THE TURF 187 



chance to win 800. It is by this system of 

 betting that it often becomes a matter of 

 indifference to a man which horse wins, his 

 money being so divided amongst them all. 

 In fact, what is called an outsider is often 

 the best winner for him, as in that case he 

 pockets all the bets he has made against 

 those horses which gentlemen and their 

 friends have fancied. There is, however, 

 too often what is called 'the book-horse ' 

 in some of the great races, in which more 

 than one party are concerned. What the 

 term ' book-horse ' implies, we need not 

 explain further than by saying, that it would 

 signify little were he really a book and not 

 a horse : the animal with the best blood 

 in England in his veins, and the best jockey 

 on his back, shall have no more chance 

 to win, if backed heavily to lose, than a 

 jackass. 



Yet this evil is likely to cure itself ; and 

 we cannot more clearly point out the 

 remedy than by extracting the following 

 passage from the June number of the New 

 Sporting Magazine for the year 1836. 'The 

 settling-day (for the Epsom Meeting) on the 

 24th of May, passed off worse than any 



