Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-26

'Cussing in All Ages and Chimes
should have had his stenographer
alongside of Davy Johnson for the ten
minutes or so Immediately following the
running of his Big Train horse Rose
ben in second place to Glorifier In the
Carter handicap" said clubhouse pet
ting commissioner
"The shorthand man could have
caught some utterances that would
make the language of Captain Kidd
sound like a report of a business meet
ing of the Daughters of the Revolution.
johnson wasn't manufacturing that
aurora borealis of cussing because
Roseben hadn't won. Not at all. lie
plays the game and takes his bolus
when It's coming to him without Whim-
pering.
"The thing that pulled the snorts out
Of him was the fact that he hadn't
played his cannon ball steed either for
the plotz or for the limbsky end of 1t.
"He'd got 1t all on straight at 10 to
or thereabouts standing to win $15,-
900 or SO, and hadn't sent in the price
of shave for either of the other po-
sitions indicated by the board numbers.
There was plenty of to for the place,
and as good as "a to l for the third
socket right down to the finish.
"Well, johnson belongs to that crowd
that plays them to win or not at ALL
and betters who fall for that system
are handing themselves dents from the
cradle to the grave.
"I could never make out whether it's
a superstition or just a bug. Whatever
1t Is it isn't good sense.
"The straight bet players express 1t
this way: If he can't win he can't
run anywhere Yet there are all kinds
of reasons why a good horse ought to
be played as far back as there's any
sort Of price against him.
Wins at 100 to I
"Dave Gideon picked up the bulk OF
his big fortune in taking those that ne
liked and knew lot about as far back
as he could get even money. The Dig
gest cleanup he ever made was when
his fleet little filly Josepha copped, hve
or six years ago, with 100 to 1 about
her.
"His agents were in every big room IN
America on that day and the take
down was something more than $1,000
Every little of the Gideon coin went
on for the f1lly to win. Most OF II
was limb kale, the price opening at 2o
to l for Josepha to show.
There are plenty OF right gooo
horses, excellent in ability, but wear.
in heart and nerve, that are natural
born second and third money rdnners:
THEY'RE the sort that'll take good
lead and then loaf, and, while they're
loafing, If something pulls up ana
ranges alongside of them, they'll look
the threatening one in the eye and say
as it were:
"'You can have it, and all the bat
ting and kicking out of the Jockey
avails nothing; they'll run into the
slot they've picked out for themselves
and that's all there is to 1T.
"There are some owners l know who
instruct their Jockeys not to fetch their
horses into any Of the positions If they
find that they can't win with them, and
there are plenty of jockeys usually the
fashionable Jockeys at that-Who
simply will not kick a horse out to
connect with second or third money
if they find that they can't get the
front position.
"Rut the man who is playing the
races has to know the kinks OF sucr
owners and Jockeys.
"When Shaw was riding around these
tracks, for example. it was the correc'
play never to take any horse he rodt
except for the winning position. h'
had a horrible habit of just chuckinf
1t and sitting still when he saw that MS
horse couldn't reach the front.
"Another argument for the across,
the-board way of playing them is tha'
| 1t will often happen that, when there
| is an agreeable mare in race tne
stations will not try to beat her. lts
kind of equine politeness If the
mare is a. shifty one she'll romp out In
front of the stations all the way, and
they won't pass her.
"Probably the politest horse that ever
raced in this country was OLD Elkln,
mighty shifty horse, something better
than a platter, that dropped out OF the
game seven or eight years ago after
very long turf career.
"Elkin's poiiteness made him known
as the most celebrated second-money
runner in the history of the game.
Famous Place Horse
"During his last year on the turf, in
cl1dinp a campaign on the southern
tracks and the winter season at New
orleans, Elkin ran second nearly 1orty
times. and in nearly every one or these
races he was good enough to winsh ne
hadn't been so Internally poIte. "
appeared as if he really didn't think
1t was right to peat tne norse 'ndI
challenged him.
eElkin came to be joke on account
of his second-money propensity and
the prices across the board against
him were often queer to look at The
layers would put 80 or 40 to ! agalnsI
him to win, even-money a place and
] to third.
y "They seemed to have the right line
at that, in taking it for granted that
Elkin couldn't by any possibility run
into the first position.
"I once saw Elkin quoted at 10 to l
to win with field Of Ia bad horses,
and out in the betting for second and
third money. On that occasion Elk1n
allowed one of the bad horses to beat
him by face on the tape, and the
bookies were thus vindicated in having
refused to lay any kind of price
against him for anything but the first
money.
"Elkin's owner was perhaps the stub
bornest man that ever lived. He simply
would not play Elkin to run anywhere
else than in the winning hole, even
after the horse had shown his as
founding performance of running sec
ond nearly forty times.
He'd bet $100 on Elkin to win every
time the old horse went to the post
during the last year of his racing ca
reer, but despite the pleadings of his
friends he wouldn't send in nickel
on the old chap to do his famous sec
ond-money stunt.