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1 : * 1 1 * I 5 * * . . * 1 * " ; ; ■ i i i . . * . i ANECDOTES CONCERNING LONG SHOTS How Some Fortunate Backers Profit When the Unexpected Happens On a Race Track. The longest price ever laid by the bookmakers i against a winning horse in this country was laid I against the chestnut horse Peytonia, owned by W. W. Lyles, and trained by Matt Dunn, at Washington Park race track. Chicago, when he won at the . juicy odds of 500 to 1. Peytonia was a fair selling plater in the pink of condition, for Matt Dunn had i him fit to run for a mans life that day. Among ; the talent he was not considered to have a chance at all with the other fast horses entered in i that race, among which was the mare Maid Marian. The latter was equal to one mile and twenty yards i in 1:40, the record at the time it was made, and I five-eighths of a mile over the straight course at t Morris Tark. N- Y.. in :56%. So, with horses i of that class. Peytonia appeared to have a good I chance to run I had last. In addition to all this he had for a jockey a stable l»oy by the name of Keith, a younger brother to the jockey of that t name who rode Polk Badget in the famous "ring- ing" race at Latonia. When the horses were sent t away each jockey on the good horses seemed to have - been instructed to go to the front at once and make every post a winning one. and the jockeys pro-J ceeded to carry out the instructions, each horse and [ jockey doing his uttermost to obtain the lead from the very start. Now it is a fact well known to all 1 horsemen and trainers that you can kill off anv good horse bv driving him to his limit, putting him right on his tip toes and not giving him a chance ! to breathe inside of half a mile. That was exactly what was done in this case, the good horses all I ran their heads off and quit to nothing in the , stretch, and Peytonia came on from last place and won a good race from good horses at odds of ■ 500 to 1. There hapiwned to be a large holiday crowd at the track that day. and, as is always the case, occasional visitors, clerks, etc., who like to bet a couple of dollars on the longest -priced horse in the race, and many a one went home happy that evening, having collected his little old ticket calling for 00 for . I once owned and trained a horse, but unfortunately he had bad legs and feet. This horse could win whenever I could get him to the post going sound, and he would win often enough, at long prices, so as to make it worth while to keep him in the stable. I once prepared him for a race down in the country at Lithoiwlis, 0., and then shipped him to Roby Chicago. I there worked him with a horse that had been winning and he beat that one easily in the trial. The touts sup-IKised it was a horse called Blackball, a fast and good horse, and so reported the trial#to their em-. ployers. FTTER0 SAVES LADYS REPUTATION. Consequently, when Fueros name appeared on the program no one knew anything about him or his condition, and sup]tosing him not to be ready chalked up the odds of 100 to 1. The race was run and Fuero won easily by a couple of lengths. Just as he passed under the wire a womans voice rang out above all of the noise and confusion of the grandstand in a terrific shriek that attracted the attention of every one about her. It was learned that the woman and her husband, who wtis working on a salary, had saved up something over 00 and deposited it jointly in a bank in South Chicago. The woman unbeknown to her husband, had been betting this money off on the races until it was about all gone, and she was almost beside herself for fear her husband would find it out. Therefore, when Fuero came along with odds of 100 to 1 she thought she saw a chance to win this money back and save her reputation. She had placed 0 against ,000 on the horse, and when he won who could blame lier for making a demonstration? I have always considered that Fuero did a good thing for that family by winning that race. Among the old regulars was a popular newspaper writer, well-known on all of the western race tracks from New Orleans to Chicago, who wrote under the |ien name of "Broad Church." He was genial, courteous, high-minded and an educated gentleman, always looking on the bright side of life and putting the best possible construction on the actions of others. He apjieared to take more enjoyment in winning a bet than falls to the lot of most people and his exi»erience and how he was affected when he won his first big bet is worth relating. They were racing at the old West Side Park at Nashville, Tenn. "Broad Church" and three other young newspaper inon had just drawn their salaries and were out for a good time, so they concluded to go to the races in style, hiring therefore a fine ; team and carriage and driving to the track. On the road out they agreed to make a poel and bet 0 on a race. "Broad Church" was to select the horse and do the betting for the syndicate, so he choose one with a long price. He received ,000 to 0. the horse winning. Just imagine four young men, who had never had any more money in their lives at one time, than their monthly salary, suddenly coming into possession of a bank roll of ,000. They became excited, they did not know what to do with all that money. They finally concluded to give themselves a big dinner and banquet at one of the leading hotels and in the earnestness of the discussion that followed upon their luck, forgot all about the fine team and carriage they had hiied and actually walked back into Nashville and left the team tied to a fence. Nor did they think about the matter at all. until the liveryman sent a messenger, asking them what had become of the team. They then hired a man to go out to the track and bring in the horsL-s and carriage. — C. E. Brossman.
