The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-04-25
/ ALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, April 25.-I sup
IN pose it is true that Walter
Spencer Vosburg knows more about
race bosses than any other man in
America. There are several reasons
why he should. In the first place
he is the official Handicapped Of the
New York Jockey Club, and in the
second place he has devoted a long
and reasonably distinguished life
70 the turf. He has been handi-
Gaping the runners for more than
forty years, and during that time
he has attempted TO grade the rela-
tive speed Of 800, 497 thoroughbreds.
That's a lot of bosses in anybody's
barn He handicaps from 1000 to
1000 runners a year. He hasn't
any particular system beyond OBJ
servation and past performances.
A handicapper's job. as everybody around
the track knows. is to try TO make al
the races fairly well balanced This Is done
BY making good bosses carry heavier
weights than inferior ones. on the OBJ
vious theory that speed is reduced in pro-
portion to the imposed burdens.
VTOSBURG is a pleasant faced,
v elderly gentleman with a
distinct sporting interest in the turf.
/ should judge that he is IN the late
70's. CuriouSly he declines to reveal
his exact age. I'm getting pretty
we'll along" is all he will say. His
son, Harold Ormonde, A, named
after the winner Of the Epson Derby
In 1886, helps him with his
handicapping, and no doubt will
succeed him as the jockey clubs
expert.
Few bosses have ever fooled Vosburg.
For the most part his handicap ratings
have stood up through the years with re-
narkabIe success. There is nothing ex-
traordinary about that" he tells you.
Anybody can handicap a horse IL he
studies his characteristics and Is pain
stalking in computing the past performance
charts"
NEVERTHELESS. there was one
i boss that completely fooled the
gentleman. Singularly this animal
was named after Hank O'Day, the
baseball umpire who was a rather
battling person himself. Il gave
Hank a low weight in a race at Sar-
atoga one day" recalls VoSburg,
and he ran all over his field, win
ming by eighteen lengths. No other
boss ever gave me such a humil-
iating beating"
With all his minute knowledge Of the
turf vosburg hasn't made a bet on a race
since 1887 He SAYS: 'T learned early In
nv career that you can't beat the races"
He subscribes TO the axiom Of the barns
that all "hoSs players must die broke"
He claims that 500 things can happen 90
a boss from the barrier TO the finish and
he maintains that anyone who tries to
win against this terrific percentage is
either a supreme Optimist or thoroughly
demented.
THINGS also can happen to the
i bettor. AS a youth, Mr.. Vos-
burg worked in the sports depart
ment of a local daily. One day the
sports editor picked all six winners
on the card. How much did you
VIM" he was asked. The sports ed
itor had lost $40. "a strange
thing about the track is that the
other fellows information always
seems better than yours. It's easier
to get touted off winners than on
them"
r
Among other observations VOsburg had
Ia make we're that-Tod Sloane is the
greatest Jockey he ever saw
Earl Sande is the best OF the modern
school. though he doesn't know much
about pace
Booium Is n greatly over rated boss and
will do little. even If he RECEIVERS from his
bowed tendon
Whichone. his stable mate. Is destined to
real greatness. and is the best boss he has
seen since Man o. War was a twO-year-
old. He rates Man o. War the greatest he