Track dope, and the slush that gets into print about horses in weekly sheets and other fugitive media, always are saturated with the thought that a high percentage of races are affected in some way by outright crookedness or clever underground tactics, and that wins result from such practices and from little else. The mind of a novice, in all its beautiful simplicity, is a most receptive seed-bed for notions of the sort. He is merely gullible, to put it bluntly, given to looking with awe upon the rich and great of the earth, the owners, trainers and jockeys, and to wondering dimly how they do it. The touts’ and the tip-sheets’ patter about fixed races and secret “preps” offers a ready explanation to the simpleton’s rudimentary intelligence. He always is convinced of his own righteous ness, also of the other fellow’s innate and chronic de pravity. He sees but dimly and not far, yet he can recognize a helping hand when extended to him. So he grasps the tout’s or buys the sheet and starts a merry-go-round of loss that leaves him with a flat wallet. But he has one consolation. He always knew the game was crooked, any way, and he has proved it. Everyone knows you can’t beat the races. Of course anyone who believes the tracks are mere sewers of manipulation of horses and of general crooked ness is foolish to bet at all. But any player can test the the real fact, so far as it concerns him, easily enough. If he can make money betting on the basis of his own judg ment there is not enough funny business in the sport to affect him. And if he can’t make money he had better quit betting.
05-09-2008
