Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-28
HARD SEASON FOR THE LAYERS
Percentage Of Winning Fsvorites
Greater Than Ever Before.
RECORD OF RACES IN GOTHAM
In SIT Run I'm New York o First
Choices Are Successful, Also
1914 second ChOices and 81
Third Choices,

1B4 second Choices and 81
Third Choices.
NEW YORK, Nov. 27.-Judging from the
results Of the races run on the Jockey
clubs tracks In New York state this year
the so-called bookmakers did not have
much to spare in the struggle with the
form players. Enemies Of racing when at
tempting to point out the evil supposed to
emanate from betting seldom fail to allude
to crafty bookmakers who are rolling in
wealth because the public is victimized by
a brace game" 1t is oandidly admitted by
any fair minded turf advocate that racing
is a hard game to beat. but 1t is also true
that many acceptors of oral wagers during
the recent campaign here lost heavily be-
cause Of the remarkable consistency Of
what is known as public form"
According to records of well known
Spectators who keep tabs on each years
business, or rather the form displayed by
public choices, last season surpassed all
previous ones in the number and percen-
tage Of winning favorites. second and third
choices. There were 1856 days devoted to
the sport IN this state. exclusive Of hunt
meetings, and in that time s17 races were
run, including steeplechases. In these
events 1894 favorites were successful, a REQ
ord breaking percentage of 49, 1914 second
choices and 81 third choices won, making
a total Of 65 successful public choices, or
an average of SO per cent. There were 115
unplaced favorites and L1 winners at odds
Of s to 1 or more. Many Of these long
shots were heavily backed, too, so tha the
men who laid the odds and took oral
wagers were evidently up against a stiff
game. Many Of the layers who finished
ahead Of the game were unable to collect
what was coming to them. but those who
lost were compelled. as a matter Of policy
ana custom, to make good every dollar.
Dope OF the Game.
Yet in spite of this remarkable mani
festation of form II is a fact that numer-
Gus races were regarded as queer and
some Of the best known jockeys were
roundly scored for suspicious looking rides.
The absence Of organized bookmaking and
the great falling off in the number of
price makers at the tracks were said to
be reasons why the horses ran more closely
to the calculations of form students than
In former years, but at the same time IT
must not be overlooked that many Of the
SUCCESSFUL favorites were at such short
odds that few persons could back them.
The Peer, for instance, won a race at l
TO 40, while Ilambala, Jack Atkins and
Celt, scored at l to 80, with Fitz Herbert
quoted at 1 to 10 on several occasions.
Some Of these short priced favorites were
upset, too, notably The Peer, at 1 to 70,
when he INDUCED in one Of this erratic
performances.
The layers almost to a man admitted
that the players displayed Increased know
ledge OF the game. They asserted that In
a majority of races no matter how many
horses went to the post the play was
centered upon two or three starters, and
that the only chance they had to win
was when those choices ran contrary to
the way they were played or some un-
backed long shot got home to upset the
talent. The average price maker. there
fore, will tell you that he had an un-
usually bad year, all things considered,
and that his prospects for another season
are not particularly bright. The betting,
as a rule, was rather light. There were
very few big bettors, the speculation being.
in a measure, confined to small fry oper-
ators or to the layers who wagered with
one another. The inability to record waR-
ers caused numerous disputes which could
not be adjusted by the former methods
of al ~itration so that the entire system
~ SNNNA6 "O hhAutg HaNlsAdCluEys
Details of the Season.
The opening meeting at Belmont park
which began on May 10, continued eleven
days, in which slxty-seven races were
run. Thirty-six favorites were victorious, a
percentage Of "a while sixteen seconds
choices and two third choices were also
successful, with six favorites unplaced.
The winning horses at to l or better were
Elfin Beau, s to l; Waldo, 10 to /; De-
tian, 10 to /; Mary Davis, 10 to l; Racquet,
s to 1, and Marcellus, 10 to l.
In eleven days at Gravesend there were
sixty-six races, in which thirty-six fav-
o%rites, twelve second choices and seven
third choices won, the percentage Of sue
cessful favorites being .55. Then first
choices did not finish in the money and the
long priced winners were Black Chief. Is To
l; Notasulga, Is to l; Royal Onyx, 12 to l;
Judge Ermentrout, so to /; Prince Gal
20 to l; Lucella, 10 to l; Bigot, 90 to l;
Mexoana, S to l. and Summer Night, Is TO
l.
The spring meeting at sheepshead Bay
consisted of fourteen days. with eighty
four races which produced thirty-pIne
winning favorites, a percentage Of .46. fif-
teen second choices, fifteen third choices
and twelve unplaced favorites, VIA these
victorious long shots: Dalmation. Is TO /:
Rockstone, 10 to 1; Notasulga, to l:
Black Mate, 20 to /; C~hickasaw, 40 to l.
Tim Plppin, 10 to l. Ida D., 10 to 1. ana
ST Dunstan. s to l.
The racing during the Empire City meet
Ing came in for some harsh mmen vel
In ninety-six races run In sixteen DAYS Al
per cent Of the favorites, thirty-nine. got
the money. There were twenty-four sue
cessful second choices, fourteen third
choices and fifteen unplaced favorites. The
long priced winners were Zephyr. 20 to l;
Fighting Bob, Is to /; Eschau, p 20 I.
Maltbie' 20 to 1; st. Joseph, 20 to /; Hal
ket, 10 to /; Superstition, s to /; Sir Ned
DAM s 10 /; Ida D., Is to Il; Tony Faust.
10 to /; Frank Purcell, 30 to l; Queen Of the
Hllls' 20 to l; Mauvlette, s to /; Cam
paisner' 80 to I. and shapdale, 8 TO l.
Fighting Bob, Eschau, Maltbie, Halket. su-
perstiuon, Sir Neddam ana Tony Faust
enabled shrewd persons TO subject the lay
ers 10 an artistic trimming.
Gn