The sun., 1908-12-27
LONG SHOT THAT DID nor WIN.
Yarn That = French Horse Recently
scored nj 2, 600 TO Is Untrue. =.

Some time ago statement in the Eng
lish papers gained circulation that a
winner of race a. Maisons-Laffitt had
paid the Incredible price of 1900 to T..
or. to be exact that ten francs invested
on the winner in the mutuels had re-
turned 2e.sot francs. II now appears
that the horse about which the story was
built did not win and had never won
for that matter. but that II he had been
successful the above remarkable odds
would have been paid in wagers made
on his chances. In relation TO this matter
the Paris correspondent Of the London
Sporting Life recently;
During the last few days have re-
peatedly come across a paragraph in
the English papers l have picked up
which at first caused mo establishment
and afterward amusement. / rubbed my
eyes when ! read that last week record
was established by the pari-mutuels at
Maisons-Iafittf. when the lucky people
who had invested 10 francs On the chance
OF Etheree had each received the sum OF
II. col francs. aor something over sf,0OO
A .thousapd soyereigns to eight shillings
was indeed long odds, but asked my
self: wien did this occurr / had been
at all the recent meetings at Maisons-
Lafitte and had no recollection Of
Etheree winning race-in fact. / do not
think Baron de Ginestous's filly has ever
won a race at all.
-She is peculiarly bred, being by the
little known stallion Kerlsz, out Of Fury
dice, and / saw her when she made her
debut in the Prix st. Damion at Maisons-
Laffitte about three weeks ago. She
did not win on that occasion, can swear
Nj. Edmond Bianc's filly Messaouda was
successful, with Casus Belli ii. second,
and Casus Belli third. This coincidence
stamped the race in my memory, and l
wrote in Sporting Life at the time about
the stupidity of permitting two horses
Of the same age to bear the same name
Moreover. Messaouda is engaged in the
English Oaks. and 1 gave you at the time
Of her victory some particulars about her
Etheree in that race finished nearer
last than. first. She ran again a week
later, on October 80. over the same course
at. Maisons- Lnfitte in a selling race.
the Prix des Mureaux, which was won by
Baron Leonino's 8 filiy Fabienne.
"Ha! Now / have it. / can see how
this wonderful story has been put into
circulation The Prix des Mureaux was
a remarkable betting race: There were
twenty-one runners and Fabienne started
at II to against Rolleville, which was
second, started at 206 to and paid rs to
/ for a place. Messenger Boy. to 4
chance, was third. The public is officially
informed after each race what the various
unplaced horses would have paid-if they
had won. Oh, the magic Of that lite
word H. Says the German poet and
philosopher. the man who invented 'ifs
ks,x, tr,s, 80 .>l
chopped straw into gold. A little if'
has transformed the despised Etherees
defeat into a golden harvest. II Etheree
had won the person who had taken a
a ten franc ticket on her chance In the
pesage enclosure would have received
Il, COL francs and the person who had
taken FIVE franc ticket outside in the
pelouse would have received ,67s francs.
for the odds there were much reduced.
As II happened Etheree did not finish In
the first five. and the holders OF the tickets
1T ia Just as well TO correct these
fallacious statements at once In year.
10 come some one may turn up the pel -
graph and will actually believe that VI.
than 2.eOO to over Etheree. There Ia
no reason why the pari mutuel should
not pay such q price II the general In
vestinents are sufficiently large and the
particular Investments on the winner
are sufiiciently few. cannot say otf-
hand what the exact record IN the way
OF a long pari mutuel price may be. but
in TO now it is well under 1000 TO l.
remember in the very early days Of the
mutuel one OF the Hennessys by way OF
experiment taking a ticket for each
horse In the race. and the extreme out.
slider took the liberty OF winning, The
result was a tremendous advertisement
FOR the machine and many people
blindly followed Mr.. Hennossy's example,
taking a chance on every horse. This
swelied the takings, but long priced
outsiders did not roll home with tho ex-
peoted regularity. .e
sI,et IL be repeated. howey or. and a.
widely az possible that this story OF the
pari mutuel paying 2e.eol francs. FOR 1t
over Etheree Ia untrue. Etheree has not
won raoe, and no such price has up to
now been paid by the mutuels. In the
long run II will be found more remunera-
tive TO back favorites and second fsvorites
at the mutuels. but IL you have reason
for fancying an outsider and back your
fahoy you will get q much better price
at the 'totalisateur' than from book
maker, and II IL should win-and there Is
always a very big IT. about IL. mind
you-the money is at once forthcoming;
and that Ia n great oonsidoration.s