Antedatings of "shoo-in"

[Hugo]

"shoo-in", n., a fixed race in horse-racing, or winner (OED sense 1: 1928)

Comes from:

"shoo", trans., with "in", to allow a racehorse to win easily (OED sense 4: 1908)

I found antedatings of both in the 19th century.

Also, I've not checked, but the last quotation from "Vernacular of the Race Track" may have some other useful early definitions.

(Here's the same info as below but with nice formatting: http://english.stackexchange.com/a/141249/9001 )

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The verb was used in "Pointers from the Paddock" in The Washington Times, June 23, 1894:

[Begin]
Backers of Syracuse were hot under the collar.

Unkind people said Mattie Chun was "shooed" in.
[End]

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062244/1894-06-23/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1836&index=12&date2=1910&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=shoo+shooed&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=shoo+in&andtext=shoo+shooed&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

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The noun can be found in The San Francisco Call of August 22, 1895 on "The Bay District Races" with "the favorites all beaten":

[Begin]
Little Pete was a member of the delegation that were in on the "shoo" in the third race. He had several commissioners placing his coin on Model. If the race was to have been a "shoo-in" for Model, there must have been one or two owners that were not in on the deal.
[End]

This has both the usual noun "shoo-in" as well as a less common in-less noun "shoo".

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1895-08-22/ed-1/seq-5/#date1=1836&index=0&date2=1898&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=shoo&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=shoo+in&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

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The morning Times of September 22, 1895, under "JERSEY WAS "SHOOED" IN":

[Begin]
One of these fixed races was run out of the chute in the fifth event yesterday that was so thoroughly rotten that the talent threw up their hands in horror. Jersey came out and beat the 2-to-5 shot, Forest, with apparent ease, and the one comment that was made on the race was "shoo."
[End]


http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024442/1895-09-22/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1836&index=7&date2=1910&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=shoo+shooed&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=shoo+in&andtext=shoo+shooed&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

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(Here's also verbs and nouns from 1899 and 1903.)

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1899-03-11/ed-1/seq-9/#date1=1836&index=13&date2=1910&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=shoo+SHOOED&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=shoo+in&andtext=shoo+shooed&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1903-07-11/ed-1/seq-9/#date1=1836&index=6&date2=1910&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=shoo+shooed&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=shoo+in&andtext=shoo+shooed&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

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A noun antedating in a 26 June 1910 New-York Tribune details "Vernacular of the Race Track" and helpfully tells us the etymology:

[Begin]
Most of the "regulars" are deeply suspicious of all steeplechase races of late years, and, whenever the favorite falls at one of the obstacles and a long priced leaper wins the race, they loudly call the race a"shoo-in" (a fixed affair, that is, in which the steeplechase racers have arranged to drop to the rear of the "meant" jumper and "shoo" him to the wire, they previously, of course, having got their money down on the horse thus generously treated).
[End]

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1910-06-26/ed-1/seq-36/#date1=1836&index=10&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=shoo&proxdistance=5&date2=1922&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=shoo&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

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Hugo

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