NEWMARKET 197 



loudly ; but as a body they are a most impassive 

 set of men, and you could never tell by their 

 faces whether they had lost or won. Very curious 

 are they in another way : they never seem to, 

 and I suppose really do not, care a bit about the 

 horses themselves ; many of them not even looking 

 at them when they are running, merely glancing at 

 the winning numbers when put up. They do not 

 appear to be guided in their bets by any regard to 

 the condition of the horses, state or length of the 

 course, or their previous performances, but on what 

 they imagine to be the intentions of the stable to 

 which they belong ; and sometimes they seem to 

 suppose that certain horses take it in turns to win, 

 and back them accordingly, quite independently of 

 the condition of the horse itself. A remarkable 

 instance of this occurred at one Houghton Meeting, 

 in the All-aged Stakes : only two horses were left 

 in for them, Ecossais and Trappist, the former with 

 three pounds the best of the weights. It is true 

 they had run in and out in a very curious way, and 

 this time the bookmakers declared " it was Trappist's 

 turn," and backed him accordingly, giving odds 

 against the other. When they passed the stand on 

 their way to the starting-post, Trappist was going 

 along with his head in the air, fighting with his bit, 

 and with the stiltiest stiffest action possible; Ecossais 



