The Betting Ring. 55 



55 to O. Although, perhaps, not abstractedly a great 

 judge of a horse, he had a capital eye for finding out 

 when they are in trouble, and keeps betting on till 

 they are some twenty yards from the post ; and if it is 

 a very near thing, after they are past it. Teddington 

 was a horse he never liked to be against, after the 

 Derby ; but he was, perhaps, more disposed to back 

 riders than horses, and is very liberal with them at 

 times. Fordham, or " the kid," as he always terms 

 him, is his favourite, and he very frequently declined 

 to lay against the horse he was to ride ; and other men 

 in the Ring had a like fancy for always backing Quin- 

 ton. His constant habit has been to come to Tatter- 

 sail's after the Derby, however great his losses, and 

 pay on the Monday, instead of waiting till the con- 

 ventional settling Tuesday : and while his lists were 

 in force, he returned every night from Newmarket to 

 attend to them, and provide the needful for paying 

 next day. In fact, all his dealings have been based 

 on the " broadstone of honour," and conducted with a 

 business-like precision such as we may almost in vain 

 hope to see again. One of his rules was never to sub- 

 scribe to a handicap, as he would be pestered to death 

 with applications if ^he did. We never remember 

 his nerve failing but once, and that was when Bon 

 Mot won the Liverpool Cup. He was just beginning 

 to fire heavily into this strange 3000 guinea impostor, 

 when he found himself compelled, in consequence of a 

 nervous head-ache, to close his book and sit down, 

 and, as luck would have it, he won 3OOO/., instead of 

 losing nearly twice that amount. His philosophy was 

 reported to have been most severely tested in 1850, 

 when he had laid very heavily against Canezou for 

 the Goodwood Cup. On that day, Cariboo was de- 

 clared to start merely to make the running for Canezou ; 

 but he went so well that it was all Charlton could do 

 to pull him up in front of the Stand, in order that 

 Butler might win with the mare. 



