The Betting Ring, 53 



him writhing in his vice. This is, in fact, the most 

 memorable instance of " hedging" on record, and the 

 ancient rupture between the parties lent it no small 

 flavour. " Honest John," from a firm conviction that 

 the horse could not stay, had offered 15,000/. to 100/., 

 and 10,000 to 100/. against him, as he was journeying 

 by rail to Newmarket, and was snapped imme- 

 diately by a " commissioner," who happened to be 

 in the carriage. Lord George's faith in his bay 

 continued unabated to the last, and he took 16,000/. 

 to 2000/. about him not many hours before the race ; 

 and hence Day was glad to come to terms with him, 

 and lost 3000/. by meddling with the " sky-blue," 

 though his balance on the race was a favourable one. 



Since the abolition of the betting-houses, which 

 dealt an immense blow to the Ring by cutting off the 

 supplies which dribbled in through them from all parts 

 of the country, and so found their way to the Corner, 

 Mr. Davis has occupied a much less prominent part 

 in the eyes of the public ; and he has, in fact, almost 

 ceased to make a Derby book, and confines himself to 

 post-betting. He has made one so high as 100,000/, 

 but now he scarcely pencils a Derby bet till a fort- 

 night before the race. He says with truth that he 

 has lost all his money on the Derby and Oaks, while 

 on the St. Leger and at post-betting he is uniformly 

 lucky, and a great advocate for the abolition of the 

 P. P. system. We believe that he made his first bet 

 of half-a-crown at the Silver Cup in Cromer Street, 

 Gray's Inn Road, about 1840, when he was in 

 Mr. Cubitt's employ. A long time elapsed before 

 he entered any public betting-rooms, but he simply 

 joined the noisy outer circle ; laying generally 

 a point or two more than were attainable inside. 

 When he began to be a man of mark, this difference 

 was soon taken copious advantage of, and in self-de- 

 fence he went within. His first heavy hit is said to 

 have been for 12,000/ over The Cur for the Cesare- 



