90 CANADIAN TURF RECOLLECTIONS 



tested struggle throughout, but Archie's horse was train- 

 ed to the hour and beat the "King" home by a clear 

 length. So near and yet so far, however, fairly described 

 the position of Sir Archibald's backers. The race was so 

 clearly won by Sir Archibald that it was impossible for 

 the judges to juggle over it, but to the surprise of every- 

 body, outside of a select few, they, while awarding the 

 race to him, declared all pools and bets on the event off. 

 To say that the decision raised a row would be put- 

 ting it altogether too mild. The crowd jeered and hooted, 

 hissed and yelled, and at one time it looked exceedingly 

 dangerous for the weak-backed men on the stand who 

 had allowed themselves to be persuaded into doing a rank 

 injustice. It was difficult to understand why they had 

 so ruled. No complaint of foul riding had been made by 

 the jockey on King Tom, and had such been done and 

 proven, it would have demanded the punishment of the 

 winner, but no such objection was raised; they awarded 

 the race as the horses finished, yet without stating any 

 reason, declared the bets off. Afterwards evidence was 

 forthcoming which showed the reason why. A certain 

 London merchant, now dead, had been wining rather 

 freely over night, and being a strong King Tom man, 

 backed his favorite for about $2,000. The result of the 

 race staggered him and he straightway got a friend or 

 two together, besieged the judges ' box, and induced them 

 to declare the bets off. It was the only really unpleasant 

 occurrence I can remember in connection with the old- 

 time meetings at Newmarket, but candor compels me to 

 declare that it was one of the rankest decisions ever 

 given on any race course, and in almost any other section 

 of the country would have earned a jolly good mobbing 

 for the judges guilty of such a trick. It is pleasant to 

 remember that outside of the little ring influenced by the 

 merchant alluded to, every other Londoner who had bet 

 his money on King Tom, was ashamed of the manner in 

 which he had been relieved of the necessity to pay his 

 losses. 



