The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-03-05
| ALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS


NNE Of the things you learn in
" horse circles hereabouts is that
for the FIRST time in years there Is
10 orvanized winter betting on the
outcome Of the historic Kentucky
Derby Whether this presages a d.
minishing interest IN the age-o!d
event or merely implies a growing
community revolt against the Sid
practice Of gambling on horse -@Sh
can only be conjectured.
II
But the fact Is that whereas in the past
there wsr. two or three bookmakers 0per-
atlng nationally what is known as winter
books there is none today. 1t was the
custom Of these bookmakers to distribute
a printed list Of odds on the entire helo
Of possible st1~ters ard thee lists found
thrIr way into every sizeable city In the
country.
Up 70 nov nobody has seen such list
on this years race, and the only known
operator doing business with respect 70
me Derby Is Frank Kearucy Of st. Louis.
more distinguished as baseball oettof
than q race track bettor. Kearney Is lay
ing odds against only the better known
horses.
A NUMBER Of tremendously big
N bets have been won in the
winter books. On one occasion the
play on the winner was SO enormous
that the operator folded up, took
boat for Europe and refused 10
settle. This was when Zev won III
1928 with Sande up. Some months
later he returned and with a great
burst Of magnanimity. characteristic
of the sure-thing manipulation. OIL
fered to return the original Wagers
with benefit Of winnings.
Zev. incidentally, was not figured as
starter in tho Derby and certainly Few
people figured him as the winner. The
chances are he would not have started II
Harry Sinclair. owner, hadn't made mid
winter bet with E. r. Bradley. the Palm
Beach gambler, that he could name one
starter in the race.
For the benefit Of those who do not fol-
low racing closely it should be stated that
from 200 to 800 horses are annually nomi-
mated as possible starters. All OF those
are listed in the winter books. Very sell
dom does the actual starting field INCLUDE
as many as twenty-four horses 30
naming a starter is almost as tough as
picking the ultimate winner.
TN making this bet with the owner
of a possible starter, Bradley was
taking into consideration the viscis-
STUDIES of racing. 1t was no GER
tainty that Zev, fairly impressive as
a two-year-old, would train sound
for the Kentucky classic AS Brad
lev saw it the odds were 5 to that
he wouldn't. and it was on this basis
that a stack of thousand dollar bills
was wagered.
Zev vas also listed n starter IN the
PreakncSs. an earlier race which usually
serves as a guide TO Derby probabilities
Zev went to the post, but performed mis-
erably and was beaten badly by the smart
looking vigil Trainer Sam Hildreth was
unable TO find any encouraging excuse by
which TO JUSTLY the colts drab perfor-
nance and announced that he would not
be shipped to Kentucky.
n
4 S the story comes to me, owner
N Sinclair insisted that his train
er Ship him anyway. He wasn't IN
terested so much III his bet Win
Bradley. Being a man OF millions
as he was in the distinction OF hav-
ing a personal interest in the run
ming of one of the worlds oldest
races.
Zev did not reach Churchhill
Downs until late the day before
the race. Hildreth had no faith in
his immediate prospects. Indeed,
when Sandc took him out that aft
ernoon and galloped him, nobody
held a watch on him. The only rea-
son Sande rode was that he was
unable to get another mount.
Neither Sinclair nor Hildreth
thought that a rider Of Sande'S eX-
callence should waste his skill On
a forlorn hope.
Tbe history Of the race Is well known
zev broke in front. rushed TO the lead
and outfootcd the field all the way to win
At generous odds. This was the begin
ming of series of outstanding accom-
plishments. lie beat Papyrus and In
Nferroriam In two match races and wound
IN his career as the biggest money win
ner in history.
All Of which goes to prove that
YOU can't tell baritone by the
color OF his cravat and that there
is no telling what kind of a chin
basks behind the vOIuptuOuS down
Of q set Of soup strainerS.