RACING AS A BUSINESS.
[The kind of article which one may confidently look for in the sporting columns of a penny newspaper at this time of the year.]
From the very beginning of the season I have insisted that our objective should be "the winter's keep." Those who have stuck to me all along and played my system are on velvet.
During the flat-racing year I have given a hundred-and-fourteen selections. Let me just tabulate the results; I like tabulating, for it fills my column in no time.
| Selections. | Won. | Second. | Third. | Unplaced. |
| 114 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 100 |
N.B.—Non-starters neglected.
The above is a statement of which I may well be proud. I assert with confidence that few sporting journalists can show anything like this record.
Certain captious correspondents like "O. T." and "Disgusted" have pointed out that my selections during this period show a loss of £104 9s. 11½d. on a flat stake of £1. All I can say is that people who bet increasing stakes are increasing, while people who bet flat stakes are—— Well, that disposes of "Disgusted" and "O. T." My readers know that my system is to have the minimum stake on the losers and the maximum stake on the winners. We shall never attain that abstract perfection, but we should keep this ideal before us. I believe in idealism; it pays.
Take yesterday's selections, for instance. Here they are, with results tabulated:—
| 1.00 | Breathing Time | Unplaced. |
| 1.30 | Taddenham | Unplaced. |
| 2.00 | Aminta I. | Unplaced. |
| 2.30 | Giddy Gertie | Non-starter. |
| 3.00 | Transformation | Unplaced. |
| 3.30 | Likely Case | Won—20 to 1 on. |
That I consider a highly successful day's racing, provided your stakes were proportionally placed; and here again I must insist on my principle of maximum and minimum stakes.
Let us suppose, as naturally most of my readers did, that a backer went to the course with a bookmaker's credit of twenty thousand pounds and a thousand or so spare cash in his pocket. Being a shrewd man he would place £1 on Breathing Time to win. (I daresay even "O. T." and "Disgusted" did me the honour of following me so far.) On Taddenham, true to my principles, our backer would raise his stake to £1 10s. Aminta I. would carry £2, or £2 10s. if he were punting. But I cannot too strongly discourage this habit of making violent increases in stake; it is almost gambling. Much better put on only £2 with a safe bookmaker, such as Mr. Bob Mowbray, of Conduit Street, whose advertisement appears elsewhere in our columns.
To proceed, our backer finds to his relief that Giddy Gertie is a non-starter and retires to the refreshment bar for a bracer. The 2.30 race being run off he returns to the Ring for the serious business of the day. After examining Transformation in the paddock and listening to the comments of the knowing ones—"Too thick in the barrel," "Too long in the pastern," "Too moth-eaten in the coat"—he will exercise caution and, instead of "putting his shirt" on Transformation and plunging to the extent of, say, £5, will put up not more than £3 10s. and await the result with calmness. When Transformation is returned unplaced (or, as "O. T." and "Disgusted" would say, "also ran") our backer is not abashed. Taking full advantage of his credit he places his twenty thousand on Likely Case, together perhaps with the odd thousand or so in his pocket, being careful, however, to ascertain that his return ticket is still safely in his possession.
Our backer is shrewd enough to understand that this is a case for the maximum stake. Strong in his faith in my principle he sees Likely Case win with little surprise.
Returning to Town that evening he records his day's dealings in this manner:
| Lost. | Won. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | s. | d. | £ | s. | d. | ||
| Breathing Time | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | |||
| Taddenham | 1 | 10 | 0 | — | |||
| Aminta I. | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | |||
| Giddy Gertie | — | — | |||||
| Transformation | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | |||
| Likely Case | — | 1,000 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Expenses: Return ticket, entrances, three double b. & s., etc. | 2 | 0 | 4 | — | |||
| _____________ | ____________ | ||||||
| 10 | 0 | 4 | 1,000 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10 | 0 | 4 | |||||
| ____________ | |||||||
| Balance | £989 | 19 | 8 | ||||
I may mention that the official s.p. of 20 to 1 on Likely Case is distinctly cramped. On the course it was possible to obtain more generous terms and lay only 19 to 1 on.
Thus one sportsman by careful observance of my principle has stacked up a goodly array of chips towards his winter's keep. All this goes to show that if a man will bet sanely and avoid "going for the gloves" he can make a modest competence on the Turf.
This afternoon the Vale Selling Plate of 300 sovs. is down for decision. To fill my space I cannot do better than give a list of
Probable Starters and Jockeys.
| st. | lb. | ||
| Mayana | 9 | 7 | Digby. |
| Avignon | 9 | 3 | Harris. |
| Wise Uncle | 8 | 7 | Holmes (O.) |
| Periwig | 7 | 7 | Benny. |
| Beatus | 7 | 0 | Peters. |
In Nurseries, Weight-for-age races and so on I make it a rule to give only one selection, but in a struggle of this importance I expect to receive a little more latitude. Of these, then, I take Mayana and Periwig to beat the field. At the same time I feel strongly that Wise Uncle's form at Kempton was not correct, and that he will nearly win, if he can beat Beatus, who seems to be let in nicely at 7 st. All the above will be triers, but it is doubtful whether any amount of trying will enable them to beat Avignon, whose chances I am content to support. I conclude by wishing my readers a good time over this race.
NEW RHYMES FOR OLD CHILDREN.
The Worm.
The worms, the worms, the wriggly worms,
They keep on eating earth,
And always in the grossest terms
Complain about their birth;
They have no eyes, they have no eyes,
They cannot read a book;
I wonder if they realise
What dreadful things they look.
The trowel cuts them quite in half,
It is a bitter cup;
They give a sour sardonic laugh
And sew the pieces up;
They sew them up and wind away
With seeming unconcern,
But oh, be careful! one fine day
I hear the worm will turn.
And though I don't know what it means,
I know what reptiles are;
They love to make unpleasant scenes
When people go too far;
However calm he seems to be
When only cut in two,
If you go cutting him in three
I don't know what he'd do!
A. P. H.
Effect of the Greek Imbroglio.
"Asked why The Daily Mail had been asked to send a representative, Mr. MacSweeney stated that Mr. MacCormack had cancelled an agreement with his agent, which meant the cancellatino of a number of provincial engagements."
—Daily Paper.
| "AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARGOT ASQUITH. | } | POLY. PRICE 25/- |
With 43 Illustrations.
A Noah's Ark
With a real educational interest. Education without effort. Containing 25 animals, all perfectly drawn."
—Advt. in Glasgow Paper.
Not at all a bad description.
"The Oxford University forwards created a very favourable impression against Major Stanley's XV. at Oxford yesterday, and were not to blame for the defeat of the University by 2 placed girls...."
—Daily Paper.
Here's to the maidens of Stanley's XV.!
HELLO SMITH - YOU DON'T MEAN TO SAY——
YOU'VE GOT ONE OF THOSE
BEASTLY LITTLE THINGS !