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Show SPORTLIGHT Why Eddie Arcaro Often Loses I By GRANTLAND RICE What! No Tips? (Florida has abolished all racing Dews and information. News Item.) Wasn't It tough enough before? Wasn't It rough enough to score? Was the walk to the cashier's cage too short? Were too many cashing their winning bets? I can slip you this for a quick retort, I found each day when the red sun sets That even with all the Information, Infor-mation, AU the tips that a sheet could print, That hot per cent cut the daily ration And kept me blocked from an open mint. I wonder what made a somebody some-body sore? I wasn't getting too rich before. The Case of Eddie Arcaro terest at all In the horse players who may be backing his mount. Or In winning a race for the Jockey's normal nor-mal fee. "Yon might be surprised to . know bow many horse players I know who refuse to back Arcaro on anything except a big stake. One has to admit this season that Arcaro has a poor percentage for average races, considering the fact that most owners and trainers would rather have him. "Many trainers don't place Ted Atkinson In his class. For all of that, many, many horse players would rather have Atkinson, or Colineri, Guerin or even Cole than the winnner of four Kentucky Derbies. Der-bies. "Whether he means to or not Arcaro gives you the impression that he is only mildly interested, If that much, in many run-of-the-day trials. It is something Arcaro should watch, or look for the booing to grow." Practically all racing experts. If any, will tell you Eddie Arcaro is the best race rider in the world. Against this many solid horse players, play-ers, If any, will tell you that they never bet Eddie Arcaro in any race unless it's a big stake. Most of the trainers want Arcaro for stake races. Few horse players want him, race after race. Here is a note from one of them: "Why is it that Eddie Arcaro wins more big stakes than any other The Jockey Angle Veteran jockeys such as Eddie Arcaro and Johnny Longden, two of the wealthiest, two of the oldest, rarely take any chances. A big stake is a little different, but the average race must take care of itself. Neither Arcaro or Longden wants to dive for that slender, hazardous opening op-ening that an apprentice would Impetuously Im-petuously rush for. The jockey is In a tough game. It Is rougher than pro football or any other sport, Including hockey. Young riders have to take certain chances. Few veterans vet-erans care for any brand of risk. Especially if they are well fixed financially and can still be nominated to ride in big stakes for the 10 per cent cut. rider, and yet loses so often on better horses in other races? I've seen Arcaro ride favorites favor-ites either last or out of the money more often than any rider I ever saw. I've seen him run last, four races Grintland Rici ,n succession, each time riding the top horse. At Santa Anita he was set down 10 days for careless and indifferent indif-ferent riding. They say many of his mounts are false favorites, the odds lowered because Arcaro is riding them. This is strictly the bunk. Arcaro gets his pick of horses more than any other rider. He should lead the Jockeys by a big margin. Yet Ted Atkinson outrides him two to one, day after day. So do others. "I've seen Eddie Arcaro In any number of ordinary races get away badly and after that make no effort to get up with the pack. You may ask why so many boo a rider who can win so many stakes. My answer is that the racing public realizes Arcaro Ar-caro has so much money that he Is only interested in his cut, with no in- Arcaro, for example, usually has his pick of the major stakes. Last year he had Hill Prince the best horse of 1950. This year he was offered of-fered Battlefield and Bold. These two are certainly top. There isn't any doubt that on certain cer-tain days, or in a race he wants badly, bad-ly, Eddie Arcaro is a brilliant rider. He has the skill and hand strength to handle any horse. He is a brilliant bril-liant Judge of pace. He is smart. But in many average races, there is some doubt whether Eddie rides as much to win as he does for exercise. ex-ercise. As fine a jockey as Arcaro shouldn't ride so many bad races, if he was continually going all out as Ted Atkinson and others nearly always do. He rides too many poor or just ordinary races for his own good. |