THE NOBLE ART OF BACKING WINNERS 1 83 



turf, a lot of rot was written by people 

 who know nothing about it, to the effect 

 that those who won't bet with good 

 bookmakers when there are plenty 

 deserve to lose. How the dickens is 

 a casual attendant at race meetings to 

 distinguish the wheat from the chaff? A 

 punter stands carefully eyeing over a 

 couple of wrong uns, when, sure enough, 

 two ** sporting sort of gentlemen" come 

 up at different moments and back some- 

 thing with them to win a pony or so 

 on the Nod. That gives him the 

 necessary confidence, for surely if they 

 are good for that sum they are good for 

 his couple of sovereigns, and into the net 

 he falls. 



I think more protection should be given 

 to those who pay their 2^. td, or 5^. for 

 entry to the smaller rings at suburban 

 meetings, by having the enclosures kept 



