The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-03
SOFT FOR LAYERS
New York "BOOkies" Are Get
ting Rich These Days.
Poor Judgment of the Racing
Officials Is the Cause.
BY FRANK G. MENKE.

New York, July 3-The layers
on the New York state tracks are
reaping a golden harvest Estimates
place their average daily profit at be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000 since the
tponies began romping around the
Empire state circles, or along the
straightaways.
| Close to 100 Layers" are doing
business. Splitting $4,000 to $4,000
among them means that their average
daily income is from $3.50 to $500.
That's tidy little profit-and the
| dear old public, as usual, assumes the
casions the lawyers have been hit
but those happenings are rare.
| The layers are getting richer
and the public poorer simply because
of the uneven matching of horses in
most of the races that have been run
at the Jamaica, Belmont and Aqueduct
tracks Post time usually finds one
class horse in field of dubs; one
real horse who is so far superior to his
rivals that there is little or no COM
parison.
| Odds on Favorites Common.
| Therefore, the layers make that
horse an odds-on favorite and usually
lay only small odds against the next
| three or four good ones. In one race
recently with thirteen horses entered.
the favorite was one to -wo shot.
Rarely, in any race, is the favorite
quoted at better than even money.
Just a short time ago eight horses
| went to the post and the class horse
one to two, one to three, and one to
five have become so frequent that they
no longer excite comment.
| An instance of how the layers" are
cleaning up is shown in the results OF
| two recent races:
Eight horses were entered in one
field, with the favorite quoted at one
| to three. The favorite in that race
was beaten by four to one shot. In
a race shortly following a one to four
| favorite won.
How did you break on those
races?" we asked a layer
Very well, thank you," he smiled
We're all breaking ahead these days,
and we'll continue to do it just as
| long as the track officials permit
| class horse to race against field OF
| truckers. No matter which horse
| wins such race, we are ahead of the
game If the favorite wins we, of
course, lose whatwas laid on him.
But our cleanup on the other horses
that were beaten exceeds our losses on
| the favorite.
Layer Smiles-and Explains.
| when a long shot wins. we very
rarely get a beating There are so
| many comparatively long shots in a
race that the public doesn't go to any
one very strongly. 1t splits its bets
on the field. Therefore, our loss when
| a long shot wins usually is less than
our profit on the other horses"
THE layer paused, did bit of
/ penciling on his pad and then sub
mitted the figures to us.
| Now, take the last two races" he
said. He had reference to the races
we spoke of just above.) "A total
| of $500 was bet with men on that
first race. $500 of it was bet. at 1
! to that the favorite would win. The
| favorite lost. Therefore, I won that
$500 and also $1,10O which was bet
on the other horses that lost. The
| $500-was bet on the horse
that won. 1 quoted to 2 against
that steed, which means that L had
to pay back $3.50, plus the $500 that
was bet on the winner. l took in
| $500 on the race and paid back
| $1,750. My profit was $3.50.
"On the other race, where the 1 to
won. it was over $500. About $4,000
was bet with me on the race. In
round figures, $500 was wagered on
the winner. I lost those bets, so 1
had to give back the $1,000 and also
81 for every 81 that had been bet on
the odds-on winner. I paid back a
total of s1,375, leaving me a profit of
1925
so you see.'' and the layer grinned
once more, Its pretty soft for us these
days-pretty soft, indeed