HANDICAPPERS 235 



to see a neck win, with the betting as close as 

 possible amongst a good proportion of the horses — 

 in fact, what is generally termed an open race. 

 What he dislikes to see is favourite after favourite 

 come rolling home ; that is, indeed, a reflection 

 upon his handiwork, and proves that the public 

 are better judges than he is ; but what he naturally 

 detests most of all is to see " odds on " favourites 

 catching the judge's eye. 



Now, applying these tests, with which no one 

 who understands anything about the adjustment of 

 the weights can reasonably find fault, we are 

 brought face to face with the fact that the results 

 during the past four or five years have been 

 singularly good. In the year 1898, as was pointed 

 out in the Sportsman at the time by the present 

 writer, four handicappers were responsible for 

 nearly two-thirds of the 749 flat race handicaps 

 made and run for in that year ; and out of the 517 

 handicaps so made by them, 7 resulted in dead 

 heats, 74 were won by a head, 52 by a neck, 

 whilst 163 fell to favourites, and but 13 (or an 

 average of i in 40) to " odds on " favourites. In 

 1902 the figures were, if anything, better for the 

 leading handicappers ; for out of 517 races taken 

 in order as arranged by them, there was one dead 

 heat of three, there were 4 dead heats of two, 94 



