TOUTS AND TIPSTERS. 139 



person was right who said that any sign of the 

 morning that could by any process of twisting be 

 brought to bear on any of the racing events iixed for 

 that day, was just as good as a half-crown tip from a 

 professional tout. In this category comes the story 

 of the man who, finding that he had come into his 

 place of business on a Derby morning riding on the 

 knife-board of a ' Favourite ' omnibus, accepted the 

 circumstance as of good omen, putting therefore a 

 fiver on the horse that had been made favourite, and 

 winning his money ! 



If those who tvill back horses could first get a 

 glimpse of the persons and surroundings of some of 

 the beer-swilling and gin-consuming prophets to whom 

 they entrust their shillings, they would at once be 

 convinced they would serve their purpose as well by 

 putting the names of the horses in a hat and backing 

 the one they might first happen to draw from it. 



The hack-tipster, as a rule, is an abject follower of 

 * the money,' and although some of the band deny 

 that this mode of tipping is adopted by them, they 

 unwittingly let the cat out of the bag in such phrases 

 as, ' with no market to guide us,' ' but as the horse has 

 not yet been backed, it would be unsafe to select him, 

 etc., etc. In fact, there are no tipsters who can honestly 

 tip on any other system. When a horse wins a popular 

 handicap, starting at the liberal odds of .50 or 66 to 1, 

 the chances are that its name has never been men- 

 tioned by any of the tipping fraternity as being a likely 

 winner, and on such occasions, as the phrase goes, ' the 

 prophets are floored to a man.' Why, then, are there 

 prophets, and where there are any, of what use are they ? 



