2o8 A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



indignantly refused against a horse which had 

 only to run once to win or lose them their money. 

 In the case of one Waterloo Cup the winning 

 dog actually ran eight times before it was de- 

 clared to be entitled to the Blue Ribbon of the 

 leash. What, then, it will be asked, by those 

 who are unfamiliar with the incidents of coursing, 

 are the rate of odds given and taken on such 

 occasions ? And if the odds offered are false, 

 what are the figures which would really represent 

 the true chances of the animals competing in a 

 Waterloo Cup sixty-four ? 



Some questions, as all the world is aware, are 

 much easier to ask than to answer, and the 

 question just formulated is one of them. If the 

 form of the sixty-four dogs which are nominated 

 for the Waterloo Cup was utterly unknown, the 

 price of each could only, of course, be represented 

 at what may be called a very long figure — say, 

 for the sake of even counting, loo to i — and when 

 the first round of the struggle was finished, and 

 thirty-two of the dogs defeated, the odds, even in 

 that case, against the thirty-two survivors of the 

 first act of the battle should still be considerable, 

 five rounds of the battle having yet to be contested. 

 But as the form of the dogs had become known 

 from what they had accomplished in the first course, 

 it is vain to expect that 40 to i will be ofiered by 

 any of the bookmakers — although it is fully that 

 sum, and much more, against half the number — 

 because as the event proceeds sixteen of the dogs 

 must be beaten, and so on to the end of the 

 stake ; the sixteen victors will in time be reduced 

 to eight, four, two, and one. The task which is 

 originally set before the bettor on the Waterloo 



