BUSINESS OF HORSE-RACING. 95 



official wrote out and signed the necessary cheque. 

 " There," said he, " but learn your business better ; 

 don't let this occur again." 



This official requires to ** look sharp," and he 

 jnust keep his eyes wide open while engaged in 

 the performance of his duties, otherwise he may 

 become the victim of a tricky jockey or owner, 

 who has an object to gain by perpetrating a 

 fraud. It has more than once occurred that the 

 scales have been tampered with by a piece of 

 lead being fastened to them in a hidden place, 

 in some cases before the boys were weighed, in 

 some cases after that process had been performed, 

 the object being to have the rider of the winning 

 horse disqualified for carrying more or less than 

 the stipulated weight. 



The success of race - meetings is greatly 

 dependent on the knowledge and talent of the 

 handicapper, owners and trainers being, as has 

 been said, jealous and exacting. Of late years, 

 increased sums of money have been added by the 

 managers or lessees of certain race-meetings to 

 the races announced, but in several instances 

 without having the desired effect of swelling the 

 acceptances or the field. No handicapper is 

 thought to be successful unless the owners of 

 more than half of the horses entered are pleased 

 to cry content with the weights allotted to them. 

 It occasionally happens, however, that although 

 a handicap may be remarkably well constructed, 

 and every horse be allotted a fair weight, the 

 acceptances for various reasons may be small — 

 so small on occasion, as to render the race to 

 all intents and purposes a failure. He would, 

 indeed, be a clever handicapper if he could 



