i8o THE TURF 



betting at all is bad enough, but his betting 

 on any other horse in the race save his 

 own is contrary to every principle, and 

 fatal to the honour of the turf. 



We have already alluded to one system 

 of turf plunder, that of getting-up favourites^ 

 as the term is, by false trials and lies, for 

 the sake of having them backed to win in 

 the market, well knowing that all the money 

 betted upon them must be lost. This is 

 villainous ; but what can be said to the 

 poisoning system the nauseating ball we 

 have reason to fear an everyday occurrence, 

 when a horse is placed under the master- 

 key '? This is a practice of some standing 

 on the turf (see Chifney's account of Creeper 

 and Walnut, 1791), and was successfully 

 carried on in the stables of the late Lord 

 Foley, very early in the present century, 

 when one of the party was hanged for the 

 offence. But people know better now, and 

 the disgrace of the halter is avoided; no 

 post-mortem examination no solution of 

 arsenic. A little opiate ball given overnight 

 is all that is necessary to retard a horse in 

 his race, but not prevent his starting. 

 Winners of races are now not in request. 



