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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. J. H. Woodford passed through Cincinnati last week and while there said in the course of an interview : "Marcus Cartwright is, I believe, the most successful bookmaker west of the Alleghanies today, if not of the whole country. And he has been successful for twenty years. He is the only bookmaker who has been in the business for twenty years, and has made and saved a fortune of at least a million dollars. Mr. Cart-wright the other day, in a long conversation with me, explained some of the methods that have resulted in his unprecedented success. Said he : I never in my life asked an owner for his opinion as to the chances of his horse winning I dont want to kndw the opinions of owners or anybody else. I never had but one man employed to secure information for mc. The single exception is this man Hugh McCul-lough, who has been with me for years. He is a good man and a deserving man, and I have kept him with me accordingly. But I never act on his information. My: important rule in bookmaking is to take the bets on the horseB that are the hot favorites, especially when the prices on them were being forced down precipitately juBt before the race by the multitude. "The racing at Chicago right now is very good, indeed, viewed from almost any angle of the game. The attendance is great, and I think the horses, as a rule, are better than have been contenders at fall meetings there for years. Pink Coat starts in the Twentieth Century Handicap next Wednesday and, I think, has a fighting chance to win, as the track record had to be broken the other day to beat him, I think that I shall take Pink Coat back to the farm Wednesday, win or lose, and certainly should he win. While he has been in quite a number of races this year he has not been abused, but certainly deserves a good rest and the best of treatment this winter. Pink Coat is only six years old, and I see no reason why, with careful attention and preparation, he should. not be as good as ever on the turf next year." Because the track was heavy Pink Coat did not start for the Twentieth Century, but it is pleasing to know that the gallant old winner of the 98 American Derby and of laBt years Wheeler Handicap will race in Chicago .again next year.
