The Washington times., 1922-04-02
CLOCKER GETS
HOT STUFF BUT
CAN'T WIN BETS

SAA\ l. AN O0xO
His Watch His Means Of Livs-
lihood and Often All He Has
In the Way Of Wealth.
TITS job being the clocking Of
racehorses, one might believe
the clocker would make con-
siderable money betting. But such
is not true, according to Ell Rio Rey,
writing in Running Horse. Says he:
"I've got it direct from thtl
clocker."
This word passes around town
like lightning every day, and like.
the word about the trainer, dis
cussed yesterday, is multiplied a
thousand times over.
Where there has been word" from
a clocker. there are a hundred tales
about it in an hour; and in thousands
Of cases, where there has been mono.
the tales multiply just the same.
SS~. 'or the sake Of argument, we
will grant that the speaker has "the
word Of the clocker." What good
is It?
1t is undoubtedly Of some value,
real value, IL genuine, insofar as II
relates to what that one horse
"clocked" is fit an ready to do. But
that Is all
That's also just what keeps clock.
ers from amassing fortunes on the
race. They undoubtedly possess
more real information" than any
one set of people-but they don't
know how to use II.
There's nothing so strange about
this, II you know the circumstances.
Men whose time IL all taken up
making Identification books. notes.
etc, getting up at an hour lonl
before daytime, trying to remember
the appearance Of all the horses. to
learn the names of new ones, catch
ing accurately and painstakinglyY
the works, or as many of them as
they can, interviewing other checkers
to swap" works. ETC., ETC., have
little time for study Of form in the
races. II they go to the track and
watch each race their long day leaves
them little inclined to study dope"
or angles" II they don't 60 to the
track, they are necessarily off in
their form deductions, compared to
those who do go.
The clocker is prone to think of
the last horse that worked fast as
the winner of his next race. He's
like the high index number" system
bug, or the Handicapped who can
only place on top the horse that won
his last out.
have personally known some
dozens of checkers. and bar three.
never saw one of them with money
won on the races. Many of them
make splendid salaries, as race track
salaries go, and a few sell their
sheets of work to bookmakers and
players at handsome prices. One
clocker, well known in New York.
makes about $3.50 per day this way.
have often been bewildered to SEQ
some sound horseman and clocker 90
up to q bookie or mutuels tickeen
deed. In the vast majority Of cases.
seller and place practically his last
money on some horse in a race that
i considered to have little chance In
of course, the long shot would not
win. In a great many. he did not
even show speed at any part Of the
journey. And after the race might
ask. why did he bet on that horse.
Then would come a voluble eJ.
PLANTATION how this one WAS never
better. how only three days before
he had gone a mile in lao SIS, etc,
etc. and seemed a certain winner.
II l suggested that perhaps the
morse that won, and one OF the
other two in the money had also
worked splend,dly over at the other
track a few miles away, or had
lately won from g better field than
the clockers hope had ever run
with, I would be greeted either with
incredulity, or a greet that the
clocker hadn't known Of the form
of the winner. or even downright
derisIon.
But in no case did these inter.
views do uHy good. Day after day
the little stake or salary Of the
cloc'ter would go into bad turf in
vestments. They simply could not
see form, tockeyship, betting angles,
track conditions. at all. It was the
fastest horse that they liked, and
had seen and nothing else.
Seldom do checkers make big kill.
ings." When they have a real good
thing at long price they usually fail
to get together enough money to
make the winnings run into four
figures.
Checkers, II they could work with
handicappers, and handicappers
could understand them, and they
could understand the handicappers,
and handicappers could do the same
for the checkers. But racing 10 one
subject where no two minds agree,
and there is no such joint as ajoint
opinion-the result of two competoDt
men reasoning-it Is always tho.
opinion of one OF the two.
So the clocker remains poor, bet.
ting on fit horses, while the handi.
cappers bet on many an unfit horse
and fares better.