AMERICUS GIRL AND OTHERS 



big tumble if, day after day, an expression of opinion is 

 set out with such emphasis that there is no possible 

 way of retracting it. But if it comes off there is all the 

 more merit and — Ignorance did win. I met Peebles 

 before the race and he said : " You are going a bit 

 strong, aren't you ? I've not made you do this. And 

 you really think," he added, " that she will win ? I can 

 tell you," he went on, " that 1 have got her exactly 

 to my liking." We did not see the race together, but 

 that five minutes a quarter of an hour after the race 

 was very pleasant, as she had started at seven to one, 

 and was against some good horses that day. 



One terrible disappointment with the same trainer 

 was about a horse named Electric Boy, who appeared 

 a semi-certainty at Hurst Park, but they put up a 

 jockey who, we will say, did not ride with confidence 

 that day, and Electric Boy was just beaten. It cost 

 me a lot of money, and I must tell the reverse of the 

 picture, for I had preached him for several days. He 

 ought to have won a length. 



Another little incident about tipping was Spate, who 

 won the Manchester November Handicap in 1906. I 

 happened to go into a lady's club to have tea, which 

 in my case was a whisky-and-soda. After one or two 

 interruptions my hostess suggested that I was going to 

 have a long holiday, she supposed, as the next day 

 was the last of the season. And then the inevitable 

 topic arose as to what was going to win the big race 

 on the following day. There was a lot of talk, and I 

 remember that I took as my topic in the Express 

 the next morning the terrible responsibility I had 

 in recommending Spate to win the big race to three 

 gentle souls. The worst of it was that they were so 

 terribly in earnest, at least two of them, who plied 

 me with questions as to the why and the wherefore 



206 



