Pittsburgh Phil Horse Racing
Title page from the first edition of Racing Maxims and Methods of Pittsburg Phil, published in 1908
- Pittsburgh Phil made his first racing bet in 1879 at the age of 17 and won $38 when his horse won the race at odds of 5-1. Phil became so good at horse betting that he had won $100,000 by age 23 without every seeing a horserace in person! It soon became impossible for Pittsburgh Phil to receive good odds on horses while betting in his hometown because other gamblers would take note of his selections.
- A friendship between the great horseplayer Pittsburg Phil and struggling (but sharp-minded) jockey Tod Sloan would trigger the greatest form reversal ever.
- In 1908, Racing Maxims and Methods of Pittsburg Phil was published, three years after the death of the famed horseplayer. Many of the theories laid out in the book might not seem ground-breaking to the modern reader but, keep in mind, most of the angles it contained had never been distributed to the public before and were unknown to most race goers at the time.
In this final part of our serialization of the legendary racing gambler, Pittsburgh Phil, looks at the concepts of time, and class and weight, when it comes to horse racing. Although incredibly prescient at the time (written in 1908), some of this has been superseded by more modern thinking.
It’s about that time of year when I do a post about Pittsburg Phil. One of my favorite eras of racing history is the era of the public horseplayer — men whose exploits in the betting ring were reported right alongside reports of the actual racing.
If you look at race reporting from approximately 1895 to 1905, it usually included the activities of the well-known gamblers, with accounts of how they fared against the bookmakers. These were the guys who gambled enormous sums of money without the benefit of easily accessible data and past performances. However, they held a significant edge against the betting public because they were dedicated full-time players.
Men like Pittsburg Phil, and other big-time players during the era, brought an air of intellectualism into the betting ring. They created some of the handicapping tools — like race charts, running lines, and speed figures — that we take for granted today.
This year I am posting the book that made the legend — in its entirety (well almost, see below).
In 1908, Racing Maxims and Methods of Pittsburg Phil was published, three years after the death of the famed horseplayer. Many of the theories laid out in the book might not seem ground-breaking to the modern reader but, keep in mind, most of the angles it contained had never been distributed to the public before and were unknown to most race goers at the time. The first edition of Maxims was self-published by the editor, Edward Cole, in conjunction with the estate of George E. Smith (aka Pittsburg Phil).
How did Maxims and Methods make it to print? The most context that can be discerned about its publication is found in the first few pages of the 1908 edition. Those pages provide the background and explain how Edward Cole, a New York newspaper writer, came to be its editor and publisher.
The text of the dedication page is as follows:
Dedicated to Mr. Walter Keys, a loyal and valued friend of Mr. George E. Smith (‘Pittsburg Phil’) during many years of active business association and comradeship
Following that was a reprint of a letter (pictured) from Walter Keys to the Edward Cole. Here is a transcription:
Dear Sir.
To my certain knowledge you were the only writer to whom George E. Smith (Pittsburg Phil) confided the story of his methods at the tracks. It was Mr. Smith’s intention that Mr. Cole should publish in book form the matter, that is contained in this volume. Unfortunately, the well known turfman died before the book could be ready. However, he had contributed to Mr. Cole the information which is contained within and I emphasize the statement that there is no other writer in the world to whom Mr. Smith gave this knowledge. The idea that Pittsburg Phil was a lucky plunger will be abandoned after a perusal of this work. It is a complete and accurate record of the methods of one of the country’s shrewdest business men who speculated in races not as a matter of sentiment but because racing was as much a field of investment to him as a Wall Street to the broker.
Truly Yours, Walter Keys
Without further ado, for your reading pleasure, here is the preface and eleven of the thirteen chapters from Racing Maxims and Methods of Pittsburg Phil:
Preface
Chapter 1 — What One Must Know to Play the Horses
Chapter 2 — One Days Work at the Track
Chapter 3 — The Reason for Speculation
Chapter 4 — Handicapping
Chapter 5 — Handicapping by Time
Chapter 6 — Class and Weight
Chapter 7 — Treatment of Horses
Chapter 8 — William Cowan on ‘Pittsburg Phil’
Chapter 9 — ‘Pittsburg Phil’ gave ‘Tod’ Sloan the start by which the Jockey Afterward Became Famous in the Turf World
Chapter 10 — Anecdotes of interest Concerning Some Men of Fame who Wagered Huge Sums on the English Turf (not posted)
Chapter 11 — Drugs and Their Effect Upon Horses
Chapter 12 — Explanation of the Time and Weight Percentage Table (not posted)
Chapter 13 — Maxims of ‘Pittsburg Phil’
You will notice that chapters ten and twelve are not included — they had nothing to do with Pittsburg Phil. The second to the last chapter on drugs does not appear to be from interviews with Phil either but it was interesting enough to include here.
Racing Maxims was published in 1908, putting it in the public domain, and free of copyright restrictions.
SOURCES, NOTES, AND OBSERVATIONS
The page images were taken from the 1908 edition that resides in the Keeneland Library. The photograph of Pittsburg Phil is from the Illustrated Sporting News — it is one of the few images showing the gambler (where he appears to be) at the track.
I am doing a series called “Ten Things you Should Know…” for Hello Race Fans that will feature some of the big races on the racing calendar. This week’s edition is about the Met Mile.
Past articles from Colin’s Ghost about Pittsburg Phil include: The Obituary of…, His Final Resting Place…, and What Killed Him…
THANKS FOR READING AND GOOD LUCK!
Maxims of Pittsburg Phil
“Racing Maxims and Methods of Pittsburg Phil,” by Edward W. Cole (1908).
A good jockey, a good horse, a good bet. A poor jockey, a good horse, a moderate bet. A good horse, a moderate jockey, a moderate bet.
A man who plays the races successfully must have opinions of his own and the strength to stick to them no matter what he hears.
Successful handicappers know every detail in regard to the horses upon which they are intending to place their money.
The minute that a man loses his balance on the race track he is like a horse that is trying to run away.
A man cannot divide his attention at the track between horses and women.
All consistently successful players of horses are men of temperate habits in life.
The racing man should arise in the morning cool and clear headed and should then take up the problem of the day.
Some horses will run good races over certain tracks, while in the same company under similar conditions on other tracks they will run very disappointingly. Study the likes and dislikes of a horse in regard to tracks.
If there are two or three very fast horses in a race one or two of them will quit before the end of the journey. Hence look out for your intelligent jockey.
Many killings are attempted but few are accomplished.
In handicaps the top weights are at a disadvantage always unless they are very high class horses.
There are few trainers who can send a horse to the post the first time out in perfect condition.
One race for a horse is equal to two or three private trials.
Horses are the same as human beings where condition is the test of superiority.
Pittsburgh Phil Horse Racing
Winners repeat frequently while the defeated are apt to be defeated almost continuously.
The majority of horses will go further over the turf than they will over the dirt course. Mud runners are usually good on the turf.
Time enters into the argument under certain conditions but if depended entirely for a deduction it will be found wanting.
The ability to tell whether a horse is at its best before a race is acquired only after years of the closest kind of study.
Special knowledge is not a talent. A man must acquire it by hard work.
A horse that frets is a very dangerous betting proposition.
The majority of the riders and horses are game and will fight for victory no matter where they are placed.
Some jockeys excel on heavy tracks.
A good mud rider will frequently bring a bad horse home.
You cannot be a successful horse player if you are going to get the worst of the price all the time.
Pittsburgh Phil Horse Racing Results
The basis of all speculation is the amount of profit to be obtained on an investment.
It is not always the heaviest commission that is collected. The weight of the commission does not make a horse win. A poor man’s horse and his $10 speak as loudly as a $10,000 commission from a millionaire. It is the horse that must be considered.
Pittsburgh Phil Horse Racing Entries
The clocker is something like the scout in the army.
Honest horses, ridden by honest boys, are sometimes beaten by honest trainers. Instructions are given to the riders which mean sure defeat when intended to be the best.
The resistance of the wind is very great in a horse race and it is a correspondingly great when acting as a propeller. Wind and atmosphere have considerable effect on horses that are troubled in their respiratory organs.
Class in a horse is the ability possessed by it to carry its stipulated stake weight, take the track and go the distance that nature intended that it should go.
I figure that two-year-olds can give considerably more weight away to horses in their class, than can horses in the older division excepting in isolated areas.
There is enough natural inconsistency in horse racing without having it forced upon the public by unscrupulous men, yet there is not one-tenth of one per cent, as much crookedness on the turf as it is given credit for.
A horse that is not contented in his stable cannot take on flesh and be happy.
Every horse I ever owned improved after I had him long enough to study his disposition.
A horse expects to race if he is a thoroughbred, just the same as a game chicken is anxious to fight.
Pittsburgh Phil Horse Racing Picks
When you feel yourself getting out of form then take a rest and freshen up.
What is frequently right in form is wrong in condition. If a horse is not in good condition he might as well be in the stable.
Look for improvement of mares in the fall of the year. They train better and more consistent.
There are mud riders as well as mud runners in the racing world.
A jockey should not be overloaded with instructions.
It is not bad speculation to pick out two or three sure looking bets and parlay a small amount.
Cut your bets when in a losing streak and increase them when running in a spasm of good luck.
Double your wages when you have the bookmakers’ money in hand.
Condition has more to do with a horse winning or losing a race than the weight it carries.
A horse in poor condition cannot beat one of his own class.
Pittsburgh Phil Horse Racing Betting
A high class horse could not win a race with a feather on his back if he is not in condition.
Watch all the horses racing closely. You may see something that will be of benefit later on.
It is well to play horses that are in winning form. A horse in winning condition generally repeats or runs into the money.
Different tracks cause decided changes in form frequently. Study horses’ whims and fancies for certain tracks and you will see a good “lay” or a good “play.” But a high class horse will do his best on any track.
Pittsburgh Phil Horse Racing Race
The less one thinks of crookedness and trickery in racing the more successful will be his handicapping.
Pittsburgh Phil Horse Racing Tracks
Look for defect in your own calculating rather than cheating of others.
Learn to finance your money to advantage.
Know when to put a good bet down and when not to.