Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-21

racing charts the player could see q de-
fined choice one way or the other.
"Lazy Mems" Systems.
cit Is this curious fact which has put
hundreds OF men down and out on systems
based upon the price-their seeming sue
cess in the fixed chats and their slump in
the seathing cauldron Of humanity called
the ring at the track.
Then others take the index numbers in
front of the names Of the horses in the
entries for the day. and. according to
third, work out all kinds of schemes to
catch them in the money or in certain
finishing positions, when they are the next
time entered. Some take the very last re
peater in point Of time. and others the last
second, while other men combine these
two finishing positions in all sorts OF COM
binations. Others won't play horse UNI
less he has been out within ten days, and
others go farther at various extended pc
RODS up to thirty days.
Others turn to the past-performance
pages, and glance over the finishing posi-
ton of each horse in the race allow
certain number of points for a winning,
lesser number for finishing second. and
still smaller number for finishing third,
adding the total and giving the horse with
the highest added number the preference.
Many men have modified this plan by add
ing and subtracting weight on and off, and
deducting for beaten lengths.
These and many other parallel systems
are called lazy mems systems as they
require no work to make them up. and this
Is one reason why they are no good in the
end; for men who succeed on the turf make
of 1t either a science or business. Other
lazy men pin their faith to beaten FAVOR
ites' meaning horses who were the favor
ties in their last race, and who are beaten
then, but who are out today. upon the
theory. when beaten. may have been short
had bad ride or met with interference
etc, which prevented his winning, whereas
today he may be just right. This would be
a good method If all horses made favorites
were the true favorites for the reason that
they were really the best horses in their
races but as there are so many false favor
ties for the various well-known reasons
it gets so many crimps put into IL In
a month that the system fiend looks else
where for methods to blow in his cash.
Cause of the Inevitable End.
"Then there are lots of systems based
upon weight exclusively. but some
horses will pick up twenty pounds and
gallop home even in the mud, while this
impost. or even half of it will stop other
horses who are not weight carriers by
reason of conformation and disposition.
and stop them like so many frogs loaded
up with shot. no true line can be obtained;
and even owners and trainers are con-
stantly deceived as to the amount of weight
some of their own animals can pack at
certain distances.
"Other players go in for the jockeys, and
there are a score Of jockey systems The
casual observer would think these would
be good-they are in the grand stand,
where they are mostly followed by women
devotees to the sport. But the jockeys have
the same reversals of form rs do horses,
or get into bad-riding streaks, either in
tentionally or unintentionally, and these
methods show up the same continuous
streaks of losers. as the star riders of the
year will often go from eight 10 thirteen
consecutive mounts without a winner and
then bring home l to 2-shot just to
prove, apparently, how aggravatingly the
game can run at times.
"Other methods call for double and
triple play which means that from two
to three horses to be played in race
according to the selections and the price.
Then there are ways of interchanging the
selections to take advantage of the second
selection when it wins, it has a habit of
doing when you playing the first. In
fact, there 50 many ways of playing
that | could not enumerate them all now,
but this is one fact that is true, and [ COM
mend 1t to all system players-that success
full system or other play on the turf is 30
per cent in the man and 10 per cent in the
method. but the average turf follower foos-
ishly thinks gust the reverse is true.