the race meeting at Bennings
tas been under way for only three days.
there are already pronounced indications
that when the season opens for metropolitan
turf enthusiasts At Aqueduct on April 10
there win be a Wild rush for the track side
10 see the thoroughbreds and TO get bet
down so far the Bennings races have drawn
powerfully we'll Many New Workers who
have never shown marked interest in the
doings Of the horses until the big tracks open
have taken the time aud trouble to 20 to
Washington Just TO enjoy the -Old sensation
.srer a long weary winter in hotel cafes and
clubs The crusade against poolrooms has
hecn so effective In this city since the racing
season closed last fall chat the public at large
his had little or no chance 10 play the horses.
r,l,s fact Is alluded 20 as a reason why there
U,l' be a great boom in the attendance and
IN the general interest In horse racing when
the Aoueduct track Is opened for the frst
time this year. But the closing Of the pool
rooms, by the way, has not been wholly due
20 'he crusades Of the various legal authori-
urs According to good information which
rur SuN received not long ago. they have
beer forced to put up their shutters because
~ the precapious nature OF the game itself.
The art OF picking winners Of horse races
according TO some Of the shrewdest book
makers in town, has been narrowed down 10
.lrh a science that many OF the best known
po,lroom Keepers have decided TO quit the
business because there are no longer any
certain profits 20 be CLEANED.
The men who make a business OF playing
he horses all the year round are too wise
rovadays,- said prominent bookmaker
Yesterday. They are expert judges Of
public form and when they go into pool
room TO play the races 81 an afternoon they
make few errors. In every race there are
about two or three horses that will get play
even II there are a dozen starters. The public :
money which Is getting wiser every year
goes on one or another Of the choices while
the other long shots do not attract dollar
Ns form has been pretty consistent at all the
winter tracks, what lie the result? When a
favorite or a second choice wins. the book
has TO dig to settle. IL IL just case Of gam
bling with the public. that is all. IL ism
hookmaking at all any more, Tor there ls no
easy money such as one can find floating
around the betting ring at a racetrack on
big day when there are Thousands Of people
on hand who do not know one horse from
another. No, there Is no money in pool
rooms any more. and nearly all Of the big
ones have thrown up the sponge Tor purely
business reasons.
1t is amusing to read about how he pool
rooms and the bookmakers fleece the poor
public. Why, one would think that every
dollar taken into q room or TO BOOK II lost
whereas II IL just the other way greater part
OF the time in these days Of track wisdom.
once upon a time the game was like gold
mine. but the public was green at it. IL was
only a matter Of study and persistence TO put
the shoe on the other foot. Last year there
were not more than half a dozen boOkmakers
who made money. They proved TO be not
TOO wise for the public, hut the masters OF
their fellow bookmakers. for il ia matter OF
fact that the bookmaking game here TO be
ftul haa mt tn e.
There we're several expert scalpers IN the
local betting rings last year. They made
practice Of opening the prices against horses
that ought 70 win and punching the figures
90 that other bookmakers not 50 crafty would
snap az the bait They would lay 20 5, for
instance, against legitimate favcrte and
then have their commissioners ready 70 jump
az the other books with stih vageTs for them
Al these odds When the money was down
they would generally lay on their bets With
the public at shorter prices, 80 that they
we're sure OF a profit with no risks lheee
successful layers are all extraordinarily quick
clans beaten a block But even the scalping'
game may fan down this year, as the other
isyers who have been burned are not IN
With lew chances 10 play the horses. there:
fore. il is maintained that the patrons OF
racing have had an excellent chance 70 de;
vote more time TO private enterprises and
can face the bookies with well replenished
bank rolls That many persons who never
have been beating the horses with various
Fvstems year IN and year out IA accepted
instance 2 former member Of the Police
Department. who played pTacUcallN every
oS and vas Ss 5egHaT az ovoded lbs sSDd
information Of all kinds but handicapped
We horses himself and backed his Own opinion
10 has been taking things easy ana says
hat he will surely win 100000 TINS year,
beginning a. Aqueduct with 10000 bank
roll making not hing less than a 300
wager Yet, with this former policeman
remarkable success. II may he said that one
side lost 900 before Saratoga opened
last wear and then decided 10 quit the turf
s, s a BR pr, Se ds Se condens sS o the
WNRiie Ont on The subject of poolrooms it might
be we'll 10 repeat the comments heard BY
1uF SrN man one dHy last week when the
prospectus n the floating poclroom was
sprung on an unsuspecting pumlc Tor the
II hi. floating poolroom ever goes 70
tsa, said sharp eyed man ~ one OF tne
Larry Summerdeld will send word from
sing Sins ~ one Of his pals here IN hire
atus tap the race Information from Ben
nlnCs. luWp INTO row boat hoard the noaIlng
PoolIoom and bet o. ,Ooo on the winner before
the fash f. realized from the tapping steamer,
The floating poOlroom idea has caused much
merriment among, the sporting clement
spend six or eight hours in stuhy steam
hoaf with dangers Of seasickness, when
he rscetracks viii he open here IN lev
Neeks. According 10 these talented mol.
vdusls. poorooms we're invented for those
persons Who did not have time to spend g
whole afternoon a. the racetrack, but couto
manage to dash out Of the once, MAKE
hef and hustle back without the loss OF more
Than ten minutes. hoating pootoom
crowded with % bettors would not pay AZ ALL
me wise fellows say.
Barring the Potomac Purse for thIee-year:
oldt 10 be run on Wednesday and the Hunters
Steeplechase on Saturday, there are no stakes
10 be decided AZ Bennngs this week The
programme will be made up Of selling races
handicaps. steeplechases and maiden two
rear-old events SO far the helds have not
been particularly large, but this Ia probably
due 10 the fact that many horses are not
yet ready for hard racing and are not sent
10 the post because Of the fitness OF the cam
pal gners that have come East from the win
Ter tracks. But to-dsy's card apparently
abounds In numbers, Judging from the entry
list The first race ia handicap for three
Nesr-olds and over a. i've and half furlonRs
A. II will be run over a SLOW track. Dave
Iohuson's Roseben. with the top impost Of
= pounds may not go. This would leave
T ONnard's fast hlly Bohemia, Jack Ben
netts DivinAton, the Sylvester stables
Right and True. who ran second 70 TOscan
10 the Bennings Handicap last Thursday.
and Virginia Bradley's Peter Paul to night u
out In the second race. for tvo-yea r-olds
- four and half furlonRs, there are some
far youngsters, including VI. 7. Gri1n's
Main = Posters Little Rose and W. n. Sny-
Cer's And K-na In thu ahfrd avant for three