The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-07-14
McGRAW THINKS RACES
LOOK LIKE EASY COIN
FOR STUDIOUS PLAYER
Famous Ballpayer Says Game Is Not Sport But Bust
ness-Clubhouse Bettors Robbng Public
and Books.
By J. S. A. MACDONALD.

BY J. ,. A.
NEW YORK. July 13.-John j. Me- ?
Graw. the famous Napoleon OF the base
ball diamond, is going to leave the Ma
tional game for the turf. possibly this
autumn. but at all events within the 1
next two years.
incidentally. McGraw says the race
track offers the best field for making
money either for the capitalist or the /
poor young man without funds to be
found in America today. This IS very
interesting and quite characteristic Of
the great little baseball leader OF the
New York Giants who is first OF all
thinker" and sort of fellow who
is usually found doing things for him
self along certain lines unique and
apart from the general way.
Business for Business Man.
McGraw doesn't believe It is possible
for man to run into racing and beat
the horses by betting his money but he
does held that a conservative, careful
business man can master the sport so
thoroughly, either as a bookmaker,
owner, or as a professional Speculation.
that rich dividends may be had from
moderate investment McGraSw refuses
to call racing a sport" Says Mac:
/
business" and the man who can ar
range an edge" or an advantage, for
himself over his competitors in the bet
ting ring and in the paddock can win
and make money. There II is in a nut
shell. ANY man who bets on n horse
race without having an edge" on the
bookmaker is a boob. The men who are
making money on the turf are they who
manage to get 50 to I against a natural
even money choice. Then they take TO
! to show against it"
Gambler Can't Succeed.
This Is all entertaining and moreover,
true There are many men who are
making fortunes from racing. To, begin
with the business Of thoroughbred racing
offers very little return to the straight
out-and-Out gambler. The gambler never
succeeds in anything. A prominent turf
man. and a successful one too, recently
declared:
when you have eliminated the ele-
ment of chance in your race track
ventures down to the very limit OF pos
sibility then you have a chance Of win
ming. There is nothing in racing for the
haphazard sort Of fellow. Luck never
brings anything but disappointment in
the long run
McGraw Has Won.
For many years McGraw has been a
big Spectator on the horses and with I
considerable success too. This TOO, while
attending to the exciting duties OF a Ma 4
tional League manager. He has some
nice property holdings here in New York \
and at Baltimore, Nd. Looking after /
this interest and pursuing a turf career 4
will surely keep McGraw as busy in the /
years 10 come as he Is today.
While the sporting world win be inter I
ested in seeing just how Mac makes out /
on the turf, no one wants to see him .
lose his bank role in an experiment
where so many before him have failed
and gone 10 ruin. Incidentally the race
horses remain the allurement Of all ball 1
players. A well-known Broadway COM \
missioner has become wealthy IN hand /.
ling credit accounts for the ball players
connected with the Brooklyn and New
York National League clubs and the 4
Yankees of the American League.
There is scarcely one Of the players OF |
these clubs but dabbles on the horses. |
A few years ago ST. Seymour, Jake
Beckley, Ed. Delehanty, and Comiskey, |
of Chicago, were about the only big |
League men who knew enough about the 4
horses to wager 800. Nowadays the av-
erage professional ball plyer knows more I
about racing form than he does of the I
official league averages.
Suspicious of Jockeys.
once again the oldtime cry Of Rob |
ber." Thief" is being hurled in the di- 1
rection Of the Jockeys quarters. Up un- |
I'll the beginning Of the Sheepshead Bay 4
meeting the racing was clean OF scandal (
but there certain jockeys put up such 1
ugly looking rides that the public has /
been calling mean names ever since.
Jockey Jack Martin, Jockey Radtke, I
and Jockey George Mountain have come /
in for severe criticism. The Rainey /
Brothers will scarcely employ Radtke /
next year, the jockey having been IN |
der suspension at their orders for a I
week. The Cleveland, Ohio. turfmau 4
didn't like the way Radtke handled (.
King James recently, while his rlotous 4
life among the gay followers Of the 1
Coney Island summertide revel is dis /
pleasing to the men who paid $4,000 for |
his services but two years ago.
How Graft Is Worked.
On the other hand the two light !
weights, Miller and Eddie" Dugan. are
riding with marked consistency and
with the public following Loyalty in
their wake. No horse which either OF
them rides goes to post altogether un-
played, the bettors figuring that a 100
to-1 shot has chance to win under a
ride from Dugan or Miller.
For years the insinuation in effect that
collision between boolImakers and joe
keys has been often heard. but nothing
could be further from the truth. Twenty
years ago in the bushes that was the
way the triCksters flimfammed the pub
lie. but nowadays It is the big bettors
and plungers who do business with the
riders. Horses are pulled today and
run TO win their next race at a long
price. The Qualifying race" is the bug
bear Of the turf today. The average
race player has first 20 dope" out tho
naturally best horse and then learn
whether or not the right money is
showing 10 him.
In and Out Running.
Just now the public is not getting the
money here in the East. Neither is the
bookmaker Fhe race track associa-
lions and the slick paddock factions who
cook ND and arrange moral cinches are
gathering the harvest.