RACING ROGUERIES. 299 



cuted, the business of the turf money market was 

 not so open to the Hght of day as at present, 

 so that a deal could be accomplished without much 

 publicity. Bill Gripely, the commissioner alluded 

 to, and his confederates, Warp and Woof, the 

 bookmakers, were at once able to "tumble" to 

 the situation, namely, that a great trial had been 

 won, as Mr. Moor seldom put more than ^20 on 

 one of his horses. So thinking, the trio deter- 

 mined upon securing a very profitable slice of the 

 pudding for themselves. Beginning business at 

 once, the odds of 1,000 to 16 were obtained from 

 four different sources, which bets were followed 

 in due course by sundry others, till, in the end, 

 a pretty considerable sum had been secured, 

 probably not less than ^30,000. 



Of this handsome realisation of the commission 

 it was not deemed necessary to return the owner 

 more for his ^300 than (in the circumstances) 

 the paltry sum of ^6,000. The owner of the 

 horse, knowing full well that he had been victimised 

 by Gripely and his coadjutors, resolved to punish 

 the conspirators by striking his horse out of the 

 race. He found, as he supposed, that his com- 

 missioners had determined to keep some ^25,000 

 to dole out as the horse advanced in favouritism 

 in the betting. The commission was begun on 

 Monday, and on Thursday forenoon the result 

 was intimated to Mr. Moor, who, as soon as 

 he found out what had been done, struck his 

 horse out of the race, much to the chagrin of 

 the conspirators, who lost a few hundred pounds 

 over the transaction. 



Many similar stories might be related, but 

 one serves to show this mode of chicanery as 



