training-groom's reflections. 371 



take every precaution to keep things as quiet 

 as possible. Luckily, our stables and training 

 ground are so privately situated, that what we 

 have hitherto been doing with our colts, and 

 more particularly as regards the best one, cannot 

 be known; we may, therefore, be able to bring 

 him out, not exactly as a dark horse, his pedi- 

 gree being known ; yet, as he has never started, 

 we may expect, except among ourselves, to be 

 able to prevent his getting up a very great fa- 

 vourite; if we can do this, he may be considered, 

 in the betting market, as rather approaching to 

 an outsider; the odds then would most likely be 

 rather high against him, in which case he would 

 come out as a dark horse with the public. There- 

 fore, instead of betting round, we must begin 

 to take the long odds that will in all probability 

 be against our colt; and, although we have each 

 of us money enough to back ourselves on in the 

 losing of a small stake to the winning of a large 

 one, there is no occasion for us to risk the losing 

 of the former to win the latter, as there will be 

 plenty of time for us to hedge our money before 

 the race is run; or rather, our master, who 

 luckily for us is a very good judge, in balancing 

 his book will take care to do this little matter 

 for us, as well as for himself, if he sees occasion 



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