The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-17
GOSSIP OF THE RACETUACK.
WESTERN HORSEMEN HAVE WON
MIG MONEY FROM THE BOOKS
nut Louis CelIA's Ring Venture Under The
protection 81 tho Nets Has been .
FaIIure-JOcksy club on the Alert at
All Instance OF Form ReVersals

"a yhsn thew pulled ND stakes at sheeps-
bead Raw Saturday evening. The meeting
nj the Bay was. on the whole. disastrous for
some Of the leading layers, who dropped
what they had cOrralled at Saratoga after
a series Of surprising losses. On Friday.
Cor instance. when Ave out Of seven favOrites
we're defeated. one Of the biggest layers
after summing up found that he was $1,000
Ioser on the days proceedings. While he
laid all The favorites, he said that he was
unfortunate enough TO have all Of the seven
winners heavily played. and some OF them
we're at long prices.
II has been repeatedly asserted that the
Western horsemen have succeeded In getting
most OF the money lost by the bookmakers.
Every coup Of any consequence has been
puIled of by the Western crowd. II has been
a matter " record that Western horses have
shown glazing form reversas but without
apparentIy attracting the attention OF the
turf authorities. But the Jockey Club has
been going along quietly and smoothly.
investigating everything and keeping an
eve upon supposed evtldoers who nave
onerated on the Eastern turf this year for the
orst time. The ruling on OF Jockey Harry
Ra,rd and the Indefinite suspension OF Jockeys
Rouaneui. Perrine and Bell show that the
Jockey Club is on the alert. but even so there
are other things which. IL Ia alleged. have been
Above TO pass unnoticed. The scandal
relative 10 the running Of Fountainblue and
Flectioneer in the Flatbush Stakes died
quickly. Some people have insisted that the
Jockey Club hushed it all up. But in the case
Of Fountainblue it was clearly demonstrated
on saturday that he is not a really high class
colt. IL may turn out too. in view OF the
freouent surprises that are being sprung in
the turf world nowadays. that E~lectioneer
ia also a lemon. But these excuses come at a
late day-at a time when the public cares
nothing for causes OF past defeats but Is
anxious 10 know more Of the future. Ken
lucky Beau was another cause OF scandal las
week. lie won on the main track on Wednes-
dav when a few insiders bet on him at
iuicv odds. But when he started in a stake
event on Friday and was a favorite he was
badly beaten. rhe latter performance,
however, was excused by the apologlsts'
who pointed out the fact that Kentucky Beau
never could run on the grass. Then the rlde
on Lancastrian in the long distance event
on Friday caused another outburst OF CEN
sure, but after 1t was all over It was eX-
nIsined that Miller did his best and that he
rode strictly to orders. So 1t can be seen
that while many things that occur during
the running Of a race look queer there are
ready excuses for them that can be used as
convincing to prove that racing
Is strictly on the square, or rather the Jockey
Club is doing it's best level to make 1t 80.
But lust me same there can he no doubt
that the Western element here has revolu-
tionized methods. The Westerners have
always borne the reputation Of knowing how
10 get the money and then have evidently
lived I'D to It. While il il not fair to say
that some of these operators have resorted
TO crooked methods. still il ia not stretching
the point to state that they have come pretty
close to what is called sharp practice. These
individuals, IL Ia said, think nothing OF running
a horse dead" one day and alive" another.
This ia d lone chiefly through the kind OF shoes
nut on the horses feet. When there's moth
ing doing heavy bar plates are used. and
when the checks are down light aluminium
racing plates are substituted. This sort OF
rigging makes a wonderful change IN the
speed Of a horse 40 that a form reversal Is
the result. But IL Ia a matter OF doubt Whether
one OF these owners has been even repri-
handed for the adoption OF such methods.
Aside from all this talk about the Western
bunch the fact remains that at least one OF
the crowd from that part of the country has
had his myers burned. That man is Louis
Celia, who invaded the East last spring with
a biu hank roll and soon had a dozen mem
beers Of the Nets working for him In the ring
Az first II was believed that Cella's presence
would cause trouble. inasmuch as he had been
charged With breaking up racing in the state
of Missouri. But Celia has NOT been a sue
cess as a OF a horse owner here.
In fact he has lost nearly 100000 in good
money, which Ia not to be sneezed at even
by the St. Louis millionaire. Celia has only
a couple of the Nets working for him now.
which goes to show that the Eastern turf
wss not such a cinch for him after all.
The freely admit that they
have never experienced such a hard season
They point to the remarkable success OF
favorites and second choices and say that
the public has won all the coin. They attrib-
ute much Of their hardship to the riding OF
Jockey Miller earlier in the season, when MS
mounts we're winning day after day with heavy
backing on each OF them. The Miller craze
while IT. lasted, was disastrous to the layers
for the reason that the boy rode the best
horses and the announcement Of his mounts
on the Jockey board was nothing more than
a free tin 20 the public. With the horses run
ming close to form and the books losing on the
results in a way that has put many OF them
out Of business. the sport appeals TO sensible
men as perfectly clean and well conducted
il is an easy matter to raise n hue and cry over
alleged trickery in racing but II is not so easyto
prove vron gdoing. That ia why the Jockey
Club moves slowly and at the same time
guarantees to the public that the game will
he kept free Of the evils that have killed IL
elsewhere.
The Grayesend meeting will last two weeks.
Beginning with the First Special. to be run
to-day. many interesting stake events VIII
be decided. Tomorrow, the Bayshore. Tor
three-year-olds and upward. about six fur
longs. will he a feature. while on Wednesday
the Hitchcock Steeplechase Handicap will
be run. The Oceanview Handicap. for three
year-olds. one mile and a sixteenth. Ia the
feature for Thursday. with Tiptoe, Flip Flap,
Running Water. Content. Nealon. Fine Cloth,
Brookdale Nymph and other good eltgibles.
on Friday the Willow Handicap. for two
year-old hllies. Ave and a half f%urlongs. will
bring together a good lot. The Junior Cham
plon Stakes will be run on Saturday. This
is a dash Of about six furlongs for two-year'
Odds. in which T. Hitchcock. Jr.'s, Salvidere
one Of the best youngsters in training, vii
probably meet James r. Keene's Peter Pan
Ballot or Superman. sydney Paget's Water
Pearl. Paul J. Rainey's DE Mund. Oscar
L~ewisohn's Yankee Gun and others. Tn
Second Special will also be decided on Satur'
day, the distance being a mile and a half
Accountant may go. also Go Between, Run
ming Water. Sir Huon. LOgistilla, Dishabile
Entree and Tangle.
To-day's card consists Of seven races. The
First Special, at a mile and a quarter. weight
for age. has drawn a good field. OF which Go
Between, First Mason, COttontoWn and Run