The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-08
CONFIDENCE WAS MISPLACED
Hunch on Race Horses Never
Picked a Winner
Condolences That Didn't Amount to
genious Combinations Figured Out
By Beftor-Constant Loss Respon-
siblc for One Mans Determination to
Never Again Depend on the Hunch.

New York May 26-Specal: INC
| horse ever yet ran faster than nature
intended il should because Of the name
some owner selected for registry with
the Jockey Club" said a disgrunted
nan who played Dandelion TO win the
| Metropolitan and was still sore because
the horse ran second. Look at that
lawn covered with D%andelions. Did any
one ever see 50 many dandelions at
Belmont Park before?
Wasn't that a legitimate bunch if
ever there was one? Can you figure
ou how DandeliOn could possibly lose?
And can you understand how that
| grand stand full Of dope fiends could
fail to back DandeliOn TO win?
Yet q selling platter named Grapple
a name which can not be figured
out as any kind Of hunch-cOmeS along
! and cops the beautiful Dandelio1. III
never again play a horse because of its
name-never s'help me, never. I'm
through. | don't care what names the
NUTS race under, they've got to show
| me before I'll bacek'em again"
And the disgrunted person settled
back into his corner as the race train
slowed up Tor Jamaica. Then. after 4
| long pause, he continued:
There's millions lost every year by
these hunch fends who think only Of
names and not past performances.
| | have been one of the foolish ones, but
no more for me.
SGT 1o,-N orNra r n tho traa1y 1nNlyyno O. For
lunches. | have sunk wad after wad
in the vain pursuit of lunches. And
when | saw that beautiful lawn al Bel
mont today fairly reeking with yellow
dandelions | thought sureI had at last
copied out the real bunch of my life,
at 20 to /. But no. the hunch was
beaten by a selling platter.
There was Jersey Lady in the third
race, too. Now, what else could Jer-
sey Lady mean but Mrs. Lantry? And
once upon a time l knew that Jersey
lady after whom the mutt was named
In fact, l had even done a tidy stroke
of business with her that Melted me a
few thousands.
Sentiment and loyalty impelled me
to play fifty on Jersey Lady. 1t seemed
like a sign post from heaven sent down
to indicate to me the horse l must play.
I blush to designate the exact place
where Jersey Lady finished in the
ruck.
Then there was SOnoma Belle The
other day. I've just moved into a new
fiat house called the Sonoma, and the
very day Sonoma Belle was entered, the
electrician called to fix my bell. Hunch?
Well, [ fairly flew towards the ferry to
be sure and get to Belmont Park in
time for the G
"All the way I was spending that
money. Then the ponies started and
Sonoma Belle proved a sure enough
ringer, for it didn't make any noise
when it came along seventh or eighth
in the procession.
Talking SOnOma Belle reminds me
o fanother grand bunch that went
wrong two years ago at Sh~eepShead.
Remeber Sheriff Bell the fine old sell
ing platter that won so many racest that
year? Well, Sheriff Bell was my cnoicc
on form anyhow, but on the way down
to the track | picked up an afternoon
paper that had columns on the hrSt
page about the riots in Colorado.
''The dispatches said that the Gov
ernOr had just placed Sheriff Bell ID
charge of all the National Guard troops
on duty at Cripple Greek. Say, [ just
naturally hid that paper from the
crowd on the train for fear some of
the other regulars would read 2bou-
about Sheriff Bell and force the price
down to odds on.
Some one had been reading about
Sheriff Bell and force the price
the track seemed certain the old SELL
ing platter would win. He vas backed
down from tours to 4 to 5 and l played
a hundred of my hard earned coin on
the Sheriff.
But what's the use? Subsequent
events proved that there was no POS
sible connection between a race horse
named Sheriff Bell and an individual
two thousand miles away. In the cold
light of reason, whatever made me
think that horse could win just BECAUSE
a sheriff with the same name figured IN
the news?
Spent a month that year up at Lake
Sunapee, New Hampshire. When L
came back for the Brighton meeting
there was a t~wo-year-old named Sun
apee about to start in a Juvenile race.
Had never started before and 100 to L.
81 couldn't help it played a five
dollar noate on Sunapee, and when the
price went up to 200 to 100, I put in q
ten dollar note, five straight and five
to show at so to 1. | stood in to win
s1,750 if that bunch had been worth
anything.
But little Sunapee finished thirty
seven lengths behind the leaders in a
five iurong dash, and has never sported
silk since. [ believe Sunapee is haul
ing a milk wagon in Brooklyn now.
Then there's Rye, the speedy three
year-old that was just beaten by Gin
cite IN the last race the opening day at
Belmont. Rye was the favorite. Why:
Because every man who went in TO Sst
a drink called for rye whiskey.
eve played Rye for so long, can't
stay off this time you could hear every
one saying.
RYE became favorite simply because
&c h:- ~o-,a And ~ uroS mora thar