SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



I saw Mr. Charles Frail (the son, now, alas ! dead) 

 and said, " Put a notice up outside, as follows : 



"A NEW RACE 



•' The WELTER HANDICAP, of 5 sovs. each, with 20 

 added, for three-year-olds and upwards. Gentlemen 

 riders : jockeys 51b. extra. The winner to be sold for 

 50 sovs. Half a mile." 



"And," I went on, "enter Mr. Hodgman's Sheer- 

 ness ; Mr. Angell's Astarte ; Mr. Dunne's [he was 

 Mr. George Bryan] Zora; and Mr. J. Barber's 

 Abron." 



These were all we wanted, and as the notice was 

 not exhibited till it was striking four o'clock — the 

 time of closing — I imagined everything would be 

 right, especially as I was going to assist in the 

 framing of that handicap. But when I went back 

 I saw, tacked on to the four entries I had supplied, 

 "Mr. Priestley's Tom Sayers, 3 years." 



" Who put this in ? " I asked Mr. John Frail, sen. 



" I don't know. Here, ring the bell and have 

 Jack up." 



" Jack," he asked, " why did you take this entry 

 when the notice plainly said the race closed at four 

 o'clock, and I know at that time he hadn't been 

 nominated ? It's not a legitimate entry." 



" Well," said Jack, " I didn't notice, father. Mr. 

 Justice [who raced as Mr. Priestley] gave it me, 



157 



