[Clipping: This Is On Me] Part: 1 of 2
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District 7" ?
dL- WASHINGTON DAILY NEWS, SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1
THIS SEAM
I .By ROGER TREATThe horse-gambling racket, still trying to con-
vince the public that it is a sport rather than
a semi-legal sucker trap, is turning out some of
the most sickening' tripe yet printed about the
po' little stable hands, touts, exercise boys, and
other racetrack riff-raff who no longer can en-
joy life around the stables. Some of this stuff,
smeared with enough sentimental goo to make
it almost demand moving picture material for
Mickey Rooney, pours out of the teletype ma-
chines from dawn till dark.We are ApSU . Lo believe that these
economic also-rans are broken hearted
without the daily spectacle of some
riegal Black Beauty pounding down the
stretch to lift the mortgage for Little
Nell, while that vile character, Jake the
Snake, is foiled at the finish line be-
cause his jockey dropped the battery.
These creeps are great lovers of the
noble beast. They wouldn't think of
using such a cruel treatment as "firing"
or "nerving" a horse. Oh my no. Nor
would they consider such a thing as
stimulants. The mere thought of any-
thing so horrible as using a battery
to scare a horse half out of its skin,
makes them run into a dark stall and
sob. And when the nag is no longer
earning its oats, they treat it like one
of the family. They wouldn't think of
selling it to anyone who wouldn't guar-
antee it a good home and kind treat-
ment. Shoot it? Of course not (Not
when there is a sledge hammer or an
ax handy).
We also read, with eyes popping
in shocked surprise, that "there are
other reasons for horse raising be-
sides gambling." The lovely lady
whose face accompanies this startling
original essay, claims that the other
reason is (you'd never guess) "for
encouraging the bettering of the
breed of horses." This was first said
in 1668 by Governor Nicoll of New
York, and the horse-gamblers haven't
peen able to think of a new gag
snce.
But, what abou.1 improve ement of thehorse? What improvement in the breed
has been made in the 277 years be-
tween? A split second or two off each
distance record; practically nothing in
conformation; certainly little in dura--
bility (a horse is still the only animal
so awkward that it can manage t
break its own leg while running on a
soft track).
The big, and by that I mean the
painfully wealthy owners, claim they
lose money on their stables; the poor
ones suffer from chronic miss-meal
cramps; the -jockeys are a scrawny
group of half-sick half-pints who
dare not eat a decent meal; the
horses themselves, if they show prom-
ise, are wrecked before they are ma-
ture in the mad scramble to knock
off the big purses and the tradition-
ally hot races.
If racing tried to survive as a' sport
without gambling it wouldn't last a sea
son. A few of the above mentioned
wealthy might come to a few races out
of boredom. On the other hand, if you
could resurrect and rejuvenate Man o'
War, Exterminator, Sysonby, Count
Fleet, Omaha, Twenty Grand, Sea Bis-
cuit, War Admiral, Top Flight, Caval-
cade, Discovery, Phar Lap and any
others you care to name, and line them
up for a match race for a gillion dol-
lais, and IF YOU BARRED BETTING
OF ANY KIND, you could build your
grandstand on an old pool table. Two-
Buck Joe wouldn't be interested. And
it's Two-Buck Joe who supports the so-
called Sport of King's.
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Treat, Roger. [Clipping: This Is On Me], clipping, January 13, 1945; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1479684/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Private Collection of Mike Cochran.