CHAPTER XVHL 

 Tales of the Turf* 



At this juncture several little anecdotes of incidents that 

 have come under my observation on the turf occur to me. 

 I know a turfman is always ready to listen to anything that 

 is entertaining or amusing concerning a horse and racing. 



It happened after the war, say about 1866, at Lexington 

 The spring races had begun and there was a gray and a sor. 

 rel in a race. I have forgotton their names now, for they 

 were of mediocre ability and have never been heard of since. 

 Therefore, their names are of no importance. The gray was 

 the favorite and everybody thought he had only to step 

 over the track and claim the purse. Several bookmakers 

 were at the side of the track, taking bets, and were getting 

 wagers on all the horses in the race except the sorrel. 



Col. John Morrison, a prominent gentlaman of St. Louis 

 at the present time and one of the cleverest fellows on earth, 

 whom everybody knows and everybody likes, was then but 

 a youth, but he was born in old Kentucky and naturally 

 possessed a love for the thoroughbred. He stood at the ring- 

 side, watching the bets being put down on the gray. Sud- 

 denly an inspiration struck him, and, walking up to the lead- 

 ing bookmaker, he said : 



" What odds will you give on the sorrel?" 



" I'll make it a hundred to one sonny," said the book- 

 maker, patronizingly. " How much do you want ? " 



" Ten dollars worth," said Col. Morrison, not to be 

 bluffed. 



The horses were sent to the post, and something sud- 

 denly went wrong with the gray. He had the race at his 

 mercy and could have won easily over the field had he been 

 in fix. His withdrawal left the bets as they were, and the 

 start was made. The sorrel was full of speed and no one 

 knew it. " He just stepped out and made the others trail 

 under the wire behind him. Col. Morrison collected $1,000 

 from the bookmaker, and as he handed it out the latter said : 



" Say, how did you know that sorrel was going to win ?" 



