TOD SLOAN 



mean man who showed hundred-dollar bills to the extent 

 of fifteen hundred dollars in all. He had plucked up 

 courage and was going to put the lot on. He took 

 advice however and ultimately split it up into smaller 

 bills so that he should not alarm the bookmakers and 

 reduce the price from 100 to 1 at which the horse 

 opened when the betting began. 



Chuckling to himself the giver of the tip went up on 

 the stand to see the fun. The start was rather ragged 

 and something happened to the favourite. That out- 

 sider won by half-a-length, and the pile " Mr Mean " 

 won I believe made him give up racing ! My friend 

 netted the five dollars the bookmaker laid him. He 

 tried to ring it in that " Mr Mean " should hand over 

 a thousand dollars to "give to the jockey," but — not a 

 cent. Of course I needn't tell you where the thousand 

 dollars would have gone, or the best part of it. 



Tommy Grifiin, who owned and trained in America, 

 may remember that incident although he had nothing to 

 do with the tip. I fancy he trained the horse though, 

 and that he was the most surprised man on the course 

 that day. Mention of Griffin, who retired from the 

 saddle to train and own horses, and for w^iom I always 

 rode when he w^anted me to, reminds me of the way in 

 which he was thoroughly soured against owners great 

 and smalL He was running a favourite little horse of 

 his in a selling race and hated to part with him, but 

 they ran him up after he had won and he had to let his 

 treasure go. Ever after that it didn't matter who it 

 was, Avhether it was Mr August Belmont or Mr W. C. 

 Wliitney or anyone, if he fancied a horse he would stick 

 at it till he had bought him. Even with me, one of his 

 greatest friends, he was just the same. He gave me 

 fair warning of what he intended to do, and would 

 stick at no friendship nor respect anyone's feelings in 



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