248 BETTING AS IT IS. 



class, are more harmful in their operations to owners of horses 

 than all the rest of the forestallers put together — those who 

 make backing-books. They back, with few exceptions, all 

 the horses at the first appearance of the weights or shortly 

 afterwards. In most cases they commence by backing ten 

 or twelve horses, from i,ooo to lo, 20, or 30 as the case may 

 be, and then wait the result of the acceptance. The horses 

 are then quoted as backed. The public see and follow, 

 believing that the money is put on for the owners. The 

 horse becomes a favourite and the backing-book-maker 

 hedges and stands to win a certain sum, the best he can 

 make of it, to nothing ; whilst some time later the owner, 

 obliged to look on with intense disgust, strikes his horse out. 

 Of course the backer has in this case to run the chance of 

 acceptance ; for should the owner not accept, he can have 

 no chance to hedge. After the acceptance he again backs 

 a few of those that appear to have the best chance and then 

 waits till the day of running and again backs the most danger- 

 ous-looking ones. In this way the winnings of such men are 

 seldom much, and at times their losses are heavy. The 

 same thing is done for the weight for age races. Long odds 

 are taken about well-bred horses, and those recommended 

 directly or indirectly by the tipster and tout. Indeed but 

 for these men, few would be bold enough to attempt to make 

 a backing-book ; a process which almost surely ends in ruin. 



I may fitly, here, mention a circumstance rather amusing in 

 its result if alarming in the outset, which befell me as a boy, 

 as showing an extraordinary combination of fidelity and hard 



living in one and the same person, Mr. R an inspector 



of police. 



I went to Abingdon Races to ride for Mr. Sadler, and 

 whilst doing so, asked Mr. Montgomery Dilly to take care of 



