132 THE BLUE RIBBON OE THE TURF. 



newspaper Avas afforded an opportunity of looking over 

 most of the competitors, more especially the mare 

 which won and the one which was second in the race. 

 But as he did not fix on either aniimd as the likely 

 winner, the question may fairly be asked, how he failed 

 to do so. Like all the other tipsters on that occasion, 

 he prophesied that the favourite would win, and never 

 so much as gave a word to the winner. The favourite 

 had doubtless that best of all recommendations — the 

 best public form. But the public do not require the 

 services of a ' special ' correspondent to tell them that 

 the horse possessing the best public form, and standing 

 in the betting list at the shortest price, is the one that 

 (on paper) seems most likely to win the race. As the 

 saying goes, ' any fool can follow the money,' and it 

 certainly needs no tipster to ' spot ' the favourite. 

 What a backer of horses stands in need of, but what 

 he is never likely to get, is a person who on looking 

 over a lot of horses will point out the one which, all 

 being fair and square, should win the race. Jenny 

 Howlet started at a very long price fur the Oaks. 

 Why ? Because none of the tipsters tipped her. Why 

 not ? Why not, indeed ! Several events could be 

 easily recalled on which the most wonderful prophetic 

 unanimity was exerted in vain, as, for instance, the 

 Royal Hunt Cup of 1880, when the prophets were 

 floored to a man over Ruperra. 



Many other examples of tips which have been igno- 

 miniously wide of the mark during the last seven years 

 might be culled from racing newspapers or from the 

 prints which deal in sporting intelligence. If some of 

 the tipsters would only condescend to give their 



