THE RACING PRESS 



those whose business it is to take it down in notes to 

 do so ; hence the many excellent descriptions — as to 

 correctness in detail — during many years of his active 

 life. He had his predecessors and successors in this 

 respect, but there was a positiveness about his 

 declaration which was indisputable. 



When Mr Greenwood died, Fred Ball, who had 

 worked for the Press Association for many years, was 

 given the job, I believe on a seven years' contract. 

 Mr Ball was very thorough in what he did, but took to 

 heart any literals in wiring and any little discrepancies 

 in sub-editing. He will forgive an old friend if I say he 

 took rather too seriously the fact that he had given a 

 second instead of a winner on occasions. It was of 

 course a big task to essay following a man like Charles 

 Greenwood, but Fred Ball was whole-hearted and 

 sincere in his work. He was, during his term of office, 

 a kind friend to many of the "throw-outs" of the turf, 

 and a good host when at his villa at Molesey. This 

 is intended to be read, so my publisher tells me, fifty 

 years hence, so the chronicles of a certain period should 

 be recorded as a linking up of previous histories with 

 those yet to be written. 



I can remember about 1906 or 1907 publishing in 

 the Express the results up to mid-season of the fore- 

 casts of all the principal prophets on the daily papers ; 

 there was the precedent of French papers for this, 

 and the public took a great delight in the figures. 

 It was merciless, however, but " The Scout " — myself 

 — stood to be put in as bad a light as others. I believe 

 Fred Ball at the time thought it an unconscionable 

 thing to do, but if I remember rightly he had no reason 

 to be ashamed of his own record with regard to " prog- 

 nostics." Some of us, however, take things more to 

 heart than others. 



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