BETTING ON HORSES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1193, 11 January 1895, Page 25

BETTING ON HORSES.

(From English Spare Moments.) HARD STUDY A FIRST REQUISITE.

Betting or gambling—and any form of betting is gambling—is almost as old as humanity itself. In all ages there havebeen men and women who have staked money and other considerations of value upon the cast of dice, tho turn of a card, or the speed and staying, equalities of a horso, and there will continue to be such down to the very end of time. At the present day the practice of wagering money upon such pastimes ib perhaps more universally prevalent than at any other period of tho world's history, and nowhere more so than in our own country. The very great increase in horse racing, both running and trotting, which we have seen within the past few years, and which seems to steadily continue,-- has been the means of initiating into the practice of betting an immense number of people of all ages, both sexes, and every condition and walk of life. In view of this fact, we recently solicited an expression of their views from several of tho great bettors now most prominently identified with the English turf on tho question of how to win money on the lliers. NEVER OWN ANY RACE-HORSES. " If you want to win money on the tuif by betting heavily," said a prominent bookie, in reply to my question, " never own any race-horses yourself. If you do, it will certainly influence your judgment. You will go to the track convinced that 'some horso will beat tho one you have entered, but as soon as you see your horse you will begin to wish that ho may win, and from wishing you will soon progress to believing. Then you will wager all the money you can raise on an animal which you have previously decided, in your sober senses, had no chance of winning. " Again, if you want to win money by betting, have no superstitions, no systems, no set rules or ideas. Shun professional ' touts ' and the ' tips ' they offer to sell you as you would tho plague. Try to form an intelligent judgment as to the respective merits of tho horsos and of their jockeys, on that particular day and track, and then don't be afraid to back it. " One peculiar thing > about betting," continued our informant, "is that the strain on one's nervous system is greater when you win than when you lose. It is invariably so with mo, and other big bettors toll ma their experience is similar After losing heavily I go to the thoatro or some other resort, and soon forgot my losses. Then Igo homo to bed, and sleep soundly. But after making a big win I am very apt to pass a sleepless night." Another turfite, well known in city circles, seid, when I put my conundrum to him, that to win money on tho turf

ONE SHOULD HAVE A CERTAIN LIMIT IN BETTING,

and never go beyond it. Ho should not stake on a single race more than onefourth of bis available betting capital. Then in the event of losing, he would have throe-fcuvths with which to win it back. When it is possible to hedge a bet to advantage it should always be done.

" If you believe that a horse that is ever so ' sbort' in the betting can win," he continued, " and your belief is based upon a carefully and accurately formed intelligent judgment, do not hesitate to back that horse with just as much confidence as you would if he wero a favourite. If you win one race do not invest all your winnings on the next. I do not believe there is any ' system' of betting that can bo recommended. The only way to win is to study the horses, the jockeys, and the track."" " If I should attempt to lay down any general rules for the guidance of bettors," said a third, who visits every race track worthy of the name, " the first would bo never bet ignorantly, simply upon the chance and with the mere hope that you may win.- I moan by that, NEVER BET ON A HORSE UNLESS YOU HAVE STUDIED HIM and all the other horses pitted against him to the best of your ability, and have thoroughly satisfied yourself from the best possible data obtainable that he is the best horse in the race, and that in all human possibility will win. This is what the shrowd professional bettor always doos. "When I say you must study your horse and the others pittod against him, I mean that you must study their pedigree, their conformation, and especially their condition on the day of the race. A horse may go out and easily defeat a large field of horses to-day, while to-morrow or next week he may finish last in that very same field, oven though the same jockey has x-idden him on both occasions, and has tried equally hard to win both times. A horse is the most uncertain thing in the world. He is more liable to changes of temper and condition than even the most delicate and sensitive lady. Thorefore his performances in the past are often of small value as an indication of what ho can do in the present. Tho question is not what he did tho day before yesterday or last week, but what can he do to-day.

WHIMS WILL RUIN ANY SPECULATOR. " Besides studying tho condition of the horses on tho day of the race, the track* is also an important consideration. Certain horses only go well on certain kinds of tracks. Some require a firm, hard track,; others go best on a soft yielding one. On a muddy track a race may be won easily by a horse that would have been worthless among tho same competi-* tors on a dry one. If you want to, bet intelligently—and to win you must bet in no other way—you must be familiar with all such peculiarities of the horses you bet on and against. "THERE IS A GREAT DEAL IN STUDYING JOCKEYS as well as horses. Some jockeys ride much better than others, and will got a great deal more speed out of their mounts Some are more likely to rido honestly than others. All of these things must'bo most* carefully considered in order to \yin money on the turf. There is no one who can more ill afford to indulge any pet theories, whim?, or prejudices than the would be successful turf speculator. On tho contrary, he must be like the skilled mariner—prepared to trim his barque at a moment's notice, and alter her course in accordance with any change in the winds and tides. To win money on the turf ono must not be too timid nor too bold; too pessimistic nor too optimistic; too truths ful nor too incredulous. He must try to steer a medium course between all these qualities." Saracen, who is engaged in the Wellington Cup, arrived from Auckland by the Takapuna, and has beon taken to the Hutt. Colbeck has been scratchod for the Dunedin Cup, and Golden Fleece for the Publican's Handicap at tho Dunedin Meeting.