BACKERS AND BACKING 177 



in getting 5 to 2, but the animal experienced a 

 flood of disfavour ; 6 to i was easily obtainable in 

 the course of a few minutes ; but he won comfort- 

 ably. 



How does the ordinary backer find winners, or, 

 I should rather say, try to find winners ? If he be 

 in the inner circle of racing he receives his Calendar 

 on Thursday night in London or Friday morning 

 in the country, and sets to work to study the pro- 

 gramme ; not seldom finding that some horse on 

 which he has been patiently waiting to have a 

 dash has been struck out, or that something else 

 that he has mentally handicapped at about 7st. 81b. 

 is in at 8st. 61b. If he be not in the inner circle 

 he waits to buy his Lunar Month ; and then the 

 great question arises to what extent one can depend 

 on the form .? Sometimes, of course, horses " run 

 to an ounce "; the result is plainly mapped out for 

 anyone with the most elementary knowledge of 

 arithmetic ; but it is disappointing to work out the 

 form, to find confirmation of it in two or three 

 places, to conclude that the Sharp-set colt has no 

 sort of chance, and to see him next day win in a 

 canter ; finding reason to suspect from the perform- 

 ance that this is the first time he has really been 

 " out " for some weeks past. 



In the train on the way to the races one con- 



N 



