My Racing Adventures 



were not accustomed to send "information" 

 away to a select circle of private punters. Verily, 

 they were not allowed to know a great deal, and 

 to keep them in ignorance is the best way to 

 keep them straight. Some of these boys like 

 to " have their bit on," of course ; the horse 

 they " do " is always going to win, according 

 to their estimate of his chance ; but that con- 

 fidence on their part did not interfere with my 

 patrons or with me when we wished to back a 

 horse with — dare I say ? — infinite gusto. There 

 is, by-the-bye, a good story told concerning a 

 smart lad in a Newmarket stable ; his master 

 discovered that he was betting pretty heavily, 

 and accused him of doing so. " I hear," growled 

 the irate trainer, "that you had a hundred on 

 my horse last week when he won." 



" Your mistake, guv'nor," retorted the youth, 

 smiling; "you are quite wrong. I had three 

 hundred on him ; and if I had possessed another 

 three hundred in the world, every penny would 

 have been invested on the same buxom 

 steed." 



A bright sporting association was thus ended, 

 and that smart lad developed into a professional 

 backer. Often he had plenty of money, some- 

 times none. Yet, ah me! how true it is that 



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