The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-27
axI S. A. MACDONALD.

NEW ORLEANS, LA, January ga
prominent official OF the Western Jockey
Club s;ates that that organization pur-
poses doing away with the 4perniclous
"Bookmaker- Horse Owner" within the
present year. This Is an enlightened step
in turf development. for there Is nothing
so out OF line in connection with modern
racing conditions as the spectacle of a
bookmaker laying odds against his own
horse in a race. 1t is Just as II he were
TO say to the crowd OF patrons on tho
floor OF the betting bourse all about him:
"Say, you rum dums. / know just how
good or bad my mare Is to-day and just
how much she Is trying. Bot me that she
wins and I'll take you" This Is an un-
fair edge" for the layer to hold on the
public race players and as the funda-
mental principle II ideal racing Is the OBJ
scrvance OF all that Is equitable between
the bettor and bookmaker, 1t Is soTne-
thing which cannot exist in the upward
march Of progress.
Tho day will come IN the near future
when no booknaker will be permitted TO
race horses. This does not say the book
makers who now own race horses and lay
against them or bet upon them are dis
honest. Far from It. The thing Is the
publlci when 1t loses cannot think other
wise, and OF course scandal, tho death
dealing mlcrobo of racing, breeds about
The "Bookmaker HORSEPOWER" Is not
confined to the Winter and the Western
turf, for he flourishes In the East in
lllxuriant abundance. In fact the spec
tacle of well-known Eastern layer jump
ing off his high stool in the betting ring
at Saratoga to run out to the paddock in
order to instruct the Jockey on his own
horse, upon which the general public
had wagered fortunes OF money, was ono
OF the side lights OF the 1906 season at
the Spa, The sports used to laugh
about It, and then in a spirit of gravity
they would aver the thing was not quite
proper
Last week the .TIorse Owner Book
maker evil came into the limelisht
through an incident at City Park. The
crack filly. Minnie Adams. is owned
and campaigned by Fred Cook, one Of the
biggest book1nakers now here on the
ground Previous to Tuesday. January
18th. she had run several bad races. each
time the Cook book taking in gobs OF
money along with other layers in the
line against the filly- winning. She ran
dog races, and on several successive oc-
casons the Cook book. and the layers
generally profitted exceedingly at the ex-
pense of the bettors. Then on the above
date Minnie Adams went to the post in
a handicap at milo, well supported by
inside sources. She was q great horse
here, for she broke out In front under
Jockey Dave Nicol and just romped In
front all the way incidentally establish
ing Il new track record for the distance
at 1:3S 4-5. There was no earthly war
rant for this sudden coming to life Of
Minnie Adams. and Of course the talk OF
the owner having booked to the race be-
came general. The public lost bundles of
money. After the finish many Of the dis
gruntled ones gathered about Cooks BOOK
Ing stand where they piled tho Cook
maker owner" with many significant quer-
les. How'd you do 1t. Fred?" How
many pills did she got to-day?" etc., came
from the angered crowd In the manner
of so many lnterrogatory bombs The
Minnie Adams race became the talk OF
the town. and although Owner Cook was
rs much at loss to explain the yagary
Of his flly as anybody else, still the pre-
JUDGED gambler could not forget that he
had booked on the race with all the rare
money getting possibilities such thing
afforded.
This enforcement of the horse owner
and the bookmaker will be far-i'eaching,
Tor almost at every meeting In the Mid
Gle West and the outlying circuits, tho
chief baokmfskers and money factors in
the ring own the horses which race, In
the East, Lucien Appleby the book
maker, races a string of horses, rs does
"Dnvy' Iollnann, who frequently flops
irom being q player on the ground to a