176 THE RACING WORLD 



all possible speed, and having done so is convinced 

 that he has done well ; but the more astute have 

 an idea that the odds will lengthen, and they wait. 

 " 5 to 4 on the field " is presently offered with- 

 out attracting custom ; 1 1 to 8 is tried ; then 6 to 

 4. Will one do better than that ? is now the 

 question. " I'll take 35 to 20," you say to your 

 favourite bookmaker. " Oh, very well, sir, to you,'' 

 he replies ; and whilst you are writing it down 

 you hear " 2 to i on the field " from both sides of 

 you. It is gratifying, on the other hand, to find 

 that you have taken 100 to 30 about something 

 that is firmly established at 7 to 4 ; but in my own 

 case I have found, with curious persistence, that 

 when I have hugged myself on getting the best of 

 the market the horse has gone down — " the best of 

 the market the worst of the settling " some cynical 

 backers accept as a proverb. Money tells tales 

 nevertheless, and when a horse " goes like a winner 

 in the market," he very often goes like a winner 

 also in the race, and indeed does win, more or less 

 easily, at the finish ; but that there are exceptions 

 to every rule need not be said. It is seldom that 

 a horse drifts out and wins, but it does happen on 

 occasions. Since I began writing this article Black 

 Love at Sandown furnished a case in point. 2 to 

 I was freely taken ; I thought I was rather clever 



