CHASING AND RACING 199 



the pessimists and cynics were wont to exaggerate 

 their figuring of the situation. On one or two occa- 

 sions I myself harboured well-founded suspicions, and 

 in one particular instance the facts were eloquent of 

 the truth of the supposition. 



The case in point which I propose to quote is 

 gospel ; but for obvious reasons, names of all con- 

 cerned, except my own, must be omitted. 



I had tried a youngster which I owned, to be pretty 

 useful in his class he was only a little one. Let us 

 call him " Ballroom." I entered him in a selling race 

 at one of our leading suburban meetings. Not having 

 secured a jockey I was making enquiries, when one of 

 our leading artists in the saddle accosted me, asking if 

 I had engaged any one to ride my representative. On 

 my answering in the negative, he expressed his willing- 

 ness to be the pilot. Now this was a real top sawyer 

 among the jockeys of the day. We will name him, 

 quite fictitiously, " Corfield." 



Of course I jumped at the offer. 



I had presented my S.P. merchant with a commis- 

 sion for " a pony " each way in the morning. In the 

 betting Ballroom opened at 5-1, probably on account 

 of the said commission ; but an ominous opposition 

 set in and he was driven out to 100-8, in spite of, or 

 possibly on account of, the " reputation " (this is 

 cryptic !) of his jockey. 



There was a big field, and in the race my green 

 jacket was conspicuous in the ruck, but was never seen 



