288 A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



use the words of the Scottish poet, that " the best 

 laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley." 



While perusing these remarks it should be 

 kept in mind that there are not a few gentlemen 

 on the turf who decline to take part in such 

 schemes as have been indicated, but run their horses 

 fair and square, so far as they can control them. 

 Their trainers, however, may not always be quite 

 so scrupulous. The '' arrangements " referred to, 

 it ought to be remembered, involve such an 

 amount of chicanery, that the aid of one or two 

 bookmakers must be called in, the doing so, of 

 course, involving the making of certain concessions 

 to these worthies. The knowledge thus acquired 

 by such persons is at once used against the public, 

 the betting public, who soon discover that their 

 mission is to pay the piper. The main object of 

 what is done in the way of planning and scheming 

 is to secure, at the least possible risk, a large haul 

 of money over a race, and, to accomplish this, all 

 matters must be gone about with the utmost care 

 and secrecy. To achieve such a consummation is 

 the reason why not a few owners of horses place 

 themselves entirely in the hands of some Dudley 

 Smooth of the turf. The first advice given by 

 such a person is, "Accept with your whole string 

 of horses, we will need them all," As the busi- 

 ness of arrangement progresses, each of the un- 

 intended animals is made in turn to benefit the 

 bookmaker by being brought into the betting 

 and quoted in "the market." The gullible public, 

 unaware of what is beins: done, back all the horses 

 in turn, so that those interested obtain a pretty 

 good sum out of the " stiff ones," as they are 

 called. When the public at length waken up to 



