The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-29
RECORD MADE BY A
FAMOUS BOOKMAKER
How Successful Career on the
Turf Was Begun
KEPT AN INDExED RECORD
Was First "Rookiev to Adopt 1t for
Racing Performances-conserV-
alive Layer, But oambled
on First Venture.

From the New York Sun.
To run a shoestring bet of $1,000 to s.
to more than 81 600. 900 since 1888 was the
record of Bookmalxer Mcdonald. one of
the Americans killed in the English rail-
road accident on July 1. He dropped
out of racing to some extent in late
years. although he seldom missed a day
at the track, and acquired large interests
In telephone and land companies. He was
regarded among racing men as the most
successful New York follower of the turf
in the twenty-three years of his career.
and so quietly were his operations car
ried on that Mcdonald was nicknamed
the silent man of the turf"
The year Mcdonald began his winning
streak marked the retirement of "Plung-
err" Walton and of the equally we'll
known bettor of the day Clipper" Ber-
nard, one a hotel keeper and the other a
wholesale merchant. who for some sea-
sons had the eyes of the public their
racing speculations. Unlike them and
many more recent turf spectators. Nc
Donald was never in the limelight. In
his entire career Mcdonald was never
touched by the breath of scandal on the
turf. nor implicated in any questionable
race or transaction. He was absolutely
straight Pittsburg Phil, contemporary,
left an estate worth SS,00OO0O On Wall
street 1t is thought that Mcdonald must
have been the weather. Of the two, yet
the former was a national celebrity and
Mcdonald, unknown. except to horse
men.
Although an Irish-American. he had
In a marked degre the Scotch thrift. or
canny characteristics He laid rather than
took the odds, yet few have been so uni
formly successful In winning bets, "A
little sure money for the book. was his
maxim. but It ha6. to be honest, clean
money A method he had perfected was
to buy auction pools, in 1884 and 1885,
when this form of overnight betting
flourished In certain places about New
York, and to lay off his investments the
next day in his book at better figures so
that each race meant little sure money
in most cases. For instance, If Melon
aid had $500 against $500 on a horse in the
overnight pools at Brighton Beach and
laid $500 against $500 even against the
horse at Monmouth park the next day,
he would stand to win $500 II the horse
finished first and to lose nothing in any
event While others of the craft would
be taking their pleasure O. nights, Nc
Donald was always on the hunt for
little sure money of this sort
Had Agents Employed.
Later on Mcdonald had agents in cities
where poolrooms were open to carry out
his transactions of this sort and to back
his good things Meantime he did not
neglect the early morning work Nc
Donald was one of the first bookmakers
about New York, IL not the first to en1-
ploy a staff of checkers to report the
morning work of the horses He kept for
years before the daily newspapers took
up the idea a private book of indexed
racing charts, or form at a glance
tables, information which Mcdonald sup
plemented by the reports Of his touts.
In brief as long as he made a book 1t
was conducted as nearly as possible as a
sound business enterprise
To go back to the lucky hit Kelly
and Bliss Cridge & Co, the Stedekers
and half dozen other firms clustered
about Broadway and Twenty eighth
street in the early SOS, did some business
on the Louisville derby, Oaks cup and
Merchants stakes. the Jerome park with
ers and Belmont and on other races.
Some of the books always included the
English derby and a fancy form OF spec
ulation was to offer long odds against
combinations of two or more races. Old
timers say that McDonald's bet of $1,000
to S. was against Leonatus for the Ken
lucky derby, Ida Stanhope for the Louis
vile cup and Mediator for the Merchants
stakes. All three won out from favorites
Ascender and Drake Carter sold over
Leonatus in the derby, but Billy Dono-
hue got the latter first to the wire Thora
and John Davis were held in similar APP
probation in the. pools for the cup, bu-
the little mare Ida Stanhope captured
the trophy, and in the Merchants stakes
Checkmate and Bondholder sold over
Mediator. Isaac Murphy rode the last
two on McDonalds ticket
With two winners in and only the
Merchants stakes on one of the last days
of the meeting TO wind up, McDonald's
ticket looked so good that he expected
some one to come around from the book
he had bet with to make an offer for
1t. No one came, and he set on foot an
inquiry regarding how the book felt
about its chances. He learned, accord
ing to the story, that the bet was to
be thrown out as an irregular one. as he
at the time had no standing as betting
man. To forestall such an action, Nc
Donald went to one of the noted turfmen
of the day. although he had no personal
acquaintance with him, and related the
circumstances.
Thought It Joke.
Leave your ticket with me" said the
horse owner IF Mediator wins out
will take pleasure In cashlng for you"
The horse owner thought it good
joke on the layer. with whom he had
frequent transactions and besides the de-
sire to see fair play actuated him How
ever, there was not murmur when the
turfman presented the ticket for pay
ment and some one. after all, may have
been joshing Mcdonald. Throughout the
spring and summer Mcdonald followed
the races. and at Saratoga made up his
mind to begin as a bookmaker at the
Sheepshead Bay fall meeting
Bootjack, speedy gelding by Bonnie
Scotland, had been bought by the Dwyer
brothers from Milton Young at Saratoga
In 1882, about the time they secured Miss
Woodford from Clay and Woodford The
gelding was fairly consistent winner
for them throughout 1885, and a 5 to 3
favorite for the three-quarter mile dash
that opened the Sheepshead Bay fall
meeting. Mcdonald was making book"
and he held out Bootjack, besides betting
a good slice of his banl1roll on the geld