TOD SLOAN 



of wagers. The former in particular, whether the bets 

 were made by himself or through a commissioner. 

 Gates was the bigger gambler on the race-course of the 

 two, and would often prefer to go along the rails him- 

 self to make his bets, because some of the layers he 

 could call down — in fact buffalo them. Of course the 

 way these men bet made a sensation. One day in 

 America, by the way. Gates was betting so high that 

 he might have lost a million dollars. The bookmakers 

 saw to it that he didn't. It wasn't that they were 

 afraid of his not settling, but they didn't want him to 

 lose too much in one day. He had lost a vast sum 

 before the last race — I think it was at Sheepshead Bay 

 — and wanted to put 200,000 dollars on a 3 to 1 on 

 chance in the last race. But he was a bit late and they 

 told him they wouldn't have it and turned him down. 

 He was furious at the moment, but that hot favourite 

 was just beaten ! — and he did a war dance at his own 

 escape and at what they had missed. 



Mr Drake was a managing director of a big hotel 

 company in Chicago, where it is well known Gates also 

 lived. In England Duke and Wishard, the trainers, 

 were in partnership, or rather there was a s^Tidicate of 

 which Drake wasn't a member. There was a talk of 

 Duke going away, so there would have been a case of 

 dissolved partnership. But from whatever cause Duke 

 didn't go and bought Wishard out, or at all events 

 Wishard went from the concern rather against his will. 

 In consultation with Drake Wishard said, " Well, 

 Duke has all the horses which we have so carefully got 

 together ; it's a bit awkward, but at all events I have 

 the two boys, Lester and Johnny Reiff." 



Mr Drake has told me (and he confirmed it only the 

 other day) that he went to his bank and made all 

 arrangements and told Wishard to go ahead and get a 



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