188 HINTS TO hoesemen; or, 



will attempt to make money by betting. I have 

 known, and now know, several of tliese men, who 

 know no more of a race-borse than that horse knows 

 of them ; men who have not the smallest idea of the 

 comparative merits of the horse they bet upon, yet will 

 these sensible men in the ordinary business of life, go 

 and risk perhaps the amount of a year's industry on 

 a race of which they are perfectly ignorant : what 

 their infatuation can be, I know not. If they were 

 fond of racing and of race-horses, I can easily believe 

 their pleasure in the sport might lead them on, they 

 might then back their opinion ; but that men who I 

 have heard say that they should not know West 

 Australian from Yoltigeur except by colour, should 

 go and spend their time and money in a sport they 

 know nothing on earth about, seems to me to be an 

 infatuation for which I can in no way account; 

 better, far better, to risk their money at cards or 

 dice, of both of which they may be quite competent 

 judges. They say they go upon such a horse's public 

 running ; now what do they know about his public 

 running ? They hear that he ran for the cup at such 



