BETTING AS A BUSINESS PREJUDICIAL TO THE TURF. 7 



merely to see how it is run, won and lost, so as to 

 enable them to judge how to lay or take the odds on 

 any of the horses in it when engaged in another Stake. 

 Such poachers are not worthy the name of racing 

 men, though unfortunately they get among them. 

 These are the harpies who plunder the legitimate 

 supporters of the Turf, and bring one of our finest 

 old English sports into disrepute. These are the 

 men who are, by themselves and their agents, at the 

 bottom of all the villanies that are so constantly 

 practised, the frequent occurrence of which has 

 disgusted and driven so many men of family, rank, 

 and wealth from the Turf, from finding they must 

 either be pigeoned, or, like the rest, "fight at 

 the leg" themselves* If they would, in the literal 

 sense of the word, "fight at the leg," that is the 

 Black-leg, spoil his trade, and so drive him off the 

 Turf, they would confer a benefit on society. Then, 

 and not till then, shall we again see Noblemen and 

 Gentlemen keeping their stud of race-horses, as they 

 do their pack of fox-hounds, as an appendage to their 

 rank in life, as an amusement to themselves, and as a 

 gratification and advantage to the country at large. 

 This can never be the case while betting, instead of 

 racing, is left to be the primum mobile of the ma- 

 chinery of Turf affairs. The mere betting men may 

 and will say that betting keeps alive the spirit of 

 racing. No such thing : it may keep up an artificial 

 effervescence ; but if that was stopped, while we are 

 Englishmen the true spirit will always remain among 

 us. Supposing, however, it did diminish the number 

 of race-horses kept, or the number of races run, if the 

 race-course is to be only a Hell in the open air, instead 

 of in St. James's or King Street, why, the sooner it is 



B 4 



