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The trick to playing the
ponies is to keep score
By George Rowand
Times Newspapers Staff Writer
Not that many years ago, bookies were prevalent at point-to-point and steeplechase meets.
When the May Virginia Gold Cup used to be held on the Broadview Course in Warrenton, there would be 25-30 of them lined up, their chalk boards glowing in the sun.
One could even do some off-track wagering on Gold Cup day. I even got the Secretariat-entry at 3-2 odds for the 1973 Kentucky Derby.
Bookies knew every important person and spoke nicely to everyone. One of the more famous — Davey Jones — even gave a free $2 bet to my nephew when he was about 10. (The horse didn’t win.)
The wagering — though officially illegal — was looked on as essentially harmless, considering the amount of betting that went on. Even when state police were in the crowd, they never did anything. I once saw Virginia’s Attorney General walk past the long line of book
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