SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



The J " fluttered " so astutely that while Tom 

 Sayers crawled home by three-quarters of a length, 

 merely necks separated the others. The only owner 

 concerned in the race who was not in the game was 

 Mr, Priestley, the owner of the winner ! And he 

 tumbled head over heels into the fog. Thus, on 

 reaching the paddock from the weighing-room, he 

 asked a friend what was favourite. 



" Why, yours is ! " 



"Mine?" he queried incredulously. "Why, I'll 

 bet four ponies against him myself" 



" I'll take it," was the answer. 



I turned round, and said, " You've a good bet 

 there. I'll lay you a level fifty he wins." 



" Done ! " 



After the race I told Fordham all about the busi- 

 ness ; and he roared with laughter. " I thought," 

 he said, " they were confoundedly kind to me. I 

 ought to have been left on my beast a hundred yards." 



The thousand laid out brought in 2500, which 

 was cut up as follows : Captain Little 500 ; Mr. 

 Fade (Mr. Edwards) 500 : Captain Townley (Mr. 

 Dixon) 500 ; Jimmy Barber and Mr. Dunne 250 

 each. Perry and Palmer had 150 between them, 

 and the remainder — 350 — Mr. George Angell and I 

 shared. The tale soon leaked out, and a consider- 

 able time elapsed before I was ceased to be asked : 



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