Gamester. 139 



menced, all those not in the secret, were anxious to 

 gain information about the chesnut Gamester, and to 

 know whether he was Mr. Wilson's reputed great horse. 

 Either the denial was not believed, and backers rushed 

 blindly on to their fate, or it was a bit qualified, for the 

 Lucknow Gamester was far and away the favourite in 

 the lotteries ; while the " real good business," Kingcraft, 

 was allowed to go to his party very cheaply, except in 

 the last lottery, for backers then were beginning to 

 understand that no one " in the know " had bought 

 Gamester in the previous ones. Colonel " Smith of 

 Asia," who owned Morning Star in the da}-s when 

 Vanderdecken was in the zenith of his fame, was the 

 first to sound the alarm, and to warn the assembled 

 racing public not to trust in the assurance which Mr. 

 Hartwell frankly gave, that the Gamester which was 

 entered was not the real Simon Pure. Soon after the 

 saddling bell for the race had been sounded, the backers 

 of Gamester in the lotteries were put out of their misery, 

 for Jack O'Connor appeared on a sorry chesnut 

 " garran " which could hardly get out of a feeble amble, 

 and which knew as little about fencing as he did of 

 differential equations. And this was the supposed 

 flyer ! The race was won by Captain Franks, who had 



