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; J . J ; , i i THE "RAILBIRD" AND HIS WORK. i Several prominent turfmen, whose strings have i lieen put by for the winter months, were discussing the turf and its many angles. The "railbird" was mentioned by a trainer who has raced an extensive stable on every track of importance in this country ! for over a score of years and who is noted for his keen observation. "Yes," he said, "Ive watched horsemen attempt- . ing all" sorts of schemes that had been carefully I mapped out after days and nights of planning to outwit the dockers. Investigation following such secret trials slwws hat the docker had timed the move not only to a fraction of a second, but that his , tab recorded the work-out furlong by furlong. "It is rarely that a docker works single-handed. As a rule, they work in twos and threes and in this way can cover a track so thoroughly that the trainer "who can fool them ouce in twenty times may pat himself on the back. "I recall a western trainer who was noted for working horses, with which he intended pulling off coups at long odds, to take his first set-out on the track long before daylight. He would tie a string around the ankle of on© of the exercise lads at bedtime Between three and four oclock in the morning he would pull the string, awakening the boy, who had his instructions and was familiar with such doings. . , . . . . , "The horse or horses to be tried would be quietly and quickly saddled without the aid of the stable lantern. Blankets that had been placed under the shed opposite the stalls would prevent noise that might awaken other stable hands. "Final instructions would be whispered, and after a short warm-up his charges would be on their journey. He would then hike it to the infield and, taking a position opposite the five-fiurloug pole, would snap his timer as the horses rushed by, then running pell null across the infield to a point opposite the timers stand and stop his watch as the horses finished. , . . _ "Ill never forget one morning when this fellow stabled in "Old Colorado row at the Fair grounds track at New Orleans. On his way across the field he tripped over a dark object that proved to be a docker. Say. said he. a fellow cant bat an eye without one of you timing it. " "Well." said one of the others. "Ive watched the earnest work of the railbird. and, knowing many of them intimately and their qualifications. I decided that tlie trainer who trained in the open had the better results all around. "In the first place, the thoroughbred thrives and does better in every way when galloped at sunrise or later in the day. And as far as getting a first-class line on a horse worked in the dark, it is out of the question. ... "Few liorses will do their best and the boy in the saddle doesnt have the same confidence as when he can see what he is about. Thus Mr. Smart Trainer is generally in a quandary regarding tlie trial, and usually If the horse cools out nicely backs him on condition alone. "Working a horse wearing extra heavy plates or with a lead pad or both is misleading, as deductions have to be made, and tlie docker who knows his business is on the lookout for these ancient methods. Horsemen prone to keep their fast work-outs to themselves thought they had at last discovered a way to conceal such trials when they hit on the scheme of working straightaway out of a chute and using two watches. Both timers would be started together and the foreman of the stable, taking one. would go to the post where the horses would break and stop it as they swept by. The trainer, standing at the wire, would do likewise with his watch. The watches would be compared and the time figured out. "When the dark one was led into the saddling paddock on the day of the race the quotations of the bookies would plainly show that they had been properly advised concerning the horses condition. "Let me tell you. boys," he continued, "the majority of track watchers with whom Ive come in contact have served their apprenticeship in large stables. Many are ex-jockeys and trainers, and are not only good judges of horseflesh, but careful observers "of men and their methods. It doesnt take them long to get wise to a trainers manner of training and their opinion of his ability comes pretty near being correct. Their classification of each stable includes the trainers and jockeys abilities as well as the horses. "Furthermore, the expert docker is not prejudiced in favor of any particular horse or stable. He has no pets as do many trainers: nor does he have to cater to tlie caprices of some new comer to tlie turf, who purchases a barn full of yearlings and is full of silly notions. "Doc Streett had that cracking good son of The Bard. Galilee, cherry ripe, when the colt was a three-year-old. at the Sheepshead Bay track. He waited one Sunday until noon, knowing that dockers, like other human beings, must eat. "Looking over the track carefully, he saw one lone docker, who had been left on guard, sitting in a box in the grandstand. Streett made his way to the fellow and said : " Sonny, I want to breeze a crazy little filly and my watch is out of order. Will you let me use yours for a few moments V " •Certainly. was the answer, and the young man handed over his timepiece. "Streett chuckled to himself and. waving his handkerchief, signaled tlie exercise boy. who was waiting on the backstretch with the horse, to go on and work. "When Gallilee finished his trial of a mile and a furlong Streett handed the watch back and started to walk off with a smile. "The docker, Eddie Fitzgerald, who was formerly a capable rider, winning many races on Cousin Jeems and other fast horses, called out: Say, Mr. Streett, what did you make him? Producing another watch, he continued I caught him in 1:54%; the first mile in 1:40%. Streett shook his head and muttered Whats the use? "However, the owner and railbird did not announce the trial to the whole world, for Gallilee went to the |iost in the Seabreeze Stakes a few days later and with odds of S to 1 against his chances beat a good lot after getting nearly left at the post." Another horseman, who hailed from Texas, with its mile and even half mile tracks, said that he was amazed at the extent of Belmont Park. Sheepshead Bay and the courses at Saratoga Springs. "Why," he said, "at each of these plants are training tracks besides the regular track and chutes where the races are run. "When I first came east I was firmly convinced that with such facilities it would be an easy matter 1 to have my horses trials known to myself alone. But the morning following my work-outs I read a quarter of a column on "The Trials of the Candidates from the Lone Star State. "It was only natural that I should watch the tactics pursued by the leading trainers of the country who were grouped together at Saratoga. "I noticed that they did not handicap themselves bv dodging dockers or inquisitive horsemen. The fact that they centered their attention on properly training their" horses and were oblivious to everything else no doubt added iu a measure to their success. "Among those whom I noticed were open and aliove board were James Rowe. Samuel C. Hildreth, Thomas Healev. John Whalen. Kimball Patterson, James McLaughlin, the late John W. Rogers. Silas Veitch, John J. nvland. Thomas Welch, Charles Hughes. William Lakeland. Matthew M. Allen. E. J. Albright. John Hnggins. W. H. Karrick. Peter Wimmer and William Garth, each and every one a successful horseman from every point of view. "Now, on the other hand." he continued. "I could just as readily reel off the names of the dodgers. or men of small mental caliber, who even todav retain that secretiveness that goes with the hermit. They would look like pretty small potatoes compared with the names I mentioned. "Such men rarely develop a high class colt, and their amateurish methods are laughed at by the railbird. who delights in watching the frenzied and foolish trainer leading irregular hours in trying to escane him. ... , "The successful docker not only is thoroughly ■ conversant with the handling of thoroughbreds; he employs business methods that would surprise the average business man. ne keeps a record of the numlier of each barn where the different strings are quartered, number in each stable and how they are divided, viz.. steeplechase liorses, stake, handicap, plater, two-year-olds and even the yearling division. "The juvenile sets especially interest the railbird o a marked degree. He watches the youngsters when thev are first led on the track and as they are at jogging exercise for a week or two he makes several selections on conformation, action and breeding. "The individual that impresses him most is cherished as if it were his own colt or filly, as the case might be. Even should such a young racer lie handled bv a trainer who was unfriendly toward the docker the latter retains a sort of affection for his selection, and I have seen railbirds deeply distressed when such a colt went amiss."
