HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY HORSES. 153 



but he will most probably find that though the horse 

 he most feared is virtually out of the race, some one 

 is left behind quite good enough to beat the horse of 

 the owner, who only fears the one from whom, were 

 he in the secret, he would know he had nothing 

 whatever to fear. But let him not flatter himself he 

 will be permitted to carry off the stakes ; they that 

 make their chief harvest by the favourite not being 

 permitted to win, will not let the gleaning of the 

 stakes pass from their hands ; no, no, they (that is, 

 the clique) pocket both. There is no free trade in 

 steeple-chasing ; monopoly and combination carry 

 the day. 



There is an anecdote extant of a very well known 

 owner of steeple-chase horses going to a meeting 

 where the entries were made the evening before 

 starting ; he took with him three horses. The 

 morning of the day of entering he went where the 

 elite (God save the mark !) of the ring were as- 

 sembled. " Well," said one of the clique, ^' , 



you have brought , , and down ; 



which do you mean to win with ?" '' That would be 



