SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



"You'll understand it after the race. Get the 

 money on." 



The verdict was a head in favour of my colt, Parry 

 riding capitally. Lord Westmorland was soon with 

 me, full of congratulations. 



" Well, what price to the ' monkey ' ? " 



" Eights." 



" What did you do for yourself? " 



" I won six thousand," he cried delightedly. 

 " But what was the meaning of all the mystery ? " 



" You," I said, " are as big a fool as I am. You've 

 a large following, and you tell them everything. I 

 do the same myself, too often to my cost. Had I in 

 the morning asked you to put me seven hundred on, 

 and told you the trial, the news would have been all 

 over the place. You know you couldn't have kept 

 quiet. Lord This and Lady That would have known. 

 And in the end we should have had to take 5 to 2, 

 or less. Now the money yields a nice average." 



"By Jove! Hodgman," he said, "you're quite 

 right. We're both at times bad at keeping 

 secrets." 



In the next season (1869) I laid myself out for 

 the Cambridgeshire with Vestminster. Springtime 

 I bought a horse called Van Amburgh for £800 

 from Mr. George Angell. He was in the autumn 

 trial, with another, and one I borrowed from Lord 



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