244 THE RACING WORLD 



a price was accepted about a horse and that horse 

 did not run the backer lost his money, which of 

 course is not now the case with " starting price " 

 transactions. Needless to say, the tout, under these 

 circumstances, was a man who could earn for a layer 

 in a large way of business an immense amount of 

 money ; for the bookmaker would get all he 

 possibly could out of " stiff 'uns," and in addition 

 would often be able to make a " round " book. 

 At times it cut both ways, and the sharp backers 

 and owners of horses played many tricks on the 

 bookmakers ; but the public at that time were very 

 bad sufferers, and the only men who were able to 

 hold their own at the game were the bookmakers, 

 and smart backers who had commissions from the 

 owners. 



At the present time the S.P. layer is protected 

 by the man on the course, who practically makes 

 the price for him, so that there is no necessity for 

 him to employ a tout at all. The newspapers, by 

 the adoption of training reports, probable starters 

 and jockeys, etc., in the morning editions of 

 evening papers, the touts who wire from the 

 course to their respective clients and also from the 

 training quarters, keep the public very well in- 

 formed, and it is pretty generally known in the 

 inner circles of the Turf that bookmaking, either 



