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To illustrate some operations which took place, Davies, in two 

 bets, lost £55,000 to £1,000 over Daniel O'Rourke, £30,000 to £2,000 

 in one bet over Teddington, and £25,000 to £1,000 over West Australian. 

 But this was when winter and yearling books were made on the Derby, 

 and long before post and starting-price betting was thought of. This 

 same Davies lost over the Derby several thousand pounds to a man 

 who died suddenly after the race, but Davies found out his widow 

 and paid the amount to her, which she was very much in need of. In 

 acting so Davies did only what any honourable man would have done, 

 and what scores of the " noble army '' of present-day bookmakers would 

 do, for among them are many possessed of the highest principles of 

 honour. Like Guliy he sprang from very low origin and left after 

 him an honourable reputation. 



So far as figures go, the largest stake ever won by a man is accorded 

 to Mr. Chaplin over Hermit. His account is said to have shown a 

 credit balance of something like £150,000, but a considerable part of it 

 was on paper, and is owing to this day. The person who won the most 

 money, and got it, was Mr. Naylor, who had over £100,000 paid in to his 

 bankers the week after Macaroni won the Derby. Mr. Merry is popu- 

 larly supposed to have won upwards of £100,000 over Thcrmanby, but 

 those in a position to form a proper judgment believe the sum did not 

 exceed £70,000, which is about what Sir Joseph Hawley won on 

 Teddington, and also on Musjid. Next to these probably comes the 

 Marquis of Hastings' coup over Lecturer's Cesarewitch, which was put 

 down at some £60,000, w^hile the owner, trainer, and two stable com- 

 missioners netted between them £47,000. His winnings over Lecturer 

 did not benefit the youthful marquis much, for by backing Vauban 

 and lajing against Hermit in the next year's Derby he lost £95,000, 

 and the year following, in the same race, his own mare. Lady Elizabeth, 

 lost him £80,000. 



Lord George Bentinck's transactions with the "Ring were of a magni- 

 tude as gigantic as was ever chronicled. Unluckily for himself the 

 losses far exceeded the winnings, and had he gone on it is highly 

 probable his financial end would have been similar to that of the unfortu- 

 nate owner of The Earl and Lady Elizabeth. It is said that he went 

 in for breaking the bookmakers. I thiok it likely his lordship did 

 nothing of the sort, but if he ever entertained the idea he went about 

 it in an honourable straightforward manner. He stood to w^in £160,000 

 on his horse Gaper for the Derby of 1843, but Bill Scott on Cotherstone 

 frustrated the object. 



A man named Walton came to England from America in about 1881, 

 and through disreputable means got possession of stable secrets by which 

 he won large sums. £75,000 was put down as his winnings over Foxhall 

 and Iroquois in the Cesarewitch, Cambridgeshire, and St. Leger. This 

 fellow wished and tried to break the Ring, but I am happy to say it 

 broke him. 



Like breaking the bank at Monte Carlo, to break the Ring is easier 



