Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-10
WILL OPEN BIG
STORE At ASCOT
BOB WIDNEY'S BOOK WILL
HELP THE GAME
MudIarks Have an inning and Again
the 5ookmakers Suffer Heavy
Losses--Fourteen Pencliers
Stand the Strain
BY Forest Lowry

BoOklnakerS and turf operators VINO
have been questioned agree that none
Of the big bettors and none of the
students of the race track can be
classed with Bob Widney who recently
suspended business at the Ascot race
track. They give credit to Bob for
being the greatest player, Handicapped
and bookmaker the ring has ever seen.
lie is simply in class by himself.
Much money as he had won from the
public and bookmakers. they all take
delight i'm telling of his amazing
plunges and of the tricks he plays on
them. With all the scouts and clockers
the bookmakers have today they find It
difficult to trace the information Bob
has at hand when he is making a book
or playing them from the ground.
AS well-known turfite said the other
day Bob Whitney is one of the best
handicappers and clockers in the racing
game. So accurate are his figures that
he has been known to figure horses to
run exactly as the chart will show
them after a race. For instance. he has
doped horses to run sixth or seventh
when other handicappers gave them
down for front runners and as gen.
eral thing Widney's horses will perform
most accurately to figures.
The wise fraternity adopt various
subterfuges to deceive the bookmakers
as to where the money is coming from.
Sometimes the play is hurled at them
through the club house commissioners
and many times through the agents of
the owners. Owners and club house
money years ago was supposed to be
soft and there were many chall<men
that would cut the odds to the last
degree because of a heavy bet from
this contingent. Widney would gener-
ally lay against owners information
because he had more confidence in his
own handicapping.
When Widney was forced out of
business the other day it was because
he took chances on what the average
bookmaker would turn his slate on.
Widney began business here with a
company which had $4,000 for bank
roll" In twenty-seven days he ran
that amount up to $2s,OOO and then
went on for himself. On a capital of
$4,000 he increased his roll $4,000 in four
days. His good judgment and clever
handicapping kept him on the block
while others were cutting out and
giving up in despair.
Last week change for the worse
came about and on one occasion he
was bumped for $4,000 on a nose finish.
The next day the public got to him
again for $4,000 ON a horse which won
by a whisker.
AS a bookmaker nothing has been
seen in these parts to compare with
Widney and he is perhaps the gamest
man that ever chalked odds. He will
be seen ON the block again next Mon
day and will open a "store" that will
fairly dazzle the heads of the older
bookmakers. A syndicate has ar
ranged to back him with capital that
will stand bets all the way from 81 to
$4,000.
book of this kind will help the
game here wonderfully as there has
not been anything in that line at
tempted in this part of the country.
The mud larks had an inning yester-
day. Horses that liked the wet going
best got all the money and aside from
the bad race of Andrew Mack the pub
lie enjoyed a good day of racing.
Only fourteen books cut in, decrease
of four, which means that the talent
has had all the best of the betting
arguments during the past week.
w. Durker's Ray ran right back to
his race of the other day and won the
opening event of the day at the good
odds of to l from Ethel Scruggs and
Wager. Ben Lear, the horse which
cost Jockey Lawrence his license here,
was always favorite but failed to per-
form up to the figures of the talent.
He simply ran his race and never
showed to an advantage He was
knocked out of it at the start but this
interference did not hurt his chances.
Silver Wedding, a handy filly from
the stables of Joe James, and coupled
with Wee Girl and Daisy Brouck
won the two-year-old race, sec
ond on the card. There We're many
good things handed around on this
race and almost every horse starting
came in for some support. 1t was a
three furlong dash and eight babies
faced the barrier. Dwyer got all but
Azuba and Rain Cloud away perfectly.
Pirates Dance beat the barrier a
shade and cut out the early going.
Silver Wedding, away full in her stride,
collared Pirates Dance at the paddock
and got up just in time. Dorothea
Fry came on at the end with a rush
and beat out Pirates Dance for the
place. The James entry closed at
Z to 10.
Hans Wagner, favorte at to 10 and
at home in the going, won the third
race on the card from Ralph Young
and Evea G. Wagner seemed to like his
surroundings. and when the barrier
was released went on about his bus
mess. He never left the result in doubt
and uOn with gOmefhIn0 ~ o,,aco