2 74 A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



against its chance. Such transactions often prove 

 excellent bargains. For a bookmaker, or clique 

 of bookmakers, to purchase for a thousand or 

 even sixteen hundred pounds a horse, against 

 the chance of which to win they may have betted 

 as many thousands, is good business ; true, that 

 particular animal might not have proved the 

 winner, but, being dangerous, his removal out 

 of the way if possible was deemed prudent. 

 Some may say that the bookmaker having laid 

 against all or most of the other horses in the 

 race, he will have plenty of money to clear his 

 liabilities, no matter which animal may win ; but 

 bookmakers, being prudent men, like to make 

 matters as certain as possible. Men are known 

 who have had a finger in such pies ; names 

 cannot, however, be mentioned here, and there 

 are persons engaged in laying the odds who 

 would not individually do a very dirty action, but 

 even the most respectable bookmakers make 

 no bones about laying a "stiff one." 



II. 



In such transactions as have been indicated, 

 the biters are sometimes bit. A few years since 

 a clever school of these men agreed to purchase, 

 for ^2,000, a horse which had become a pro- 

 digious favourite for one of the chief handi- 

 caps. It was reputed to have won a good 

 trial, in which it had beaten its stable com- 

 panions " to blazes," and was being backed every 

 day at lessening odds. About eight days before 

 the race it was quoted at 100 to 12, and 

 seemed as if it would be a dangerous horse. 



