CHAPTER X 



RACING AND BILLIARDS 



Jubilee Plunger's Game at Pyramids — Tasmanian Owners — Darebin's 

 Derby — Three Great Horses — Joe Thompson's Missed Bargain — 

 An Amateur Book — Jim Mace's Lost Diamond 



Of course I was in touch with all the sports of the city. 

 Jack Hadley, who kept the Ship Hotel, made a double- 

 event book and played a good game of billiards. My 

 game of pool and p\Tamids soon improved, but of 

 course it had to be paid for, as it had been in England. 

 It is astonishing how we can lose money on the 

 bilhard-table. I used to strike a rather brilliant 

 winning hazard, but there w^as a man more than thirty 

 years my senior w^ho could outgeneral me. He used 

 to say : " You can play better than I ever did, but you 

 haven't patience. You want to show the room how 

 you can do an impossible shot, whereas I never go out 

 for them." This always reminds me of the late Ernest 

 Benzon, who learnt his billiards in Australia. He was 

 there part of the time I was. In later years I used to 

 play with him ; he always fancied his game. The first 

 introduction was in the Members' Enclosure at Kernpton 

 when he backed Minting for the Jubilee in 1887. 

 Fry told him that he was foolish to throw his money 

 away, adding : " You'll go broke, Mr Benzon." " I may 

 do," replied the Jubilee, " but not while there are 

 horses like Minting." I had the same idea to small 

 money. Those who remember the race will recall 

 that a horse named the Cobbler took such a long lead 

 of his field that one could scarcely imagine that he 



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