The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-04-19
GRAMMAR BIT ON LUNCHES
WHILE PITTSBURG PHIL BET
on HIS KNOWLEDGE.

Guessing by the Late Riley n
When He WaS In His Best Condition.
Il can't understand why 80 many Of the
biographers Of the late Riley Grammar
couple him with Pittsburg Phil said a
turfman who was on close terms with the
plunger who died at RAWhlde, New, the
other day. 'The two men we're alike In
only one thing. their GOODNESS.
'Pittsburg Phil was the student and
scholar Of the thoroughbred game, Every
bet that he made was based upon some
thing that he knew. Again. he was the
master OF the technio Of the game.
"He knew what the horse could do. He
knew what the jockey could do, and he
always found out in advance what the
horse and jockey were meant 10 do, He
regarded the random player Of the horses
as a crazy man
HE paid big money for his knowledge,
There we're times when 1t seemed as II half
the owners and trainers on the tracks
we're on Pills stan. They made Phil their
confdant and got their reward.
AN owner. for example. would stick
a horse into a spot that looked good to him.
Then he'd 60 to Phil
II think I'm going to win with that
one, Phil he would say, and Phil would
ask him what made him think.
They'd get together on the problem.
II Phil agreed with his owner friends
idea that that horse would get II he would
send in the big money. and a considerable
amount Of the bet would 60 down in the
owners interest,
aBut he'd never send the money In II
he himself was not convinced that the
horse would do the trick. Often he would
say to the owner, You haven't got a chance,
old boy and these owners will tell you
to-day that the student plunger's predio-
ton was nearly always verified.
Toward the windup Of his career, when
Phil was tired and sick and knew that his
days we're numbered, he virtually ave
up his old time close attention 10 the details
Of the betting business and just spread his
money around in parcels that we're con-
sidered small for him for the fun Of the
thing.
Are you in right about thisS' a friend
would ask him.
mo, I'm just gambling now would be
the reply.
Well, didn't you always gambler the
friend would ask.
~ should say not Phil would reply.
Me gamble? Do you think I am crazy?
Well, what we're you doing when you
we're pulling down those bundles day in
and day out2'
well, ! wasn't gambling, and you can
take that from me, Phil would reply, and
that would end the colloquy.
Riley Grammar was an utterly different
sort Of man. He was a gambler pure and
simple. and he never concerned himself
with a close analysis Of the game.
Fairly in his betting career he took a
hack at all Of the systems and he ended by
declaring them all futile and foolish. He
was strictly a bunch player and he arrived
at an opinion by a mental process that a
almost feminine.
He was a sort OF clairvoyant gambler.
His intuition wal marvellous. 1t used to
seem TO me that he could close his eyes and
have a mental picture Of the winning horse
ambling down the stretch TO the tape.
He would light on the most impossible
betting propositions and get away with
them time after time.
Why do you like this thing 80 muchr'
I've asked him time and again when the
thing he singled out for a whopping bet
looked like a lunatic's selection.
Dunno he'd com back. Go to 10,
that's all. and get something for yourself
And l couldn't get anything more out Of
him.
Grammar rarely or never considered a
field Of horses by the process Of elimina-
ton. He'd cast a rapid eye over the en-
tries in a race and then his finger would
travel to the name Of one Of them like the
pointer Of a compass.
There's the one that sticks out he'd
say, when there would seemingly be no
reason on earth for him to make such a
declaration.
1T was idle to ask him why he consid-
cred that that horse stood out. He
merely fan the fellows who asked him the
reason why. But when Riley was at the
top Of his career and before home troubles
tapped his nerve and bewildered his judg-
ment his friends fell into the habit Of going
to the thing that he picked out in that swift
way, and there are scores Of these men
who to-day are fixed for life because they
did have the sense to lean on Grannan's
almost unerring judgment.
"Grannan's immense splurge On the
Domino-H Henry Of Navarro match vas char
acteristic Of him. You'll recall how on
that occasion as a bookmsker he laid
against Domino until the COW came home
and went out again and how he stood to
pay out between $4,000 and 500, 900 in
case Domino did the trick.
He simply would not have ii that Domino
could beat Henry OF Navarro. OF all the
big ring men Of that time Grammar was
practically alone in believing that Henry
Of Navarro could put II on the mighty
Domino. He was utterly unreasonable
about this thing. 7 tried to tell him how
much more Of a horse Domino had shown
himself to be than Henry Of Navarro. He
would listen without a word and when l
got through he'd say every time:
s'All right. Have it that way II you
want to. But watch the fall that I'm going
to take out Of Domino, that's ALL
"'And go broke | said 10 him with some
impotence. 1t would be just like your
pig headedness to tap yourself on such a
TOOL proposition as that. when any smudge
OF a dinge stable boy knows that Domino
will walk away and hide from Henry Of
Navarro
THAT only got a laugh out Of him. He
wasn't accustomed to getting worked up