Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-02
WINNERS OF PROMINENT
STAKES DURING 1909.

the American turf was severely scorched
at a local track several years ago by
launching the price against a supposed
dead one" Whether he got the double
cross or not viii never be known. A GER
tain stake winner was entered in a selling
race and the night before the trainer met
the plungsr at s~heepshead Bay.
"wnl your horse win tomorrow
queried the plunger. who was booking at
the time.
THAT 1 can't sayl' replied the trainer,
who was mixed up with several well
known operators, who usually wagered
their money away from the track. "You
see he was just a bit anne after a work
out yesterday and l am just starting him
as an experiment. If so and so is as
good as they say he is, he will beat my
horse easily. In fact, l don't see how ]
can win under the circumstances. II you
are going to lay my horse you might put
a bet on the other one for mel"
Believing he had an ace in the hole, the
plunging bookmaker kept the information
to himself, and when the market opened
on the race next day the stake winner
was quoted at Z to s and the 80 and SC
horse was at 2 to 1, The plunger quickly
boosted the price against the\ latter, at
NAAV oeAAA1 hAAAAG ANAhnihh W NdhG a UGA
on him, and sent out his runners to get
down 5000 with the other layers, who
had followed his example. When this
money la been placed the plunging book
maker plugged the price against the stake
winner and cried out:
Come on, boysl Here's 3 to 5 against
the favoritel All you want of itl'
The wise money came in a flood, but
the bookmsker never turned a hair. He
took in nearly 5000 on the stake winner,
who was said to have been lame two days
before, and when the horses went to the
post he stood to lose 5000 on the so and
so horse and nearly SIS, 900 on the favorite,
He got up into the grand stand just in
time to see the stake winner get home
by a nose, with the other horse in the
place. both jockeys whipping all the way
down the homestretch. A day later he
learned that the trainers gambling friends
had won nearly 1900 from two extensive
pool room operators in this city and had
also cleaned up handsomely in the west.
Another celebrated bookmaker was
trimmed several years ago in a similar
manner, though hard luck had a great
deal to do with his losses. He was inter
ested in a prominent stable which owned
q famous sprinter. The horse was en-
tered in a selling event one day and the
stable connections, knowing that the price
would be small, hatched a trick hat would
have been fine If successful. The horse
was taken out early in the morning for a
short exercise gallop in the presence of a
regiment of checkers and trainers. His legs
were encased in tightly wound bandages
and after a breeze down the stretch he
seemed to be lame, whereupon his trainer
offered to sell hin to anybody for $1,000.
AS the horse was a patched up cripple no
body wanted to take a chance, and when
he was announced as a starter In the af-
ternoon the rumor was rife that he was
on the verge of a breakdown.
This was where the wise b~ookmaker-
plunger came in. The moment the ring
displayed Z to 8 against the horse he
"hunehed" or plugged" the price to IL to
6, and being in touch with the secrets of
this particular stable it was an accepted
fact that he knew the horse was lame.
UP went the odd all over the ring then
and the bookmaker's agents got busy
everywhere. They placed nearly $1,000 for
him before the other layers got into the
ownership Of the coin, whereupon there
was a panic.
out in front. He was leading by several
lengths when he reached the head OF the
stretch, but in the next dozen yards he
hung in his stride, stopped as IL shot and
hobbled down to the judges stand on
three legs. His lameness was the real
thing.