12 SPORTING OF THE PAST 



Harm to 'Ampton. You are pestered with letters 

 from tipsters — scoundrels who know just as much 

 of a horse or racing as they do of the man in the 

 moon. The man from whom you can get nothing 

 else, is always ready with his advice on the mo- 

 mentous subject of " what to back " for this race or 

 that, quite ignoring the question of whether he 

 really does or does not " know anything," to use 

 turf parlance. 



Betting will never be put down entirely, but 

 much might be done. Were I to commence racing 

 again, I would hit the ring and the betting frater- 

 nity as hard as I could to scare them from back- 

 ing my horses for the future. This cannot always 

 be done, but after one or two such lessons people 

 would be shy of burning their fingers over my 

 stable. I daresay I should be called an " old cur- 

 mudgeon," " selfish brute," and " no sportsman ; " 

 but after all said and done, you race to please your- 

 self, not the public. You have to pay the hay and 

 corn bill, trainer's expenses, and, above all, entry 

 fees, far the heaviest item in the whole list ; and 

 surely, if any money is to be had over a race, the 

 owner should be allowed " first run " at it. 



We see no Alice Hawthorns or Beeswings now- 

 a-days ; racing men cannot afford to let their colts 

 or fillies come to maturity: most are broken down 



