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PLUNGES OF THE LATE JOHN W. GATES. The late John W. Gates used to say that the race track furnished him with the relaxation he needed after business. Race track men are of the opinion "that the horses owed him nothing when he died, as he was not only ehrewd in his speculations, but lucky withal. Mr. Gates was the last but one of the big plung- ers whom the conservative members of the Jockey Club would have been glad to see stay away from the tracks because of the wholesale manner in which they wagered. It is a matter of comment among racing men that like two other noted plungers he died within a year after racing had been suspended in the vicinity of New York. Senator McCarreu was the first to die of the plungers who made history when racing was at its zenith. Senator McCarreu did not court publicity as did Davj Johnson, the second of the trio, nor were his methods as flamboyant as those of Gates. He .bet quietly and nobody could tell after a race whether he had won or lost. He rarely smiled and his training is a politician made his face a mask which hid every emotion. Davy Johnson was exactly the opposite. The world knew what he was doing always, and during the running of a race his fire of comment was incessant. He never bet as much money as McCarren or Gates, but it was only because ho didnt have It, as ho was wholly reckless and regarded money as to much paper. Its purchasing power meant nothing to him and he was up and down all the time. Mr. Gates was what was called an information player aud he always had somebody upon whose judgment he could rely. He was a believer in his luck to a remarkable degree and followed it occasionally, hut as in his other speculations those connected with the turf were intended to yield a profit, in the days when Enoch Wishard trained for John A. Drake, Mr. Gates would rely absolutely vnn the judgment of the clever horseman who was making Ort Wells and other members of the Drake stable perform wonders at times. On occasions he would permit himself to be touted by somebody with an alleged good thing, but as a rule it was Wishard, or later Durnell. who advised him in matters pertaining to Ihe trnck. English turfmen credit Gates and his partner Drake with one of the biggest coups ever pulled oil in their country. The best sprinter in England when he wanted to try was a man-eating chestnut stallion called Royal Flush. His temper was so bad that jockeys and trainers stood in constant fear of him. Wishard, who is unsurpassed as a trainer and conqueror of viciqus horses, realised that hi his hands the stallion would be doubly valuable, and he urged Drake to buy him. The price paid, ,000, was not a tithe of the horses real value. Wishard told the writer the story of how he got the horse home, put him in a big box stall, tied his head securely on. cither side and bull whipped him into submission.. There is no more powerful weapon in the hands of a man who knows how to use it than the bull whip, and a horse broken with it never forgets the.sting of the thong at the end of the flfteen-foot lash. After one or two doses of it Royal Flush would stand In the center of the stall and let the smallest kid in the stable make his toilet. Kind treatment followed the punishment and the lightest handed boy in the place exercised him. It had been customary to take the horse to the paddock wearing a hood with an escort of grooms, one on either side and a couple with whips bringing up the rear. Wishard gave Royal Flush a trial which confirmed his previous opinion of the horses speed and he notified Drake and Gates that the horse could win the Goodwood Cup, one of the best races of the season, and advised their backing him heavily. Betting on the races in Eugland on stake events is indulged In sometimes months previous to the running and the money was placed quietly, starting at very long odds, as the best horses in England were eligible for the race and the distance was popularly believed to bo beyond the liking of the horse. When the day of the race came around the talent were dumfounded when a lad walked into the en- closure leading the once savage horse by the halter. The hood was gone, likewise the cruel bit and double leading rein and there were no grooms following with whips. The mighty sprinter behaved like a gentleman in the paddock, gave no trouble when being saddled and mounted aud walked sedately to the post. It is a matter of history how Lester Relff toyed with the horses opposed to him and it was the worst day the Euglish ring had seen in a long time when Royal Flush romped home an easy winner. The English turf authorities looked askance. They could scarcely figure how a horse could show such an improvement in so short a time and when victories on the part of other horses in the stable followed there was more than a well defined rumor that the Americans would not he missed if they should determine to race no more in that country. There was a story that the Jockey Club stewards sent an extremely courteous note to the owners of the stable when they "were about to take the steamer for New York regretting their departure, but expressing the hope that if they returned they would not find it convenient to race any horses In England. Mr. Gatess last spectacular play on an American race course was five years ago. when "Boots" Durnell was runnning a number of horses which rumor said had been paid for by Mr. Gates. Durnell was constantly in consultation with Mr. Gates whenever the latter was at the course, and that was almost daily during the racing season, a fast automobile bringing him to the track at a speed which kept the mounted police on the Ocean Parkway busy dodging his machine. The good things the combination pulled off that season were legion and the size of the wagers was such that the members of the Jockey Club who were constant in their endeavors to minimize speculation chafed over their Inability to keep the plunger within bounds. Matters were coming to a point when something drastic was looked for when Mr. Gates took a vacation abroad. When lie returned Durnell was not training a stable of horses and there was an end to the most successful combination that had been seen on the American turf for many a day. Mr. Gates during his whole career on the turf went on the theory that his money was his own and he could use it as ho saw fit. If he wanted to bet 0,000 or 0,000 he bet it and won or lost, and the public invariably knew whether he was successful or not; In fact he was the easiest of the plungers to check up. New York Sun.
