SERVICES OF THE GENUINE BOOKMAKER. 245 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



BETTING AS IT IS. 



Hints on betting — Value of the genuine bookmaker — His counterfeit and the 

 amateur backer — Worthlessness of " tips " — The only safe grounds for backing 

 a horse — Proneness to wagering ; the De Goncourt fraud — Making a backing- 

 book — A race-course incident : fidelity of Inspector R ; changed career 



of two boon companions — The commissioner : evils of employing him ; how 

 commissions are worked ; his dishonesty, plausibility, and easy gains ; authentic 

 personal experiences in illustration ; F/iarsalus and the Metropolitan, Promised- 

 Land and the Two Thousand, disappointment in the Goodwood Stakes ; the 

 result examined. 



I HAVE shown, I think conclusively, that racing properly 

 carried out, is very far from the ruinous business it is 

 popularly supposed to be. I have also pointed out that 

 to bet in reason, and on the proper occasions, is a legitimate 

 and, as a rule, advantageous course on the part of the 

 owner of racehorses. In this chapter I propose to give a 

 few hints on betting to amateur backers generally, which 

 may prove of service ; if not to teach them how to find the 

 best horses to back, at least to know with whom they 

 may safely bet. 



Bookmakers pursue a legitimate and lucrative trade by 

 laying against all horses as they appear in the market at a 

 certain price, and are indeed an important part of the turf, 

 second only to owners of horses, and could as ill be spared. 

 And of these, there are many men of standing and good 



