Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-02
OWNERS FEAR To
BACK THEIR HORSES
Instances Where Fortunes
Were Thrown Away at the
Benning Meeting.
On the Other Hand, Several Bio
Coups Were Planned That
Failed to Realize.

Failed to Realize.
yes" remarked an old trainer to a Star
reporter, on the way into town from Ben
ming yesterday-"yes, it is strange that
men will own and maintain stables, with
all their costly appendages and race horses,
and then not back their own entries, yet
they do, and perhaps this is one Of the sew
eral important reasons why the game exists
as it does.
Ito a man outside O. the pale Of racing it
would be supposed that stable-owners would
invariably back their own horses when the
latter are to race. else what is the use of
having a stable? Different racing men
will give different answers to this question,
but perhaps general reply would be that
they are afraid Of some other horse in the
contest winning, and this element of fear
in our natures. which exists with racing
men as with business men. keeps them off
of their own horses and makes them go to
the entries of other owners
Fortunes are each season lost in this
way by owners. Golden opportunities to
clean up for the year are developed only
when it is too late to seize them. The
smaller owners who may have been strug-
Cling all through the summer to make feed
bills will let their horses run loose at the
psychological moment when they should
have gone down upon him for all they
could have begged and borrowed. The
wealthy owners of the big stables go
through the same sad experience. =
This is very curious and interesting
phase of racing and l am reminded of sew
eral interesting recent instances.
Fortunes That Were Lost.
The meeting at Benning which has just
closed was a remarkable one in many
ways. from the installation of the new sys-
tenn of ring betting to Millers success in
the saddle. 1t was a fearful one for some
the owners because they didn't do just
what your question involves Some men who
have bucked the racing game and lost say
that it is one at which one never learns
anything, and there is more good horse
sense In this conclusion than the casual
observer would think-men just seem to go
on and do the same old blunders over and
over again.
"And understand that owners and train
ers and the so-called smart ones in the bet
ting ring bark up tn, wrong tree just like
the come-ons among the public:
1.-The victory of Orvlle l.. Richards So
ciety Bud, upon which as good as 60 to l
could have been had at one time in the
ring, and which was one of the longest
shots winning at this meeting. did not
benefit any one connected with the stable,
nor anybody else, save occasional sharp
shooting piker who may have played her
for show. Neither James Mclaughlin nor
his son. Jimmie, put cent down on the
Sempronius filly. Indeed, 80 little chance
did. the owners Of this fly think she had of
winning the long end Of the purse. let
alone the short end, that they thought
seriously of scratching her out of the race.
Yet this filly, ridden by little Simmons, a
boy who has yet to win his spurs as a
first race that Society Bud had won since
the early days Of the Saratoga meeting,
when she got home in front OF bad lot.
and by an interesting coincidence with 60
to / laid against her chances by the intel
ligent bookies. A thousand dollars would
not have been heavy commission from
this stable ordinarily, and If they had had
any idea that she had even SO much as a
look-in this amount would have been wa
gered and $4,000 would have been cleaned
up on just two races: had they been dead
sure of win they would Lave made it ten
times much, with tenfold increase in
results, though a big display of stable
money would have brought the highest
odds down But they threw away a for
tune each time. The only consolation they
got out of Society Buds win outside of
the purse, was the elder McLaughlin's sad
remark: 1t is bad reflection upon our
jockies when Simmons, an inexperienced
stable boy, can show them the way home
first
Long Shots That Hit.
"Then look at G. L. NJ, that set the rae
ing folks talking in the capital when he
romped in at 100 to l. G. L. NJ was gen.
uine 100 to 1 chance at the opening Of
the betting, though he was backed to 30
to / by the pikers. who delight in play
ing the long shots. He is owned by Tim
othv n sullivan of New York. The only
member of the Sullivan clan at the track
that afternoon was nator-elect Christie
the horse that bore the colors of his we'll
known cousin. Senator Sullivan left G.
l.. NJ. to the pikers, and as his friends
knew that he let the horse run unbacked
away ii cool 100000 by failing to get down
his commission.
And to show, you how they go wrong
M Mosn ereS wife GnE shields Brghton Cup
winner that annexed the Dixie stakes.
Because the report was spread broadcast
and had not work as well as his owner
would have liked to see him, the Brighton
Cup winner went to the post as good as
9 to 5, when ! to was ms iegltima n,
Holscher wasn't there with the dough TINS,
in the opinion of the so-called wise bet
tors, confirmed the rumor that Hoischer r
the Vestal stakes, the companion event to
the Dixie. went to the post faVorlte. Inc
best she could do was to take thlrd money,
form indicated he should have been-an-
other slip-up where the stable could nave
paid it's years feed bills on one race.
Caprices of Owners.
'It was the same with Senator McCar-
ren's Lee Harrison II that won at the juicy
odds of 80 to 1 earlier in the meeting, I'M
supported by the stable. Had the senator
given his two-year-old a chance he wouldn't
have bet less than $1,000 on him, and he,
too, Joined the owners at the Benning meet
ing who threw away fortunes for lack of
confidence in their own horses, which were
really the best as judged by what they did
and not by what their owners and the book
les thought they would do.
Owners have strange caPfices and IAN
cies Just like the bettors. The boy selected
to ride Lee Harrison II wasn't available at
post time, so the stable seized upon little
Mercado, a youngster about as big as
cotton tailed rabbit at the last minute and
put the kid into the saddle. But everybody
-bettor bookie and the owners and train
ers of the twenty other maidens in the
scramble-were scared to death of Speed
Queen, the favorite at to 2, with the only
Miller up. But not only did little Mercado
beat the crack jockey of the year away
from the post and keep the lead of the
bunch to the wire, but diminutive Doyle
another lad unknown to fame, on Tucker
muck, which closed at 100 to 1. ran second