The evening world., 1920-09-30
Latter Day Reminder of "Pitts-
burgh Phil" Makes Betting
Purely Business Proposition.
BIZ Vincent Treanoy.

ITO a casual visitor at the race
track a most amusing sight is
the Wild rush before each race
oy a hundred men OF 20 from the
entrance TO the club house down the
lawn 10 where the layers congregate.
They are OF the latest school OF horse
players. Everything IL, as a rule,
quiet and peaceful Just as the horses
start through the paddock gate down
\ past the stewards stand. to gaiiop away
10 the post when the sudden commo-
ton begins. one man jumps down
the club house stairs. whispers to an
other waiting outside the sacred por-
tails. He In turn whispers 20 a third,
and the human race Is on, all sig
mailing the Same word TO others who
Join In the chase. The visitor might
think Il a contest for men as a pre-
liminary to the one for the horses.
Innocent bystanders are knocked this
way and that In the wild scramble
~ those making their paths 70 whore
the various price makers are located.
What the deuce "a Il all about ~
the uninitiated visitor will ask.
Looks rs II tho cops are chasing
them" and 30 Il does. Tho scramblerB
are the last word" followers OF a
certain bettor, whose turf wisdom Is
regarded by some as wonderful, and
whose knowledge OF handlcappinE Is
believed TO be unerring
This mah, quiet hammered, gentle
manly In appearance and altogether
unobstruslve, walks around the pad
dock In measured strides before
races with dope book and his "ng-
ures" IN hand. He carefully looks
over each and every starter In the
various events. He Views them from
behind, moves around in front, then
takes In the side elevation as Il were,
notes the pasterna, hooks. knees, legs,
Hanks, and all the various parts that
q racehorso Is supposed 70 possess.
Now and thgn he'll stop and talk
with a trainer or two. All give HIM
respectful attention. and soma tell
him what they know" With the
tour OF inspection over, the gentle
manly student strdls leisurely after
the horses as they start from the
paddock. He gives them another
careful once over as they get out on
tho track with the jockeys In the sad
dies. To him the betting on races Is
a serious busnesl.
He starts toward the club house,
never In a rush or at a quckened
pace bis face a study Sometimes
u seems that the horses will get away
from the post before he reaches his
commissioners, but u hasn't hap
pened yet He Is strictly a last min
ute bettor. In the club house this
horse student stands for a moment In
deep thought before making his final
nj HH.a
mentally surveys the floor. When he
arrives at his conclusions there Is a
Ecurrying around. Commissioners
jump hither and thlther, backing the
horses whose chances he has csti-
mated as being best.
What Is he taldng?' everybody Il
seems, wants 10 know. 80 and So"
and the word reaches the groups
outside in turn, and the rush, as told
Shove. begins.
Not a "Plttsburgh PhlF by any
means, as measured by the size OF
his wagers, this man who enjoys the
acquaintance and respect OF the big
gest men on the track. has made such
success OF betting on races that he
has few bad years. In other words,
he usually winds up the season a
winner and goes hack 20 his California
home 10 spend "a quiet winter with
DIS Ihmlys lie mas been no uniformly
successful that many regulars have
found Il a waste OF time 10 try TO
pick winners on their own account.
A. one very Rptly says; why worry
yourself and spend hours doping
horses out when you can set the
benefit Of all this mans brains FOR
nothing but by simply waiting for
him TO make up his mind on what he
bets and then string along7"
As every one knows, beating the
races Is no child's play IL has thinned
the hair OF many one and made
nervous wrecks OF others; but this
man, apparently unperturbed by II
all, goes his way day In and day out
and apparently enjoys himself II he
suffers from suppressed emotion,
which r. said 10 have killed pitts
burgh Phil" nobody notices A.. He
wins and loses with as little express
sion as did the Smoky City plunger,
but whether he cashes or pays a
wager he always has the satisfaction
OF knowing II was on his own iudg-
tnent. Tr1ckery or manipulation evil
IDENTIFY isn't In his makeup.
Yesterday, for instance, he must
have won, for the word carried In the
separate and distinct PUSHES toward
the poor. unguarded layers was,