MODERN BETTING ILLUSTRATED, ETC. 211 



jealous of the honour of this great coursing match 

 being kept as free from any stain as possible ; but 

 those who have carefully studied the incidents of 

 the great Altcar gathering are perfectly convinced 

 that there is in connection with it, to designate 

 it mildly, a good deal of " finessing " : and a large 

 amount of the gambling element has long been 

 a most prominent feature of the meeting. In 

 some years plenty of wagering takes place. The 

 Waterloo Cup being set for decision at a season 

 of the year when much horse-racing cannot take 

 place, and when betting on horse-racing is not at 

 all brisk, commands the speculation of the 

 moment, and gives rise in consequence to a vast 

 amount of gambling. As a popular writer on the 

 turf says, the dogs give occasion for " one of the 

 biggest gambles of the season." 



So long as the Cup is constituted as at present, 

 this game of speculation will continue. The 

 gentlemen who have subscribed to the stake do 

 not require to nominate the dog they intend to 

 run till the evening preceding the first day of 

 contest. It is obvious, therefore, that by this 

 plan of procedure there is room for any amount 

 of " manoeuvring," and that a nomination may be 

 backed to win perhaps ^20,000 at pretty long 

 odds, while in the end a dog may be named 

 to fill it which, had its name been known, 

 would have caused the nomination in which it 

 was to run to become first favourite. This 

 will be better explained by imagining that the 

 present year's winner will be able to run again 

 next year ; if so, and the nomination in which 

 it is to run be made public, it will assuredly be 

 backed at a very short price, say 7 or 8 to i, 



p 2 



