128 THE BLUE RIBBON OF THE TURF. 



success, wliich some of the body will manage to do 

 half a dozen times in the course of the season. 



The wife of the great trainer at Mai ton used to aver 

 that she was always glad to see the touts about, as it 

 was a sign that there were horses on the ground worth 

 watching ; and in the palmy days of the ' Wizard of 

 the North ' there was always a little knot of these 

 persons taking stock of all they could see. The 

 * Druid,' in one of his ch.irming ' gossips ' says Flying 

 Dutchman w^as watched by a perfect regiment of them 

 before the Derby, sixteen having been counted on one 

 occasion waiting on the horse, and looking at it with 

 hawks' eyes as it came out for exercise. A tout told 

 the trainer that he had orders to watch the horse 

 come out of its stable, and not to leave the ground till 

 it went back. 'When Bill Scot (the famous jockey) 

 lived near Knavesmire, his motions, whenever a trial 

 at Malton was about to come off", used to be watched 

 night and day. It was nearly impossible for him to 

 steal away from York at any time without having 

 them on his track.' 



Another reminiscence given by the ' Druid ' tells us 

 that at one of the Yorkshire training towns a school- 

 master commenced as prophet to a London paper, 

 and in the sequel it appeared that he had got all his 

 information by writing letters for touts between school- 

 hours. As showing the ingenuity of the touts, it has 

 been told that one of them, disguised as a drover, 

 obtained valuable racing information from a trades- 

 man employed upon a job at one of the Newmarket 

 racing-stables. The place was a public-house, and 

 over a can of ale the painter said that a certain horse 



