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" Who best can suffer, best can do." Milton. What alone enables us to draw a just moral from the tale of life ? " Were I asked n-liat best dignifies the 2iiystnl and consecrates the past ; what alone e^iahles ns to draif} ajust moral from the Tale of Life ; what sheds the purest light upon our reason ; what gives th*- firmest strength to our religion ; what is lest fitted to soften the heart of man and elevate his soul — I looulcl ansii:er with Lassues, it is 'EXPERIENCE.' " Lord Lyt.ton. "Queen's Head Hotel, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. "Sir,— Will you to-day allow me to present you with this Testimonial and Poem on END'S justly celebrated 'FRUIT SALT?' My occupation being a very sedentary one, I came here to see what chanire of air wculd do for me, and, at the wish of some personal friends, I h»ve taken your 'FliUiT S.\LT/ and the good result therefrom is my reason for addressing you. " I am, Sir, yours trulyi " A LADY." " The appetite it will enforce. 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This did nothing In effecting a cure, althougk i>er8evered in f jr some twenty-fire years, and al«o consulting very eminent members of the faculty. By the use of your 'FRUIT SALT.' he now enjoys vigorous health; he ha*} never had a headache nor constipation since he commenced to use it, and can pai^ke of his food in a hearty manner. There are others t > whom your remedy has been so b?neflcial. that you may well es'end its use pr» hono publico. I find it mtikes a very refreshing and invigorating drink.— I remain, dear Sir, yours faithfully, "J. W. NEIL." THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT where it has been taken in the earliest stages of a disease, it has, in innumerable instances, PRE- VENTED what would otherwise have been a SERIOUS ILLNESS. The effect of ENO'S 'FRUIT SALT' upon a disordered and feverish condition of the system is MARVELLOUS. CAJJTIOJS.— Examine each Bottle, and see the Capsule is marked ENO'S ' ^'"' Without it, you have been iinpo^ed on by a WORTHiPSS imitation. 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THE DOUBLE EVENT. RUNNING IT OFF. JOCKEY JACK. HARRY DALE'S JOCKEY. BANKER AND BROKER. THROWN AWAY. STUCK UP. % ON AND OFF THE TURF IN AUSTRALIA BY NAT GOULD (VERAX) AUTHOR OF "the DOUBLE EVENT," "HARRY DALK's JOCKEY,'* " THROWN AWAY," ETC. LONDON GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, Limited BROADWAY, LUDGATE HILL MANCHESTER AND NEW YORK O^.^^-^ >',f^^.:^-»>^ Sv G' CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE A Preliminary Canter ... ... ... ... 1 CHAPTER II. Turf Life in the Colonies ... ... ... 7 CHAPTER III. Some Racing Stables ... ... 18 CHAPTER IV. More about Stables and Trainers ... ... 30 CHAPTER V. In the Ring ... ... ... ... ... ... 42 CHAPTER VI. Totes and Sweeps ... ... ... ... ... ^2 CHAPTER VII. Some Derby and Cup Reminiscences ... ... 65 CHAPTER VIII. Some Derby and Cup Reminiscences (continued) 76 CHAPTER IX. 'Carbine and his Cup 88 Viii - CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. PAGE Colonial. Horses and Ponies ... ... ... 101 CHAPTER XI. Training and Riding ... ... ... ... 112 CHAPTER XII. Jaunts and Jottings ... ... ... ... 129 CHAPTER XIII. Jaunts and Jottings (continued) ... ... 141 CHAPTER XIV. A COOLGARDIE PlONEER ... ... ... ... 160 CHAPTER XV. Racecourses and their Management ... ... 168 CHAPTER XVI. Cricket and Other Notes ... ... ... 186 CHAPTER XVII. Odds and Ends ... ... ... ... ... 199 CHAPTER XVIII. Life on a Sheep Station... ... ... ... 209 CHAPTER XIX. Before and Behind the Footlights ... ... 219 CHAPTER XX. The Colonies as a Home ... 240 ON AND OFF THE TURF. CHAPTER I. A PRELIMINARY CANTER. Au unpretending book. Writers on Australia. First im- pressions. The sort of men wanted. Prospects. Living. Before settling down into my stride, and writing* an account of more than ten years On and Off the Tarf in Australia, it will be better, by way of intro- duction, to take a preliminary canter. This is an unpretending book, and I hope will be accepted as such by critics and readers alike. The frequent use of the personal pronoun is not egotism, but merely a matter of convenience. Many books have beeu written about Australia and the Austra- lians. Some of these works show that the authors have endeavoured to find the bad, not the good, in both country and people. Tliere is a tendency 1 2 ON AND OFF THE TURF. to find bad instead of good in men and things, because it is easier and less trouble. Any critic will acknowledge '^ slating/^ to use a slang word, is easier than praising. It does seem the lieigbt of presumption for men who have merely scampered through a country at the rate of a tourist, to sit down and write autho- ritatively about it. Over ten years' residence in the Australian Colonies has shown me the fallacy of men attempting such works. It must be amusing to a Colonial to read the glaring errors writers about Australia fall into, not from any desire to do so, but through ignorance. In these pages I shall merely relate facts, and anecdotes and descriptions given are from personal knowledge of men and country. Of the Australian turf I may fairly claim to have a considerable know- ledge, and it is mainly owing to the persuasion of many friends in the Colonies I am writing these reminiscences of an exceedingly pleasant sojourn there. There is a vast difference between racing in Aus- tralia and in England, as the reader will not fail to discover if he is interested enough in the preliminary canter to go on with it to the finish. It was shortly after Harvester and St. Gatien ran their ftmous dead heat for the Derby at Epsom, I A PRELIMINAfiY CARTER. 3 sailed for Sydney. Strange to say, a horse called The Harvester won the last Derby I saw at FlemingtoD, Melbourne, last November (] 894) . It was on a sudden impulse I made up my mind to go out to Australia. What false notions I had about the Colonies were quickly discovered on arrival there. Adelaide gave the first impression of the Colonies, and it was a surprise. Big cities I had not expected to find ; but here was Adelaide, not the most important, a large town. It struck me as curious, however, in returning from tho city to the pier late at night, that a gentle- man, homeward bound from the theatre or an evening party, should have his upper half clothed in the regulation ^^ waiter's outfit," while his lower extremities were encased in breeches and top- boots. Such trifling aaomalies as this are soon over- come. It is not the clothes that make the man in Australia. A first glimpse of Melbourne shows the traveller, at a glance, that there are big cities here. It is a charming sight to enter Port Phillip Heads and sail up the fine bay. Melbourne, however, is at a great disadvantage, through being so far away from deep- water anchorage. It is the wonderful facilities of Sydney harbour for commercial purposes that must filways make it the port of Australia. 4 ON AND OFF THE TURF, Of Melbourne more anon. It is an extraordinary city, and during the Cup week may well be termed marvellous. Many great finishes have I wit- nessed for the premier race of Australia, and an account of some of them may be found interestino- later on. Sydney could not be more beautifully situated, and its harbour is one of the finest in the world. Old news this; but it will bear repeating, because it is, true. One idea I hope to be able to dispel in this pre- liminary canter. A man who is not much use in England will find Australia will not receive him with open arms. There is a false impression that if a man is a failure at home, he is bound to turn out a success abroad. This is wrong. Australia, if I read her people aright, does not want failures exported from England. The Colonies decline to be made a '^ dumping ground '^ for the wrecks and failures of the Mother Country. What Australia wants, and means to get in time, is some of the backbone of Old England. From what I have seen since my return, England has sadly neglected her farmers. It is the sons of English farmers that are wanted in the Colonies. New South Wales' laud laws have lately been altered, and liberal terms are offered to settlers. A PRELIMINARY CANTER. 5 The agricultural districts of England are the backbone — or the greater portion of it — of her prosperity, and Australia, I have not the slightest doubt, would eagerly accept this portion of the backbone. Another word of advice, if I may give it. No man should go out to the Colonies under the impression he will not have to work. He will have to work hard; but if he be a good man, he will be well paid for what he does. In writing of " failures,'' I do not allude to the man who fails to obtain work through lack of employ- ment. Such a man might do well in Australia, because it has been no fault of his own he has not done well here. There is plenty of wealth in the Colonies. Depression there has been, but that will soon be dispersed. A more delightful place to live in than Australia, for the general run of people, it would be difficult to find. They know how to live and how to enjoy life there. One writer on the Colonies, who, by the bye, was a ghastly failure as a lecturer, condemns the cookery. Australia is not a land of gourmands and gluttons, but it is a land of plenty, and, as far as cookery goes, it gives a long start to the horrible messes some people delight in. 6 ON A^^D OFF THE TURF. Having taken a preliminary canter, and pulled up a trifle larae, I must get fairly going again, when I trust this lameness at the start will disappear as I warm to my work. CHAPTER II. TURF LIFE IN THE COLONIES. Racing men : their superstitions. "Women backers. Con- trasts. Forestalling. Climate. Training tra?k. Press- men. In no part of the world can be found more entliusi- astic followers of the turf than in Australia, and I may also add New Zealand, and that tight little island, Tasmania. Racing, in my humble opinion, is the most absorbing and interesting of sports. To love horses is an inherent characteristic of Britishers, and the bulk of the Colonial people come from good old Britisb stock. In England the climate is very often dead against enjoying racing under the most favourable circum- stances, but in Australia there is very little to com- plain of as regards the weather. Sunny skies in that favoured island are the rule, and it is the exception and not the rule to be let in for a drenching day's sport. 8 ON A>'D OFF THE TOKF. Turfites all over the world are very mucli alike, but I doubt if there cau be i'ouiid as much enthusiasm ill a race crowd in any part of the globe as there is in the Colonies. No matter under what circumstances racint^ takes place, the people enjoy it, and even the downfall of favourites has not much effect upon them. On the turf in the Colonies is an exceedingly pleasant existence. There are the usual ups and downs con- nected with it, and the same amount of bad luck and good luck. The same superstitions exist as in the old land, and racing men are wont to regard certain signs and omens with an amount of awe not under- standable to ordinary mortals. There is the same prejudice against walking under a ladder on a race day — not for fear it might drop on the pedestrian's head, or because a brick might come down unex- pectedly, but because it is unlucky. I was seated in a tramcar one morning when a particular friend of mine stepped in and sat down. Suddenly, without a word of warning, he jumped up and rushed out again. I looked under the seat to see if a dog had been secreted there, and had gone for his calves, but there was nothing to cause alarm in that direction. Much to my surprise I saw him come in at the other side of the tram and quietly sit down. "What is the matter? '' I asked. ''Too much whiskey last nisrht ? '' TURF LIFK IN THE COLONIES. \f '' No/^ be replied, solemnly ; " it's race day, you know, and I got in on the wrong side of the car. It's unlucky/' I suggested that getting out again and coming in at the other side did not do away with the fact that originally he had made a mistake. He acknowledged this, but added that repairing the error might lessen the unlucky consequences of his action. Another friend, a "chief on one of the Orient liners, whenever he went to a race meeting in Sydney invariably backed a horse whose name suggested something nautical, or reminded him of the boat he was on ; and, strange to say, in several instances he won money by this plan. He backed a horse called Oroya one day, because it was named after an Orient liner, and the horse won. Some men invariably back the first horse they see upon entering the paddock, and others back the mount of the jockey whose colours they come across first. Later on I shall have something to say about owners, trainers, and jockeys, but in this chapter I am merely generalising. Strange characters are to be met with on the turf in the Colonies. Hundreds of men '^ live on the game,'' and appear to do well at it. How they live is a mystery to most people. They must have money to bet with, and to 10 ON AND OFF THE TURF. pay tlieir expenses, and tliey always liave a pound or two to invest upon anything they fancy. Many of them are friends of the jockeys, and no doubt obtain information from them; and jockeys are much more ready to talk on an Australian racecourse than they are in England. These hangers-on of the turf are a nuisance to trainers, for the}'' are constantly badgering them for tips. Women punters abound, on the racecourses, and the same faces may be seen meeting after meeting. As a rule these punters are middle-aged or elderly women, although there are a few young ones to be found in this class. It is amusing to watch the tactics of these women. Their faces show plainly the fascination gambling — not horse-racing — possesses for them. Their flushed countenances and restless expression betoken a mind and system strung to the highest pitch by the per- nicious habits they have acquired, and which, alas ! have thoroughly mastered them. With a purse tightly clutched in one hand, and either a satchel or an umbrella in the other, they push and jostle in the crowded ring, and dart from one bookmaker to another in their eaf^erness to see which horses are backed. There is no bashfulness about these dames of the turf, and I am afraid some of them forfeit a good deal of what self-respect they may have to obtain informa- tion. TURr LIFE IN THE COLONIES. 11 Some bookmakers, to their credit be it said, have a strong objection to bet with women; and I know more than one man in the ring who declines to wager with them. Others are not so scrupulous, and accept money, no matter from what quarter it comes. On many occasions I have seen these women, when the race is being run, sitting on a seat in a quiet part of the course, waiting for the winner's number to be hoisted, and taking no interest in the race itself. All they think about is winning money, and for the sport itself they care very little. There are thousands of ladies, however, at Fleming- ton and Eandwick, on Derby and Cup days, who visit the racecourse out of pure love of the sport, combined with a natural feminine desire to be seen and to see others. The women punters, however, are a nuisance on the turf, and it is not an edifying sight to see them losing caste in the whirlpool of the betting-ring. After considerable experience, I have found that once a woman takes to gambling, it absorbs her whole thoughts, and gambling leads to other things, such as champagne and its attendant consequences. To the credit of the racecourse secretaries and officials, be it said, that they use every endeavour to keep loose women off their courses^ and in this they succeed admirably. It is a genuine cosmopolitan crowd on an Austra- 12 ON AND OFF THE TURF. liaii course. The Governor of the Colony appears to forget his office for the time beings and to take a deb'ght in mingling with the people. A racing Governor is bound to become popular. A Governor who has no fondness for sports of any kind has no hold upon the affections of the people. Lord Carring- ton was one of the most popular Governors New South Wales ever had, and so was Lord Hopetoun in Victoria, and both were real good sportsmen. In this respect Lord Brassey should be a popular Gover- nor, for the Australians are great yachtsmen. Class distinctions are not so marked on Colonial racecourses as in England. There are no reserves for the Upper Ten, as at Ascot, Goodwood, Sandown, and other places. The V. R. C. and the A. J. C, that is the Victorian Eaciug Club and the Australian Jockey Club, have reserves for their members, and on tlie Jockey Club Stand at Kandwick ladies are not allowed, and the public can be admitted upon paying an extra five shillings — a privilege not availed of to any great extent. Such a reserve as that at San- down for members of the club is unknown, and I do not think the racing, or the pleasures connected with it, suffer on this account. For one thing there is far more extensive and better accommodation pro- vided for the public in the Colonies. Flemington and Randwick I describe later on ; but it will not be out of place to mention that the TURF LIFE IN THE COLONIES. 13 accommodation at both tliese places is far ahead of that on the principal English courses. Racing in the Sunny South is more of a pleasure than a business. Thousands of people are not cooped up in small rings, as though they were so many sheep crowded into a pen. There is plenty of elbow room, and even on a Melbourne Cup day at Fleming- ton there is ample room for the ladies to promenade on the spacious lawn, although there are from fifty to eighty thousand people present on the course. Ten thousand is a very small attendance at a great race meeting in Australia, although it does not reach this number at suburban meetings, without it be an exceptional day. It is this feeling of freedom and comfort makes turf life in the Colonies so enjoyable. There is so much geniality and goodwill about it. Although men are keen about making money, and occasionally indulge in sharp practices, most owners are not averse to the public knowing what their horses can do, and what chances they have of winning. No owner I ever met liked to be forestalled in the betting market, nor is it natural he should be. It is not in human nature that such should be the case. Granted the public pay freely towards the race-fund, in the shape of gate- money, they should not forget that keeping race- horses is a very expensive game. The public know exactly what they pay to go to a race-meeting to 14 ON AND OFF THE TURF. see five or six races, as the case may be — if tliey befc that is their look out. Bat an owner does not know what he is going to see. He may see some- thing that surprises him very much, such as his horse running last when it ought to have been first, accord- ing to its trials. Owners of racehorses have a lot to contend with, and I think they may be pardoned if occasionally they say bitter things when they find themselves fore- stalled in the market. Nine months out of the twelve the climate of Australia is all that can be desired, and what more can a man expect. The racing year commences on the 1st August, from which the ages of horses date, so that the three- year-olds running in the A. J. C. Derby the middle of September or the V. 11. C. Derby in the first week in November, or the last week in October, are much younger three-year olds than those taking part in the English Derby. So favourable is the climate that flat-racing is going on all the year round, and there is no closed time, as in the old country. Occasionally in the winter months it is necessary to wear a top -coat, but even then the sun is generally warm enough to make it pleasant. No biting east winds, or frost and snow, make racing a burden rather than a pleasure. At Christmas it is racing in sun- shine to perfection, and the meeting of the A. J. C. TURF LIFE IN THE C0L0:NIES. 15 at Rand wick on Boxing-day may be described as a few hours turned into melting moments. Many a time, as I have watched the race for the Summer Cup at Randwick, has my mind wandered to the old land, and thoughts of the snow and dull leaden sky have almost made me shiver, even with the thermometer at close upon a hundred in the shade. Christmas in Australia is indeed a contrast to that in England. Boxing-day races in the two hemi- spheres are also vastly different. In Australia we have flat-racing amidst glorious sunshine. In England races under G. N. H. Rules, probably with a white mantle of snow covering the earth. There cannot be much pleasure even in back- ing a winner when your fingers are almost too cold to hold the money, and it must be indeed a dreary occu- pation to be ^^ out in the cold,^^ and backing losers with the thermometer down to zero. If Fortune be cold to us in Australia we have the consolation of knowing Nature warms towards us. It must be very depressing to return from a race- course with empty pockets and a thaw setting in. Men must have strong constitutions to stand the wear and tear of English racing, season after season, and they earn the money they make. ' Racing in the Colonies is conducted under most favourable atmospheric conditions as a role, and therefore it is all the more, delightful and enjoyable. • 16 ON AKD OFF THE TDRF. The best part of tlie day, in my opinion, is the early morning, and many pleasant hours have I spent on the training track watching the horses at work. There are no restrictions placed upon the members of the sporting press watching horses do their gallops. Formerly at Randwick anyone was allowed on the training-track, but now only those persons who have business there are permitted to be present. This is a change for the better. Every facility is given the representatives of the various newspapers by the racecourse authorities, and with but few exceptions they are treated with courtesy and respect. The sporting pressmen with whom I associated during my stay in the Colonies were a genial, jolly set of men, and thoroughly competent. We had some rare fun as we journeyed to the various meetings, and jokes and anecdotes flew round rapidly. Regular Bohemians they were, and warm-hearted and gene- rous to a degree. Always ready and willing to lend a helping hand to a comrade, either in his work or when misfortune overtook him. They were men who had many temptations thrown in their way, but kept honest and straight in their careers. Some of the happiest days of my working life have been spent in their society, and as comrades the bulk of them were true as steel. TUIJF ]>IKE IM THli COLoKlES. 17 Wo had our little differences occasionally, and at times the arguments as to the merits of certain horses became heated, but all these disputes invariably ended amicably, and the discussion generally closed with, '^ Well, what's yours, old man?'^ Yes, those were jolly days, and if any of my old comrades on the Press read this book, I trust they will allow the writer to class himself as one of themselves still. CHAPTER III. SOME RACING STABLES AND TRAINEES. Handvvick. "Newmarket." Mr. Tom Payten. A racing centre. Mr. John Allsop. Mr, H. Raynor. Arsenal's cup. The biter bitten. Some real " fliers." Mr .James Swan. A slice of luck. Many of the Colonial racing stables I have seen will bear favourable comparison with those in other parts of the world. They may not be built on such an elaborate scale, but for all the purposes of training quarters they are adequate. Nothing is more delightful than to pay a visit to some well-appointed racing stable, and after inspecting the horses to have a quiet chat with the trainer in his comfortable house. Trainers, as a rule, are reserved men, but once get them started on a favourite topic they are good company and have a large fund of anecdotes and reminiscences to draw upon. Randwick is the headquarters of the turf in New South Wales, and I know more of it than any other racing quarter in the Colonies. SOME RACING STABLES AND TRAINERS. 19 A (juiet^ cliarmingly-situated place is Ilandwick. Built ou the rise^ it commands an extensive view over the racecourse, and far away to famous Botany Bay and La Perouse. It also has an outlook over the Centennial Park^ and a distant view of the city may be obtained. Randwick is within easy distance of Sydney, about four miles or a shade more from the General Post Office, and the trams run there at frequent intervals. Many racing men reside there, and most of them have large, comfortable residences. The king of the ring, Mr. Humphrey Oxenham, has a beautiful mansion overlooking the racecourse, fitted up in the most luxurious manner, and displaying in every room the good taste of its owner. One of the principal racing stables is that presided over by Mr. Thomas Payten at " Newmarket,'^ Lower Randwick. These stables were built by the Hon. James White, whose position in the Colonial racing world was similar to that held by Lord Falmouth for so many years in England. In years gone by Mr. M. Fenhelly as trainer, and Tom Hales as jockey, and the Hon. James White as owner, were quite as formidable a trio in Australia as Mr. M. Dawson, the late Fred Archer, and Lord Falmouth in England. When Mr. Fennelly died, Tom Payten, as he is 20 ON AND OFF THE TUllF. iiimiliai-ly called, took command of the Newmarket horses, and a worthy successor he proved to be. The success of the famous " Blue and White ^' on the turf was wonderful; and I think, writing from memory as most of this book is written, that the stable won almost every race of importance. How many Derbies have been won by horses trained here I am afraid to say ; but when I first landed in the Colonies the A. J. C. and V. R. C. Derby was regarded as a standing dish for one of Mr. White's horses. Backers looked forward with confidence to having a plunge on Mr. Whitens Derby colt, and, as a rule, they had occasion to rejoice after the race. Every classic race of importance fell to the share of Mr. White's horses, and the run of successes in these races is phenomenal. The spell was broken when Mr, White decided upon selling the greater number of his horses in training, and there is a strange similarity between the dispersal of Lord Falmouth's stud and the sale of Mr. White's horses. The majority of them turned out failures, although one or two managed to win races of a minor character. I shall have occasion to allude to some of the horses in this stable in another chapter devoted to great racers. Chester was the founder of Mr. White's stud, and he was a wonderfully good horse, and Martini-Henri also got some fair stock. Chester, however, must have been SOME RACING STABLES AND TRAINERS. 21 Mr. Whitens favourite, and no horse better deserved that honour. Since Mr. White's death Tom Payten has been in sole charge at Newmarket, although the ownership of the horses has changed. Mrs. White still keeps up the breeding establishment at Kirkham, and has lately imported a couple of well-bred English stallions to take the place of the defunct Chester. I think she has no reason to be dissatisfied with her success so far. Newmarket stables are built on a large space . of ground at Lower Eandwick. The trainer's residen(!e is a fine, commodious house, and stands well back from the road in spacious grounds. The stables are well built, and there is ample room in them. Entering a large covered building, the visitor finds himself in a spacious hall, as it were, on either side, at the far end of which are ranged large loose boxes, and above them a wide gallery goes round three sides of the building. All these boxes are kept in beautiful order, and are airy, and light, and well drained. Everything is neat and clean, as a racing stable should be, and the numerous lads are kept well in hand and are taught their business, and also, what is quite as necessary, obedience. Tom Payten rules over all with a firm hand, and at the same time is a just master. Many a pleasant hour have I passed in these 22 ON AND OFF THE TUEP. famous stables with the trainer, and have heard him descant with pride upon the various horses as they were led out of their boxes for my inspection. Some wonderfully good animals have tenanted these boxes. Here I have seen Abercorn, Dreadnought, Cranbrook, Carlyon, Stromboli, Trieste, Camoola, Titan, Acme, Singapore, Autonomy, Utter, Prelude, Trident, a few names dotted down at random out of a host of others of which I am reminded. Thousands of pounds have been spent upon ^^ Newmarket/' and the money has not been thrown away. Lower down the road, on the opposite side, stands an unpretentious but cosy-looking house, and at the rear a glimpse can be caught of an extensive range of stables. This is the abode of Mr. John Allsop, a trainer, who has rapidly come to the front during the past ten years. Mr. Allsop is a very different man from Mr. Payten, and he has very few equals as a trainer. His stables are built on three sides of a square, with a spacious yard in the centre, and every accommodation for hay and corn, and the various articles of diet race- horses require. All the loose boxes were built on the trainer's own design, and they reflect great credit upon him. Many a good horse has John Allsop shown me in these boxes. A more devoted man to his work than Allsop I have never met. He revels in it ; and SOME RACING STABLES AND TRAINERS. 23 morning, noon_, and night he can be found on the spot looking after his charges. In a great measure I think the secret of his success lies in his constant attention to the horses under his charge. For a thing to be well done there is nothing like doing it yourself^ and Mr. Allsop evidently knows this, and acts accordingly. The last time I paid him a visit, Paris, now in England, was an inmate of his stables. He is owned by Mrs. H. C. White, and was formerly trained by James Monaghan, one of the good old stamp of trainers, about whom more anon. Paris is for his inches about one of the best gallopers I ever saw, and he has won no end of big races. A couple of Caulfield Cups falling to his share. Cremorne, Trenchant, Tiwona, Sundial, Atlas, and others were in the comfortable boxes. One of the best horses Allsop has had in my time was Gibraltar, and it was most unfortunate when he broke down in Melbourne. In the dining-room at Mr. Allsop's are portraits in oils of most of the good horses he has trained, and he is not a believer in the superstition that after a horse's picture has been painted he never wins a race. This chapter is merely a cursory one about trainers, and I shall have more to say about them in anecdotal form when dealing with the horses under their charge. No excuse, however, need be offered for noticing them 24 ON AND OFF THE TURF. here, as every man mentioned more than deserves all that I write about him. Leaving Mr. Allsop's and crossing the road, we come to the stables occupied by Mr. H. Raynor, a trainer, like Mr. Monaghan, of the old school. Harry Raynor's face is familiar at all the principal race meetings. He has not what may be called a charming countenance, nor is he much of a lady-killer, but he knows his business thoroughly. He generally appears in the paddock on race days in a slouch hat, and almost invariably carries an umbrella. He looks more like an old bush hand than one of the cutest trainers at Randvvick. Many a good thing has Harry Raynor been in during his time. He trained for the late Mr. W. Gannon up to the time of his death. At one time Mr. Gannon acted as starter to the A. J. C, and he was well known as the host of Petty's Hotel in Sydney. A stout, florid- looking man, with a good deal of the cut of an old English farmer about him. Some curious yarns are told about Mr. Gannon and his trainer, and one in particular tickled me immensely. It shows how the biter was bitten in this case with a vengeance. Strange to say the story was related to me by a well-known squatter and horse-breeder, as we returned from a trip to Hobart in the SS. " Oonah," with that prince of skippers, Captain Featherstono, in command. SOME RACING STABLES AND TRAINERS. 2o Mr. W. Gannon owned a horse called Arsenal, a good animal, and Harry Raynor trained it. The horse was much fancied by his owner for the Melbourne Cup, and Mr. Gannon determined to be in the market in time and get the cream of the betting. He accord- ingly instructed a well-known commissioner at that time to take the long odds to a considerable amount for him. Instead of doing what he ought in fairness to have done, the commissioner let another big backer and horse-owner into the secret. The odds were duly accepted, but the long prices were returned to, I will call him Mr. B., and the shorter odds to the owner, Mr, Gannon. Naturally Mr. Gannon was riled at not obtaining a longer price, and he determined to get even with Mr. B. Shortly before the Cup was due to be run, Mr. Gannon was staying at Menzies Hotel, in Melbourne, Mr. B. was also there, and the pair were good friends. One evening, at dinner, Mr. Gannon received a tele- gram. He opened it leisurely, not deeming it of much ijnportance, and read it. Its contents apparently had an effect on him, for he gave vent to some expressions more powerful than polite. " What^s the matter ? ^^ asked Mr. B., who was sitting opposite to him. ^^ Anything wrong with the horse ? '^ Mr. Gannon handed the telegram across the table. 26 ON AND OFF THE TURF. and when Mr. B, glanced at it he^ toOj became very serious. The telegram was from Harry Raynor, to the effect that Arsenal had gone wrong, and it was doubtful if he could start for the Cup. Mr. B. thanked Mr. Gannon for showing: him the telegram, and he intimated his intention of getting rid of the bulk of the money he had taken about the horse by laying it off. This laying-off business was put into the hands of a commissioner, who commenced operations at once. As fast as the money was laid off, another well-known backer was taking up the wagers in favour of Arsenal. Mr. B. knew this gentleman, and thinking to warn him against backing a '^ dead un," said, *^ It is no business of mine, but are you backing Arsenal for yourself? If so, let some one else have a bit of it. It's my money that is being laid off; the horse has gone wrong.'' " That's strange," said the backer, who knew nothing of the telegram business. '' Why ? " asked Mr. B. '' What is strange ? " " Well, I'm backing it for the owner," was to Mr. B. the astounding answer. Mr. B. commenced to smell mischief. He went to his commissioner and asked him not to lay any more Arsenal money off. SOME EACING STABLES AND TEAINEES. 27 " I can't/^ was the laconic reply ; " I've laid it all off already/' "And Gannon's got it/' was Mr. B.'s comment. It was quite true. Mr. Gannon had paid the backer in his own coin, and no doubt he chuckled to himself on the success of the telegram. As a matter of fact, Arsenal did go off his feed before the Melbourne Cup he won, and his clever trainer had an unthankful task in getting him to the post all right. Another good horse I saw in Harry Raynor's stable was the Australian Peer. I first saw this colt in Brisbane on the Eagle Farm racecourse. I knew his owner, Mr. W. H. Kent, well, and he bought the Peer's dam. Stockdove, with the foal at foot. The Australian Peer was sold to Mr. Gannon for, I think, seven hundred guineas, and a contingency if he won the Derby, which he afterwards did. I sent the telegram from the Brisbane office, on behalf of the owner, that clinched the bargain. Needless to say, I watched the career of the Peer with interest. He was a good colt, but a terrible high galloper, and his front action was, I think, detrimental to him. He used to gallop with his knees almost up to his nose. He created a great surprise when he beat Trident in a three-mile race at Randwick. Another great galloper in Raynor's stable at the time of my last visit was Bungebah. He is a chestnut 28 ON AND OFF THE TUKF. gelding, and a veritable flier. It was at one time a moot point as to whether Bungebah, Marvel, Paris, or Carbine were not about equal over a mile w. f. a.* Melos, in this stable, was a good horse, but he was unlucky to bump up against such a pair as Abercorn and Carbine in nearly every w. f. a. race. He had the honour of beating Carbine in the Y. H. C. Champion Stakes, at level weights, the three miles being run in 5.51. Catling, purchased by Mr. Gannon from Mr. Dan O'Brien for, I think, two thousand guineas, was a failure. He was a handsome horse, but developed temper, although Mr. O'Brien has assured me he was perfectly quiet when he had him. It was a pity Mr. Gannon did not secure Carbine instead of Catling ; but that is all in the luck of racing. James Swan has an establishment not far from Raynor's, and although he has not had the best of luck in late years, it may change for the better. I once bought a mare off Swan, named Optima, for a gentle- man in Brisbane, and she ran well in the Queensland capital. I shall not forget the day I bought her, in a hurry. It turned out a very wet one, in more senses than one. It was at Canterbury Park, a suburban course near Sydney. I had dined with a few friends, and I well remember we all backed Optima after the purchase, * Weight for age, "^'henever used iu the book. SOME IJACING STABLES AND TRAINERS. 29 and sliG lost. I also recollect the mare nearly did for me as she went out of the paddock, for she lashed out and just missed my lower extremities. It was a narrow squeak ; I do not want another such. Swan had a slice of luck when Regina won the last V. R. C. Oaks for that good sportsman, Mr. J. J. McManus ; but had Quiver got off, she would probably have landed the race. Quiver had C. Moore on her, and was a hot favourite. When Mr. Watson started the mares, Quiver did not go. Moore, instead of sailing after the others, quietly walked Quiver back into the enclosure. There was a scene, of course. An inquiry was held by the stewards. Result : Moore was sus- pended, and he soon afterwards left for San Fran- cisco. I saw Moore in Sydney before he sailed, and he assured me that he lost his head entirely when Quiver was left at the post, but that he had no intention of doing anything crooked. At any rate, Moore's action was the cause of James Swan having a slice of luck with Regina. CHAPTER IV. MORE ABOUT STABLES AND TRAINERS. Mr. Hordern's racers. Nordenfeldt. Dan O'Brien. Some experiences. The egg-boiler. Two fortunes missed. Harry Giltinan. Mark Thompson. Mr. Noud's hospitality. The result. A couple of aldermen. Mr. W. Kelso. Turning up tlie road towards Sydney again, the stables of Mr. Sam Hordern are soon reached. Mr. ITordern is the head of the house of Anthony Hordern and Sons, the ^' Whiteley^s '' of Australia. He has an immense business and is a very rich man. Mr. Hordern has not long been a patron of the turf, but once he launched upon a racing career he spent money with a lavish hand, and bought the highest-priced and best-bred youngsters he could purchase. In addition to his racing stables he has a large stud farm, and the lord of the harem there is Norden- feldt, by Musket — Onyx. This horse was sold by the late Mr. James White to the Sylvia Park Stud, New Zealand, from whom he bought him for 1200 guineas as a yearhng, and was purchased bj Mr. Hordern for MORE ABOUT STABLES AND TRAINERS. 31 5600 guineas, this being, at the time, the highest price ever given for a thoroughbred in Australia. It has since been largely exceeded by the sale of Carbine to the Duke of Portland, for 13,000 guineas. Nordenfeldt was a cheap horse. He has sired some wonderfully good stock — perhaps Strathmore being the best of his get, although Zalinski and Carnage were great horses. All three were owned by Mr. W. K. Wilson, of the St. Albans Stud, Victoria. Nordenfeldt's dam. Onyx, is by Angler, out of Chrysohte, by Stockwell, and Angler, as his name indicates, is by Fisherman. Fisherman was imported by the Messrs. Fisher from EDgland. The late Sir John Astley, in his wonder- fully interesting book, has a lot to say about old Fisherman ; and he considers it was a disgrace to let him leave England. In Fisherman, as in the case of Musket, what proved to be England^s loss turned out Australia's gain. Since writiug the above I learn Nordenfeldt is dead, and Mr. Hordern will replace him with a St. Simon horse. Mr. Hordern's stud farm is at Picton, within easy distance of Sydney ; and he has there a fine lot of mares, some of which were bought for him by Mr. F. W. Day, his former trainer, who was sent over to select them. Thou- sands of pounds have been spent by Mr. Hordern during the last few years upon blood stock; but so far he has not met with much success on the turfy although he won the Sydney Cup with Realm, a horse 32 ON AND O^h' THE TL'UP. he bouglifc from the late Capt. Saudeman, w3io died in England a short time back. Mr. Hordern's stables at llandwick are quite new, and cost a lot of money, and they are perhaps the best of their kind in the Colonies. When he started racing he selected Mr. F. W. Day — who had been in practice as a veterinary surgeon at Randwick — as his trainer. Mr. Day is now at Cheltenham, where he is following his profession. When Mr. Day relinquished his charge of the horses, Mr. Ike Earnshaw accepted Mr. Hordern's offer to train for him, and left his old quarters at Moorefield — where he had been a public trainer — to take up his residence at Randwick. Ike Earnshaw is well known and respected in the racing world in the Colonies, and although he has not prepared many winners for Mr. Hordern at present, with the class of horses he has to work upon, it should not be long before he saddles up some winners of big races. When he is desirous of possessing a horse, Mr. Hordern does not stick at the price, and such a man deserves to succeed. In addition to racing Mr. Hordern is a good all-round patron of sport, as the cricketer?, yachting men, and footballers have reason to know. Next door to Mr. Ilordern's modern stables is Mount Vernon, the residence of Mr. Dan O^Brien, one of the best known racing men in Australasia. It was Mr. O'Brien who purchased Carbine as a MOHE ABOUT STABLES AND TRAINERS. 33 yearling, and sold him to Mr. Donald Wallace for 15000 guineas. It is not many months since I looked over the new stables Mr. O'Brien has built at Mount Vernon. He has shown excellent judgment in designing them, and although he has not accommodation for more than a dozen horses there is ample space to enlarge them. One of the finest views in Sydney can be obtained from the look-out tower at the top of these stables. With the aid of a powerful glass the trial gallops on Randwick racecourse can be seen^ and I have no doubt Mr. O'Brien has seen many a good go from his race observatory. The view extends over the Centennial Park, and the various public buildings in the city can be easily picked out. Mr. O'Brien commenced his turf career in New Zealand when very young, and, step by step^ he has risen until he has become one of the most famous trainer-owners. Many good horses he has owned, amongst the best being Trenton, by Musket, now doing stud duty at Mr. Wilson's at St. Alban's, and Carbine. When I last looked round the stables he had a good horse in Loyalty — since gone to the stud — and Launceston Response and Bob Ray, a real good youngster, were also there. Loyalty, as a three- year old, won several w. f. a. races, and gave promise of having a brilliant career, and he also ran a great 3 34 ON AND OFF THE TURF. race in the Melbourne Cup, finishing fourth to Tar- coola, Carnage, and Jeweller; he also landed the Melbourne Stakes, after a desperate finish with New- man. It was reported that Mr. O'Brien had an offer of 2000 guineas made for the colt, but he informed me such was not the case. I fancy that price would have tempted him to part with the son of St. George. Mr. O'Brien's experiences have been varied, and when chatting in his snuggery, surrounded by pic- tures of famous horses he has owned and cups and trophies he has won, the time passes quickly enough. In the days when Mr. O'Brien was riding in New Zealand, racing was far different to what it is now. He had his ups and downs, and was glad enough at times to land a hack race. On one occasion there were three starters in a hack race in which he rode. The favourite was, of course, considered a real good thing, but the best laid schemes occasionally go wrong. When the jockey on the favourite saw one of the other horses was going to beat him, he coolly leaned over and pulled his opponent out of the saddle. '^Even then he didn't win," said Dan O'Brien, with a chuckle, '^as I came up on the other side and beat him.'^ Trainers are great believers in the time test when trying horses in the Colonies, and all sorts of devices are resorted to in order to put the clockists out. MORE ABOUT STABLES AND TRAINERS. 35 Watches are all very well, but I tliink not many trials have been timed with an egg-boiler, yet such was the case on one gallop. It appears that from a house overlooking the race- course Mr. O'Brien saw a couple of horses just about to break off for a ^^ go/' Not having his watch handy, he seized an egg- boiler, and as the harses started set it going. He laid it flat as they passed the post. Then he got his watch, turned up the egg-boiler again, and timed the sand as it ran out. Result : he got the correct time almost to a tick, but I never heard whether it did him much good. At all events, it was ingenious, and shows Mr. O'Brien is not short of resource. As a judge of horses, especially young stock, Mr. O'Brien has not many equals, and he has made some clever and profitable deals in his time. His judgment is seldom at fault, and he Las been the founder of his own fortunes. Two fortunes he narrowly missed landing. One when Trenton just missed the Melbourne Cup, and the other when he sold Carbine, although at the time that was a good deal. He has, however, landed some big wagers, and 1 trust it will be a long time before he will be short of a '^ merry monk," as the useful sum of £500 is generally called. Mr. James Monaghan is another Randwick trainer^ whose stables I have visited. I saw the great S6 ON AND OFF THE TURF. !Marv(.4 there, and also Paris before he went into AUsop's quarters. Scores of good horses have passed through '^ Jimmy's'^ hands, and he is one of the few- trainers of the ohi school left. I am afraid space will not permit me to do more than briefly allude to the bulk of the trainers, but if I omit any they may rest assured it is not my fault, for I have invariably been treated with the greatest courtesy by them. Among other well-known men I have met is young Harry Giltinan, a trainer who is rapidly coming to the front, and who has won a lot of races with not over brilliant horses : all the more credit to him. Chatham was a good horse, and he won several races with him, and Pharamond was another fair animal, although not a beauty to look at. Cumberoona, in his stable, was about the best hurdle horse in Sydney when I left. Mr. Mark Thompson trains for Mr. H. Oxenham, and there are few abler men than he. Mark is not a man to waste his words. That silence is golden he firmly believes, and it takes a waggon and horses to draw him out. To look into Mark^s face is to realize the fact that there is occasionally an affinity between a trainer and a parson. Mark Thompson would make up as an excellent representative of the black cloth brigade. Solanum, Utter, and Pilot Boy were threo good horses he made the most out of. Utter h a mare, but no matter. j\Iares are horses but horses are not MORE ABOUT STABLES AND TRAINERS. 37 mares. Cerise and Blue was about the best mare Mr. Oxenham ever owned, and she did much to lay the foundation of his fortune. Mr. W. Duggan is another trainer I have had many a pleasant chat with, and there are few men who have not a good word for Mr. W. Noud. Mr. Noud is getting on in years, but he is hale and hearty. He handled Marvel at one time to his sorrow, but I hardly think he was to blame in the matter. I recollect one night I remained rather late at Mr. Noud^s hospitable house. My pony was a frisky animal, and on the way home he took it into his head to career alons: Randwick iload at a pace not ordinarily seen there. Probably Mr. Noud's special mixture had made me as lively as the pony, for I let him have his head. About half- way down Randwick Road I passed Rowley Pickering, ^^ Nemo,'^ of the Sydney Mail, and a brother press- man, in his trap with his wife, and he gave chase. He exhorted me in a loud voice to desist from furious driving, but as he was coming after me at the same pace, I failed to see the joke. Eventually, however, I pulled up, and "Nemo ^' would insist upon taking the reins and driving me home. I merely mention this incident to throw a light upon the strength of Mr. Noud's '*' hospitality.^' Mr. Tom Lamond is another trainer of note, whose Zetland Lodge stables are generally filled with good horses. The " Alderman/-' such he is, I believe, for the 38 ON AND OFF THE TURF. borough of Waterloo, is a first-class trainer. It is put on record that when asked what his special qualifications for holding the high office of Mayor of Waterloo were, he stated that he had won the Maribrynong Plate so many times, and that ought to be enough to satisfy any man. Certainly Mr. Lamond won the chief two-year-old race of the year several times with horses trained by him, but it is probable the members of the Social Purity Society would not consider this a qualification for the office of Mayor. Zetland Lodge is a comfortable, old-fashioned residence surrounded by a paddock in which a number of thoroughbreds can generally be seen taking after- noon exercise. The stables, too, are old and overgrown with ivy, and there is a bell-tower and a clock, which give the yard quite an English appearance. Mr. Lamond trains for Mr. Walter Hall, an immensely rich man, and one of the noted Mount Morgan gold mine Halls. Oxide and Delaware were a couple of the best horses Mr. Hall had there, but the list of victories Mr. Lamond has won would fill several pages. • . I must not omit Mr. Sam Fielder, who trains Lis own horses, and also his sons. All the young Fielders can ride, and his eldest son — Jack Fielder — is one of the best jockeys in Australia. Three brothers, all good jockeys, are not often met with in a family. Sam Fielder generally confesses, when put to it, that '^ Jack ^^ is the most profitable horse he ever had in his stable. MORE ABOUT STABLES AND TRAINEHS. 39 Mr. William Kelso, of Orville Lodge, generally has from twenty to thirty horses in his stables. Mr. Kelso ia a dapper man, a perfect lady-killer in his younger days. He is a man warranted not to age, and he can beat many a young hand now. He has the reputation of winning more races in the course of a season than any other trainer ; and although he does not fly at high game often he makes a very good thing out of the numerous minor events he wins. He won the last Maribrynong Plate for Mr. Justin McSweeney, with Arihi, a remarkably smart filly, and at one time I saw that flying mare Mitrailleuse in his stables. Yictor Hugo was a horse he won no end of races with under big weights. Mr. Kelso is excellent compauy, and always ready for a practical joke or an unlimited supply of good-natured chaS". His son, W. Kelso, jun., is about the best horseman at Welter weights in the Colonies. Mr. E. Keys is another trainer who ran for the Aldermanic Stakes and won, and, I believe, since he occupied a seat on the Waverley Council it is wonderful how the roads have improved in his locality. Mr. Keys holds the record for ^' taking the kettle '' when there is any yarn-spinning going on, but he is a good trainer and a "jolly little chap all round.^^ He had a rattling good horse in Sir William, who ran second in the Melbourne Cup to Malvolio, and did *^ Teddy '^ out of a big win. Mr. Keys, however, generally comes up 40 ON Al^D OFF THE TURF. smiling, and it is a very hard knock that makes him flinch. Mahee was another good horse he had. Of Mr. W. Forrester and the Warwick Farm stables more anon. Other good trainers I know are Messrs. Joe Cook, Harry Walsh of Queensland, and Watty Blacklock from the same place, Joe Eurton of Bathurst, Dick O'Connor, and several more. On the Victorian side Mr. Walter Hickenbotham and Mr. James Redfearn are the two I know best, and better men I never want to meet. Both these gentle- men I have alluded to elsewhere. I trust these two chapters will not prove tedious reading, but I felt that in a book of this description I ought to mention the names of the men who under- take the arduous and difficult duties of training racehorses. There are, of course, many more excellent trainers in the Colonies, but I shall only write about men and matters I know. I trust before I have finished the reader will have been interested and amused, and also have learned something of turf life in the Colonies. Mr. Kelly Maitland^s name I omitted. 1 have known him for some years. He is a man well known in India and China, and also the Colonies. When in Sydney he managed Captain Sandeman^s horses, and he owned Greygownwhen Highborn just beat him in the Sydney Cup. Mr. Maitland always declares Greygown won. this race. Mr. Maitland is a constant frequenter of MOEE ABOUT STABLES AND TRAINERS. 41 the training tract at Caulfieldj and he is generally well up in the work the horses trained there have done. I remember he informed me of the wonderful improvement Titan had made before he beat Bel Giorno in the Toorak Handicap. Mr. Maitland is generally credited with knowing his way about. I can bear out all Captain Hayes writes about him in his interesting book, " Among Men and Horses/^ as Mr. Maitland has often related his experiences in India and China to me. CHAPTER Y. IN THE EING. Betting. A word of advice. The clubs. Sweeps. Double, event shops. Odds laid. Back a double. The roof falls in. The ring growing. Mr. H. Oxenham. Some big wagers. Enormous business. Thousands at stake. Charlie Samuels. A crack-runner. Commissioners. The members of the ring in Australia are a respect- able body of men, although an undesirable person is occasionally to be met with. Betting is inseparable from horse-racing, and there are some heavy plungers on the Colonial turf. I am not a heavy bettor myself, and am none the worse off for it, although I must confess I cannot help having an occasional flutter when I fancy there is anything good on. If a young man, anxious to gamble on horse-racing, asked me the best system to adopt, I should strongly advise him to systematically keep his money in his pocket, and not bet at all. Few frequenters of the turf, however, can desist putting a pound or two on when they have a fancy. It is a bad practice for any man to bet if the IN THE RING. 43 excitement of gambling obtains such a hold upon him that he cannot resist it. Never book a wager, but always bet ready money, and then you will be certain of having no black Mondays for settling on. Also never bet more than you can well afiford to lose, and then not much harm will come of it. The two principal clubs in Australia, I mean sporting clubs, are Tattersalls' in Sydney and the Victorian Club in Melbourne. There are also clubs in Adelaide and Brisbane. Sydney Tattersalls' is one of the best appointed clubs of its kind in the world. The building cost a lot of money, and the main room, where the business is transacted, is a model of luxury. Mr. Perry is the secretary, and an admirable man for the position. The Victorian Club in Melbourne is not so elaborate as that in Sydney, but it is adequate for all require- ments, and during Cup week it is a busy place. Mr. Haydon is the secretary, and has managed it for many years. It is surprising, considering the population, what an enormous amount of money is turned over on the Colonial turf in a year. Hundreds of thousands of pounds change hands in betting with the bookmakers, and by means of the Totalisator in Queensland and South Australia. In addition to this, many thousands of pounds pass through the hands of sweep promoters, and, a year or two back, I should say half a million of 4i ON AND OFF THE TDRF. money was invested in sweeps on the Melbourne Cup alone. This sounds big, but it is under rather than over the mark. In Sydney there are scores of shops where double event betting takes place on all local events of any importance, and on every horse and pony meeting held during the week. Lists are openly posted up in these shops, which are supposed merely to be kept for the sale of tobacco, etc. A few cigars may be seen in the window, but the proprietor would probably be astounded if anyone asked for them. Of course all this is illegal ; but the police take the whole thing as a matter of course, and the law is openly set at defiance. A raid is made upon these shops at intervals, and the proprietors are summoned, and fined a small amount, which they willingly contribute to the revenue of a grateful country. Three or four years ago matters in this direction were much worse than when I left in the present year. A sentence of a month or three months' imprisonment, v/ithout the option of a fine, has had a salutary eff'ect. The " double event '' men had no objection to paying a fine ; but when it came to a question of three months' hard, it was a very different matter. The odds in these shops were laid to a shilling, and it was in former days no uncommon thing to see as much as fifty to a hundred pounds to a shilling, and more, laid IN THE KING. 4 on a Caulfield and Melbourne Cup. Twenty pounds to a shilling, and sometimes more, could be obtained about a double at a Saturday suburban meeting. Thousands of pounds passed through the hands of these double event layers, and some of the big men in the ring at last found it necessary to start " Silver-books,^' as they are termed, to oblige their humbler customers. I well recollect backing a winning double with Joe Phillips, of Market Street. " Joseph '' kept the usual tobacco- nist's shop, and at the rear of it you could loll back in a chair and allow the barber to operate on your chin. Shaving has a soothing effect if the razor is not like a hand-saw, and puts one into a contemplative frame of mind. It must have been the extra good shave that gave me luck ; for as I went out of the room into the shop, I asked '^ Joe '^ what he would lay Wild Rose and Highborn for the Newmarket Handicap and Aus- tralian Cup. "Four hundred to one are the odds,^' he responded, and I put down my coin, and he booked the bet. It came off, and the very next morning the ceiling of Joseph's shop fell in. When I got into town and went to collect my money, 1 found the merry bookie up to his knees in debris. "No wonder the roof fell in," said Joe, when he saw me smiling in the doorway. '^ Fancy you backing a winning double." Joe Phillips always swears it was this remarkable 4G ON AND OFF THE TURF. circumstance that made his ceiling give way. Any- how, I got my money, and we knocked, down a bottle at '^ Sam's/' next door. Such wagers as these do no man any harm. But to the ring and the men in it. First and fore- most, the leader of the ring is Mr. Humphrey Oxen- ham, a man who has the goodwill of all classes. To show the respect in which he is held, I have only to say that before he left on a trip to the old country, a banquet was tendered him in the Town Hall, at which the Minister of Justice presided, and the then Premier, Sir George Dibbs, sent a neatly- worded apology for his absence. '^ All sorts and conditions of men"" were present^ and amongst them Members of Parliament ad lib. It was a glorious success, and we had a fine time of it. Mr. Oxenham's transactions in the ring are all on a large scale, and in giving a description of his mode of carrying on business, a very fair idea will be obtained of the Australian ring generally. The " Leviathan,^' as he is generally called, is a personal friend of mine, and I have always found him a genuine, upright man, a good husband and father, a generous, high-minded citizen. Mr. Oxenham is liberal, very liberal, and his hand is always in his pocket when help is needed. How much he gives away in the course of a year I cannot say, but it must be a very large sum. No deserving case is ever IN THE RING. 47 passed unnoticed by liira, and many a man hard np has had cause to bless him. Mr. Oxenham has places of business in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane ; and in addition to his large bookmaking transaction he now runs *^ sweeps/^ His name is known throughout Australasia, and a cheque signed Humphrey Oxenham would be accepted as readily as coin of the realm. Mr. Oxenham's ramifi- cations extend from Thursday Island on the one hand to West Australia on the other, and all the interven- ing territory is represented on his books. Even from India, Fiji, and New Caledonia, money is sent for him to invest. I have had opportunities of glancing over Mr. Oxenham's books, and have noted *' books '' to the amount of £100,000 on a single big race meeting. Last year (1894) was a quiet year on account of the depression, but on the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup Meetings he had books to the extent of £63,000 open. He laid £10,000 on the Caulfield Cup ; £15,000 the Melbourne Cup ; £5,000 the Derby ; £10,000 the Two Cups double ; £1 0,000 the Derby and Cup double ; £10,000 the treble— two Cups and Derby ; £2,000 at starting price; and £1,000 places : in all, £63,000. The year Malvolio won the Melbourne Cup (1891), Mr. Oxenham lost £30,000 over the winner, and yet he had such an enormous amount of money in his book that he actually came out a winner on the race. 48 ON AND OFF THE TURF. Had an outsider won what a haul he wou'd have had. Very Hberal odds are laid by the ring over such races as the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. A month be- fore the Caulfield Cup race last year (1894), when Paris won, nearly seventy horses were quoted in Mr. Oxenham^s list at 50 to 1, and more than that num- ber in the Melbourne Cup. When Glenloth won the Melbourne Cup in 1892, a lOO to 2 could have been had on the course. When Tarcoola won the follow- ing year I saw 40 to 1 laid against him; and when Patron won last November 33 to 1 could be had. When Carbine won it was a difficult matter to get money on at all, even at 4 or 5 to 1 in the ring ; and I believe on the day of the race, in Sydney, some infatuated backers accepted 2 to I about his chance. In 1893 Mr. Oxecham had very large volumes on races. I saw in his book as much as £15,000 laid in a single wager over the Derby and Cup, and there were plenty of £10,000 and £5,000 wagers. That year he laid what to most men would have been a fortune against Carnage, and the colt ran second. In the Caulfield Cup that year I saw he had laid in one hand £5,000 to £200 Cremorne ; Fnlham £10,000 to £400. Against Brockleigh £4,000, £3,000, and £2,000 wagers followed in succession. There were wagers invested from the modest sov. to the ^^ merry monkey '' (£500). Betting on a Melbourne Cup commences six IN THE RING. 49 montlis befure the race, and an occasional wao-er is recorded before that.. In addition to Mr. Oxenhara, there are many bookmakers with big volumes on this great race. Mr. Jack Cohen, of Melbourne, lays in thousands; also Mr. Alf Josephs, the leader of the Victorian ring. Mr. Sam Allen is a good bettor. Mr. Charles Westbrook makes a big book, and Paddy Burke is as genial a man as there is in the ring. I ought to have mentioned that in 1893 Mr. Oxenham laid £32,000 against Cremorne for the Melbourne Cup, and, if I recollect rightly, the horse ran about last. He laid £30,000 against Camoola, and the same amount against Jeweller, who finished third. It takes a large staff of clerks to look after such a business as Mr. Oxenham's, and it is a very poor day's work in the Sydney establishment when a couple of hundred pounds is not taken. Mr. Tom Kose manages this department, and a right good fellow he is. He is rightly named, for he generally looks on the rosy side of life. Many a yarn have I had with him over a choice cigar and a drop of the ^' cratur.^' Tom Rose knows a heap about footracing, and he had a lot to do with that champion aboriginal runner, Charlie Samuels, who downed Hutchins. He spins yarns by the hour about the prowess of Samuels. On one occasion Tom Rose took Samuels over to North Shore to run a trial. This was soon after the blackie came down from Queensland, and 4 50 ON AND OFF THE TURF. very little was known about liim. A crack runner was put up against Mm, and gave Charlie a start. The black fellow won easily. Eose then suggested Samuels should give the other man a start, which he did, and again romped in, much to the surprise of the said flier. Samuels was a wonderful runner, and won no end of handicaps and matches. On one occasion, when he had won several thousands for Mr. Lees and others he was asked how much money he wanted. The darkie said lie had no use for money, but would like a saddle. I believe a saddle was bought for him, but I never beard whether he ever used it. The last I heard of this champion runner was that he was living with a lot of blacks at a dirty poverty-stricken camp they had pitched at Botany, or in that direction. Rum, I expect, proved stronger than his resolution. There are very few commissioners in the Colonies, the bulk of the big orders being confined to four or five men. Most owner's either bet themselves or get friends to put money on for them. Mr. Phil Glenister is the best known and most popular commissioner, and scores of big transactions have been entrusted to him. Mr. Glenister is a good all-round sportsman, and is a don hand at the trap, as the. blue rocks know to their cost. He has done some good shooting at pigeons in his time. He is also a very fair billiard player. Mr. Glenister is a quiet, modest man, and invariably treats people with respect. Mr. Sanx IN THE KING. 51 Bradbury also has a large number of commissions entrusted to him, and he bets freely when he has a good thing on. Taken all round the ring-men are a solid lot of men, and to be a member of Tattersalls' or the Vic- torian Club is a guarantee of financial stability. The billiard tournaments at both these clubs are well worth seeing, and there is a lot of betting over the result. Handsome prizes are given, and the winner is generally a good all-round player. CHAPTER VI. TOTALISATORS AND SWEEPS. How Totalisators are worked. Arguments for and against. Big dividends. Struggling crowds. Owners' tactics. Tote shops. How they were run. Double event dodges. Sweeps. '' Tattersalls " and " Oxenhams.'' Some lucky winners. Owners' demands. A moral Government. In Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania, the totalisator on racecourses is legalised, so much per cent, on the investments being paid to the Treasury. Opinions are fairly divided as to whether the totalisator system, or betting with bookmakers, is the more equitable and satisfactory plan of making wagers. I saw a good deal of the working of the totalisator in Queensland, more especially at the headquarters of the Queensland Turf Club at Eaglo Farm. Undoubtedly the totalisator has many advantages over the system of betting with bookmakers for men who do not make large wagers. For the public who invest sums ranging from ten shillings upwards to, TOTALISATORS AND SWEEPS. vS say, five pounds, the totalisator is a very handy medium. For owners who bet heavily I think the old plan of wagering with bookmakers is the best. Ten years ago the totalisator was worked in a very primitive manner ; but when Mr. Harris put up his patent at Eagle Farm there was a decided change for the better. Instead of the old blocks from which tickets had to bo torn, much in the manner as dates are torn ofiF an almanack block, a brand new machine was erected. This machine, or rather machines, were in a long w^ooden building, erected between the paddock and the outside, and a dividing fence between. In the paddock pound tickets were taken. On the outside lOs. tickets could be obtained. A staff of men were inside the building issuing tickets. A number board was placed outside the machine. It was a square front, and on it the names of the starters were placed, with their numbers on the card. At the head of the board was a place for showing the total amount of money put on all the horses in the race. This total, divided by the number on any particular horse, gave the exact dividend that would be returned if the horse won. In this manner an investor could tell what horse was favourite, and also the horse that would pay the largest dividend. I have known men take a ticket on each starter in a race, and come out a winner. When a ticket is taken on a certain horse, a bell 54 ON AND OFF THE TURF. ringSj and tlie number is added to the investments already made_, and the total amount is increased at the top. For instance, there is a horse called Pirate, No. 10. An investor puts five pounds on No. 10. He receive five tickets, or one five pound ticket, and the bell rings five times, registering a pound wager on No. 10 each time. The total at the top, which stood at 200 before the five pounds were invested, now totals 205. If an owner puts fifty pounds on his horse on the totalisator at one time, it naturally attracts the atten- tion of the public, who are watching the board, and they follow his lead. Every pound invested by out- siders lessens the owner's dividend. He does not get a certain amount of odds to his fifty pounds, but has to take his share of the dividend with the general public. This is where the shoe pinches with most owners when the totalisator is mentioned. An argument one well-known owner used against the machine, when I asked his opinion, was as follows : " Suppose I have a horse in a race, and I put a score on him. Then suppose half-a-dozen people I know ask me if I fancy my horse's chance. If I say 'Yes,' they at once go and back it on the machine, and every pound they put on lessens my dividend. If, therefore, I want fair odds against my horse, I have to keep my information to myself. TOTALISATORS AND SWEEPS. 55 " Take tlie other side of the question. If I take £200 to £20 about my horse from a bookmaker, I know- exactly the amount I have to draw if it wins. I can tell my friends I fancy my horse, because, no matter how much they put on him, I have ray £200 to £20 to draw if he wins/^ This is, I think, a reasonable way of regarding the matter. The totalisator is a great help to a struggling race club. In Brisbane ten p'?r cent, was deducted from the amount invested, and if £10,000 went through the machine, as it often did, the club drew a thousand of it. I hardly think they receive so much now, as the Government claims a share of it. 'If totalisators were used at Flemington and Eandwick, the Y. R. C. and the A. J. C. would take many thou- sands of pounds in percentages. This money, if added to the stakes to be run for, might induce the majority of owners to regard the machine with more favour. Personally, I prefer the old-fashioned system to the totalisator. I do not think, excepting in rare cases of rank outsiders winning, the totalisator returns better odds than the bookmakers. In the case of favourites 1 am sure it does not. Some big dividends^ as much as £200 for a pound are declared; but these are the exception and not the rule. I do not pretend to say that in the case of 66 ON A^^D OFF THE TURF. a £200 to one dividend a bookmaker would have laid these odds ; but I am certain the price against the favourite in the same race, on the machine, would be no better, if as good, as that laid by the book- makers. Then, again, it is a desperate struggle at times to obtain tickets on the totalisator, especially if it has been left until the horses are at the post. As soon as they are off, the machine is shut down, and there is no chance of making a bit in running. I have seen a crowd of men and women strucrfrlinor to get at the ticket-window, in much the same manner they fight to gain admission to a London pantomime on Boxing-night. The struggle is des- perate at times. I once saw a lady lose a portion of her attire in the fray, that necessitated her speedy withdrawal from the public gaze. Considering the rush for tickets, the machines are worked accurately. Any fractiou over on the divi- dend, such as twopence or a halfpenny, is retained by the club. If the dividend was £1 10s. 2Jd., the club would retain the 2|d. I have been inside the machines when in full work, so know exactly how they are managed. I recollect on one race at Eagle Farm a winner was disqualified, and the second horse got the stakes, and of course the totalisator paid over it. It was amusing to see people who had taken tickets on the second horse and torn them up TOTALISATORS AND SWEEPS. 57 hunting eagerly about the paddock for the pieces. The totaUsator^ however, does not pay over mutilated tickets. It is a bad plan to tear up a ticket until you know for certain there is no chance of its being negotiable. Some owners have a way of avoiding publicity when putting money on the machine, and they accom- plish it in this way. They find out someone who knows one of the men. working the machine. This individual is entrusted with, say £20, to put on a certain horse. He goes up to the ticket-window in good time, before there is a crush on, takes one ticket, which is duly rung on, and hands the £20 to the man inside, whispering him to slip the other nineteen on one at a time when business is brisk, so that it will not be noticed. The other tickets are kept by the clerk inside the machine, who pays out on them after the race, if the horse wins, and no doubt gets a bit for the trouble he has taken. Of course if the £20 had been put on in bulk someone would have noticed it and followed suit, and the dividend would have been materially lessened. Ten years ago totalisators were run in various shops in Brisbane. This was illegal, but no notice was taken of it for some considerable time. All that is done away with now; but I well remember when big races down South were on. Mooneyes and Nesbitt^s shops were filled with an excited throng for hours 8 ON AND OFF THE TUEF. before the result of the Derby, or the Caulfield or Melbourne Cup arrived. These shop totalisators were conducted with fairness, and the promoters merely took out a percentage, the same as the Race Club. I was in Mooneyes shop when the result of Grace Darling's Caulfield Cup came in, and it was amusing to see the look of blank astonishment on the faces of the people. The mare was a rank outsider, and only a ticket or two had been taken on her on the off- chance of getting a big dividend. These were stirring days in Brisbane, and there were heaps of money in circulation then. However, law and the " Puritans ^' did away with these things, and about the same time prosperity commenced to wane, and a terrible dull time fell upon the Northern Colony. In the previous chapter I made mention of " double event '' shops in Sydney. Previous to their establishment totalisators were run in these places, which, for short, were called " tote shops,^' and the men who ran them '^ tote '^ proprie- tors. Ifc was surprising to what an extent these places, at one time, existed in Sydney, and for some years men made fortunes at the game without being molested. Most of these men adopted names for their "totes,'' such as '^ Leger,'' "Maori,'' "Sportsman," or the name of some popular racehorse. TOTALISATOES AND SWEEPS. 59 " Leger " had about tliG biggest business in this line, and I have seen a crowd outside his old place in King Street that fairly blocked the road up. This '^ tote/' and one or two more, were conducted fairly, but the bulk of them were rank swindles, and the dividends declared were false. The evil became so great that the police were at last reluctantly compelled to prosecute. One '' tote ^' man informed me that it cost him a large sum every week to " square '' certain people, and I quite believe him. Informers were set to work — men who took tickets and then gave information to the police ; but it took a long time to stamp them out, and this was not wholly accomplished when I left Sydney. Some enormous dividends were occasionally paid on the straight '^ totes/' As, for instance, over £50 in one place for an investment of 10s. — when Correze ran third in Carbine's Cup. As a rule, however, these big dividends on outsiders were appropriated by the " tote '' runners, who, if the public had not backed the horse, put a few tickets on foF themselves, after they knew the result. Thousands of pounds went through the hands of these men in the course of a month, and one success- ful *^tote'' man assured me when he dropped the business he had made over £20,000 fairly and squarely in percentages. As he had been at it some years 60 ON AND OFF THE TURF. without being molested^ I have no doubt his state- ment -was correct. The " double event '^ betting has taken the place of these " totes/' and some curious dodges these men get up to. For instance, there is a double on the Flying Handicap and Farm Handicap at Warwick Farm on a Saturday. The names of the horses in the Flying Handicap are on the top of a card ; if there are twenty horses, there are twenty cards, one for each, and the names of the horses in the Farm Handicap are printed on each card below the name of each horse in the Flying Handicap. As the double is taken the name of the horse selected is struck out. Say the name of the horse at the top of the card is Heather. Perhaps a backer fancies Heather and Winker. If so Winker's name is struck out on the card with Heather at the top. The bookmaker stands in with someone connected with Heather, and if Heather and Winker is a popular double, when a backer has taken Winker the card is quietly pulled down and a clean one, with Winker's name on, put up. In this manner the double of Heather and Winker, which is readily snapped up, is laid, perhaps, some hundreds of times. The book- maker knows he is perfectly safe, as Heather will not run. This is a swindle, but only one of many the poor TOTALISATORS AND SWEEPS. 61 deluded backer has to put up with. I have seen this done, and on mentioning the fact to the layer was told— " It's none of your business. If it comes off V\l pay it.'' He knew very well there was no earthly chance of its coming off. As for it being none of my business, I thought it was, and to open the eyes of the public I exposed the dodge in the columns of the Sydney L'eftrer, the turf department of which I controlled for some years. Mr. George Adams is the largest and oldest con- sultation runner in New South Wales, or, for the matter of that, anywhere else. He runs his consultations, or sweeps, under the name of " Tattersall/' and they are very popular all over the Colonies. Hundreds of thousands of pounds have passed through his hands in these sweeps, which are always drawn on the fairest principle, and in the presence of the press and other people. He held over two hundred thousand pounds over one Melbourne Cup alone, one consultation being for £100,000 in £1 tickets, and it filled easily. I am writing from memory, but I think the man who drew the first horse received about £25,000, or near it. What a nice haul for a man for an investment of £1. A gknce at the list of winners shows the prizes 62 O.N AND OFF THE TURF. are won by all sorts of people in all parts of the Colonies. When Carbine won, some Chinaman, I believe, in Thursday Island, drew first prize, and the Heathen Chinee, be it said, is generally lucky in his racecourse gambles. When Glenloth won the Cup, a shearer named Layton, in Queensland, drew the horse, and never knew it until the race was over. AVhen he was apprised of the fact that he was a rich man, he took a couple of mates with him and came to Sydney to draw his money. Being a Scotchman he was canny, and cabled the bulk of it home to his native land. However, he kept enough to have a high old time in Sydney before he set sail, and he gave each of his mates a nice little cheque. He bought a farm in Scotland, and may be there now for all I know. A cabman in Sydney drew a big winner, and at once handed over his horse and cab as a gift to a mate, and proceeded to go round the world and see things a bit. A policeman drew a big prize, and was so elated that he gave up the ghost, his luck being too much for him. I was never affected that way myself. An old navvy, working on the railway line in Mel- bourne, drew a few thousands, but the poor old chap was run over by a train before he could enjoy it. Mr. H. Oxenham also runs these big consultations, and bis name should, command no, end of support. TOTALISATORS AND SWEEPS. 63 Mr. W. R. Wilson, of St. Albans, lias entrusted Mr. Adams to run his big estate and racehorses as a consultation for £130,000, the first prize being the St. Albans estate, and Trenton, Carnage, Strath- more, Wallace, and other horses are included in the prize list. Mr. Adams also ran a big lottery for tlie Bank of Van Diemen's Land, various large proper- ties being offered in Hobart as prizes. It is really surprising how the money rolls in by thousands for these sweeps and consultations. It shows what money there is in circulation, and what an immense number of people are inclined for a quiet gamble. Owners of horses generally demand a cut out of the sweep from the man who is fortunate enough to draw a horse. Some men are grasping in this respect, and de- mand the lion's share. It is a species cf blackmailing that is detestable. If the drawer of the horse does not part up, then the owner threatens to scratch his animal, and sooner than lose all chance of a win the drawer generally lays a large slice of the sweep. Some owners would scorn to do such dirty actions, and I know Mr. W. R. Wilson declined an offer of part of a sweep about one of his horses, but agreed to take so much of it as a wager. The names of the drawers of horses in sweeps are not supposed to be divulged, but they generally come out in some way or other, very often through the fault of the holder of the ticket, who is so overjoyed 64 ON AND OFF THE TUl.'P. at drawing a horse that he must impax b the good news to some of his friends. The Government of New South Wales have pro- hibited the delivery of letters containing sweep money, so that Mr. Adams and Mr. Oxenham have taken their sweep department to Brisbane, where the Govern- ment are not so particular. This move has cost the postal department of New South Wales many thousands of pounds a year, as every letter containing sweep money was registered, and at a busy time hundreds of such letters were delivered to " Tattersall.'' The Queensland Government will reap all this extra income, and no doubt they are thankful for small mercies. CHAPTER Vir. SOME DERBY AND CUP KEMINISCEXCES. Bravo's wia. Long odds. A thousand to one. Dreadnought. A short double. A sensational horse. Malvolio. A couple of good ones. That saddle. Glenloth's year. An awful day. The waiter and his sov. Real bad luck. To chronicle all I have seen on the turf in Australia would fill two or three volumes. It is not my inten- tion to make this book a record of racing since 1884, and I shall merely give reminiscences and incidents likely to interest the reader. When Bravo won the Melbourne Cup in 1889, I was much interested in the fate of a horse called Chicago. He was a real good horse, and a Caulfield Cup winner; but, somehow, I managed to back him in the wrong race. When I arrived in Melbourne that year one of the first men I met was the late Mr. Chapman, ''Augur/' of the Australasian. He was a real good fellow, and he told me he had backed Bravo to win at the forlorn odds of a thousand to one. 5 QQ ON AND OFF THE TURF. It appears some rasli bookmaker, more in a spirit of bravado than anything else, had offered to lay a thousand pounds to a sov. against Bravo, and ^^Augur'^ had stood in with a friend to the extent of £250 worth to a dollar. Bravo had been reported so lame that his starting was regarded as out of the question. A few days before the race Bravo came into the market again, and was well backed. The bookmakers who had been taking liberties with him felt uneasy, and a lot of the money they had laid against him at long odds was hedged at a loss. The Melbourne Stakes on the Saturday had pro- duced a terrific race between Abercorn, Melos, and Carbine, who passed the post in that order. Abercorn, on that day, was at his best, and I never saw him run a better race. At this particular time he was even better than Carbine, but it must not be forgotten that the son of Musket had one of his fore- hoofs tightly bound up, and was not at his best. Before the race for the Stakes, a well-known bank manager came to me and asked me what I thought would win the Derby, and I said it was a good thi^g for Dreadnought ; but as the odds were three to one on, it was like buyiog money. He then asked what I thought would win the Stakes, and I said it ought to be a great race between Abercorn and Carbine. lie then ; said he could get SOME DERBY AND CQP REMINISCENCES. 67 three to one against the double — Abercorn for the Stakes and Dreadnought for the Derby. A terribly short price to take about a double ; but, after all, it did not look so bad when I reckoned up that if Abercorn won he would have three to one against Dreadnought^a certainty if ever there was one — instead of having to lay three to one on him. On my advice he took the wager to a fair amount, and I stood in. I was precious glad when the Stakes' race was over, and it was touch and go. Abercorn, how- ever, won, and we had a rosy bet of three to one against Dreadnought, who simply won the Derby as he liked, after his stable mate, Rudolph, had made all the running for him. Dreadnought was a good horse, a chestnut; but after he was sold at Mr. White's sale, he turned out not worth his purchase-money. I think it was at this time Mr. Brodribb com- menced his desperate plunges on the turf. One of his freaks was giving over four thousand guineas for a gelding called Titan, by Chester, bred by Mr. White. Titan, as a two-year-old, was a wonder, and at the top of the tree. The Derby looked a certainty for him when Mr. Brodribb bought him, but the horse went all wrong. As a matter of fact, I do not think Titan ever won him a race, and he was sold to Mr. Donald Wallace for a few hundreds. Changing hands again appetired 'at fir^t to have done Titan very little good-* ijS ON AND OFF THE TURF, but when Mr. Wallace had had him for some time, he came on wonderfully, and won several good races. Titan developed into a remarkably fine horse, and the last time I saw him at Eandwick, before his death, he was about the best-looking horse in the paddock. Titan won the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield a couple of years back, and I have cause to remember that win, as he beat Mr. Oatley's horse, Bel Giorno, trained by Mr. W. Forrester. In Bel Giorno Mr. For- rester thought he had a good thing for this race, and he told me to back it before he left Sydney. Titan, however, beat him after a capital finish ; but I had my revenge when Warpaint just beat Titan on the last day of the meeting. Warpaint I secured the good odds of ten to one about, and although I think Titan was unlucky to lose, the win was none the less welcome. Titan followed his Caulfield success up with an easy win at Flemington with a heavy weight in the saddle, and Mr. O'Brien remarked to me after that race that a Newmarket handicap had been thrown away with the son of Chester. Had Mr. Wallace kept Titan for the Newmarket, he would have got in with not much over eight stone, and the race would, I think, have been little short of a certainty for him. So much for the sensational Titan. Bravo's Gup win was not such a surprise as many people imagined, for the horse was well backed at SOME DERBY AND CUP REMINISCEKCES. 69 twelve to one on the day of the race. He beat Car- bine and Melos, who finished in that order. After his forward running in the Stakes, Melos was naturally a great favourite, as he had a lot less weight to carry. Bravo's win put a good stake into the pocket of his owner, Mr. W. T. Jones, of Ballarat, a good racing man, with plenty of money at his back. Next year's Cup was won by Carbine ; but that event I will leave for the present, as a special chapter is devoted to this great horse. In 1891, Malvolio, by Malua — Madcap, won the Cup, beating Sir William and Strath more. Malvolio was bred by Mr. Redfearn, who trained him, and was ridden to victory by his son. Mr. James Redfearn is a trainer well up in his business, and a jolly good fellow to boot, and the victory of his horsse was popular, although had Sir William got home, it would have pleased the Sydney people better. Sir William was a handsome horse, and trained by Mr. E. Keys, and had the advantage of Jack Fielder in the saddle. The astute ^' Teddy '^ fancied he had a real good thing in Sir William, and the result proved he was nob far out. Had Sir William got home, I know one or two men who would have been many thou- sands of pounds richer. Strathmore won the Derby that year, and of course was heavily backed for the Cup, as the Derby winner almost invariably is. Strathmore was a remarkably 70 ON AND OFF THE TTJRF. good horse^ and he had a bad run in the Gup, Or I think he would have been nearer. Some people go so far as to say he would have beaten Malvolio; but this I cannot agree with. Mr. Forrester always maintains that Highborn finished third in this race, and so I thought. However, the black fellow ran well enough with his weight to show he was a good horse at a distance. Mr. McCulloch, the judge, told me in Scott's, next morning, that it was a case of neck and neck for third place in this race, but Strathmore just beat Highborn in the last stride. That last stride did Highborn's owner out of a thousand for third money, and also sundry place bets. Although Malvolio was a good horse, I never had much fancy for him after his Cup win, and it must have taken a lot out of him. There was some trouble about paying over the stakes in this race. Mr. E. de Mestre put in a claim for them, on the ground that he owned Madcap, the dam of Malvolio, and had merely lent her to Mr. Red- fearn. This Mr. Redfearn denied; and I think Mr. de Mestre was ill-advised to make the claim he did. Malvolio's owner got the stakes, and rightly so. Three very sensational Cups followed this win of Malvolio's, and, as a rule, there is plenty of excitement over a Melbourne Cup. In 1892 Camoola won the Derby. He was a hot favourite ; but the result proved he had not so SOME DERBY AND CUP REMIN-ISCENCES. 71 mucli in hand as lils backers fancied, for he rolled a lot at the finish, and Huxley had to handle him care- fully. He was trained by Mr. Tom Payten, who also had another good colt that year in Autonomy. Mr. Pay ten mysti6edthe horse watchers on the Flemington track in the early morning with the doings of Camoola and Autonomy. Both were in the Derby, and naturally there was a desire to find out which colt would carry the stable confidence in that race. They were generally galloped together. One morning, Autonomy would beat Camoola badly ; two mornings after, Camoola would leave Autonomy far behind. All this was most annoying to the people who imagine other people's business ought to be theirs. I fancy the trainer must have had the heavy saddle changed occasionally. There is a story attached to this saddle. It is reported that on one occasion, when the painters were doing up the saddle-room at Newmarket, one of the men asked a stable lad to remove an innocent-looking saddle on one of the trees. The lad, without a thought, pulled it down by the stirrup-leather, in order to catch it. When it fell, this saddle nearly broke the youngster's neck, for it weighed about four stone. Mr. Payten may smile at this yarn; but Tom generally has '*a bit up his sleeve" in his trial gallops. 1 fancy his '^ sleeve " must have been full up a week 7^ ' ON AND OFF THE TUHF. or two before Projectile romped in I'or the Metropolitan Stakes at Randwick. Camoola, as I said before, won the Derby and Autonomy landed the Stakes the same day. Much diversity of opinion existed as to whether Camoola or Autoraony was the better colt. I preferred Autonomy myself for any distance up to a mile and a half; and from the way he won the Stakes, I think he would have won the Derby easier than Camoola. He was a beautiful bay horse, and Camoola a chestnut, with lop ears, and a peculiarly laboured style of galloping, just for all the world like a horse pumped out after a hard race. Both, however, were rattling good horses, but very unlucky after their three-year-old careers. What an awful Cup it was this year. I have been at race-meetings in all sorts of weather in the old country and elsewhere, but I never recollect a more uncomfortable day than when Glenloth won the Cup. Torrents of rain came down and deluged everybody, and turned the course into a quagmire at the far side. All the fashionable world turned out as usual. Nothing short of an earthquake would prevent Mel- bourne people going to the Cup, and even then, if the course was clear, they would sit on the ruins of the stands and watch the race. The lawn became very slippery, and it was amusing to see the numerous spills, as some well- SOME DERBY AND CUP REMINISCENCES. 73 dressed swell measured liis length iu the mud, and then got up to shake himself like a Newfoundland dog. This year Mr. Forrester had two horses in the race, Eonda and Penance, and the former had done a good trial. In the Trial Stakes, however, on the first day, lionda was beaten, which did not make his Cap chance look rosy. Nasty remarks were made about his per- formance in this race after the Cup ; but they were uncalled-for, as the stable lost a lot of money over him in the Trial Stakes. Penance had run Carbine a great race as a two-year old, but had never run up to that form since. However, he was well handicapped. I think that set-to with Carbine knocked all the pluck out of him, and no wonder, for it was a terrible task to set a two-year-old to beat him. The rain poured down like a second deluge when the horses came out. The mud flew up in a shower in the preliminary canter, and in the actual race it can easily be imagined what it was like. I was in the press box on the top of the Grand Stand, and at the back of this, some distance away, is *■ the hill,'' which was crowded with a wet, miserable mass of people. Umbrellas were put up by some people on the top of the stand, but loud shouts from the crowd on the hill ordered them to be shut. Many declined to close their umbrellas, and a shower of mud in lumps came /4 / -ON AND OFF THE TUKF. rattling down on them from the irate crowd on the hill. This had the desired effect. On the flat there was a perfect forest of umbrellas, find it was a strange sight as seen from our box. As for seeing the race, it was well nigh impossible, and when the horses flashed past the post there was a cry of '' What's won ? '' When Glenloth's number went up it put the finishing touch on backers' misery, as the horse was a rank outsider, and fifty to one could have been had about him in places. Ronda finished second and Penance third, so that Mr. Forrester's bad luck in this race still stuck to him. In three years he had with his horses run second, fourth, and second and third, not a bad record. An incident that happened over this race shows how unwise it is to put a man off backing a horse when he fancies it. Before I left my hotel in the morning, one of the waiters asked me to put him a pound on Glenloth. I laughed at him, and told him to keep his money in his pocket. He did, with the result that he was about £50 worse off" after Glenloth won, as he would hare procured that amount to his pound. I shall never forget the mournful look with which he regarded me after that event. I had serious thoughts of changing my table, in case a concoction I SOME DERBY AND CUP REMINISCEN'CES. 75 of arsenic fell into the soup by mistake. Thinking to make matters better^ I advised him to back Trieste in the Oaks. He did, and she lost_, but she ought to have won, which only made matters worse. Moral : Always keep your information to yourself, and then you will be the only sufferer. Glenloth was a good stamp of horse, but the wet day was all in his favour. He might have won under any circumstances, but the heavy going assisted a horse of his build. Robson rode him, but the victory did not do him much good. Strange to say, many jockeys that win the Cup meet with bad luck afterwards, some through no fault of their own. CHAPTER VIIL DERBY AND CUP REMINISCENCES (continued). Travelling. A lively experience. Train on fire. Amusing account. A narrow squeak. Tarcoola's win. A great three-year-old. Bad luck over a gallop. Patron's Cup. Oh ! what a surprise. An unlucky horse. Harvester's Derby. An incident after it. Paris and his Cup. Tim Swiveller's disqualification. The year following Glenloth's wet Cup I once more found myself in Melbourne for the two big meetings at Caulfield and Flemington. We generally went overland from Sydney to Mel- bourne, and some fun we had when we got a merry party together in the Pullman car. The journey by train from Sydney to Melbourne is about five hundred miles. The express leaves Sydney at 5.15 p.m. and reaches Melbourne next day at 11.30 a.m. The sleep- ing cars are models of comfort, and the journey is made as pleasant as possible for travellers. When first I travelled this journey there was a vexatious delay at Albury, the border town between DEliBY AND CUP REMINISCENCES. / / New South Wales and Victoria, where we had to change from the Sydney into the Melbourne train. This has to be done because the gauge of the railway lines is different. Eight or nine years ago they were very particular in examining baggage, as the duties were heavy on certain articles. It seems a monstroua thing that it should be necessary to search passengers' luggage merely because they pass out of one Colony into another. It is an absurdity, and so most travel- lers thought it. On the return journey from Melbourne, in 1891, we had an alarm of fire on the train. Lord Jersey, the Governor, was in a special car behind ours. The attendant roused me, and said, " There's a fire, sir ! You'd better get out ! " " No, you don't," I replied. *' It's not time to turn out yet." The attendant has a knack of rousing you up early in order to make up the beds in the car. I fancied his fire alarm was a happy inspiration on his part to get me out. When I saw people hurrying out of the car, and the train had stopped, I felt it was time to make a move. A sudden thought occurred to me. I felt I could earn undying fame as a staunch supporter of our great Empire, so I sang out, " Save the Governor." An old Scotchman was in the berth over mine, and 78 ON AND OFF THE TURF. he growled out, *' Save the Governor, be d — - — d. Where's me hoots? ^' Evidently the gentleman from the North did not coincide vfith my views. He wished to make tracks. Happily no great harm was done, only one side of the car had been burnt through some of the rods being overheated. An amusing account of the inci- dent appeared in a Melbourne paper, Bohemian. Here is the extract which I happened to come across : — '^ The true story of that fire on board the Sydney express, about a week ago, has not yet been told. The alleged origin of the outbreak that nearly devoured the new Pullman car and its contents, may pass for what it is worth ; but no one has yet ven- tured to describe the scene in the interior of the car after the alarm was sounded. The alarm of ^ fire,' when uttered in a shrill voice in the small hours of the morning, never fails to have the desired effect on the soundest sleeper, especially if the cry be uttered by a female. On this occasion it had the desired effect on every soul in the carriage. A lady who slept in a berth near the door heard it first, aud, running out into the passage that traverses the carriage, in her rohe de nuit, was confronted by the stalwart figure of Dibbs, the new Premier, who was vainly attempt- ing to find his way into the trousers of Nat Gould, the author of ' The Double Event.* Nat is fat and short, and Dibbs is' a big fellow, and slim, with DERBY AND CUP REMINISCENCES. 79 an altitude of 6 feet 3 inches. "When the alarm was given, Gould promptly seized hold of Dibba' clothes, and made straight for the open air. By the time Dibbs got his eyes open there was only one pair of trousers available, and they were Gould's. When he met the hysterical female in curl papers, the New South Wales Premier had only got one leg into Gould's unmentionables, but he struggled manfully to cover the other with a newspaper. Gould's plight was even worse ; he had got his legs into the sleeves of Dibbs* shooting-jacket, and, when discovered out on the line a few minutes later by the guard, he was carrying over his arm a set of lady's overalls, which he had borne off triumphantly in his flight," Such is the account given by a smart man of this memorable episode. I may as well state here that I have never been much troubled with railway accidents. The only one, bar the fire, was on returning from Newcastle races to Sydney. I was in the front carriage with several trainers and one or two jockeys. A neat little game at Nap was going on, when suddenly there was a jolt and a cry, '' We're off the line ! " A portmanteau and a saddle were deposited on my head, and I felt the seat underneath me giving way. It was a nasty five minutes, but luckily the engine, which had gone off the line and fallen into a gully, bad lodged somehow, and the tender propped 80 ON AND OFF THE TUKF. our carriage up and stopped tlie train goin^ over the bank. It was a narrow squeak as we saw when we had scrambled out through the windows,, the doors being jammed so that we could not open them. No sooner had we discovered all danger was over than we saw one of our party climbing back into the carriage, bent upon securing " Kitty ^^ and any stray Nap coins. The Cup following Glenloth's was won by another outsider — Tarcoola — and again I had a bad time, as I backed Carnage for the double — the Derby and Cup. Carnage won the Derby all right, but just failed in the Cup, as he ran second, after making nearly all the running. It was an extraordinary performance on the part of a three-year-old, as early in the season as November, to make nearly the whole of the pace in a two-mile race, and then just get beaten. It was about as good a performance as I ever saw a three- year-old do in November. But I am anticipating. Tarcoola was trained by Mr. Joe Cripps, and ran in his name, and, as in the case of Malvolio, was ridden by the son of the trainer. Mr. Greenaway was the owner of Tarcoola for some time, and the horse lost him a heap of money. He told me it nearly made him throw up racing when he saw Tarcoola land such a stake as the Melbourne Cup after he had sold him. t)ERBY AKD CUP HEMmiSCENCES. 81 It is curious how men sometimes miss a good win. One morning I was coming off the track with Mr. Frank Wilkinson, a well-known pressman and handi- capper, when he turned round and said, *' Stop a minute, Nat ; here's Tarcoola going for a spin.'' " Hang Tarcoola," I said. ^' I'm in a hurry for breakfast." Frank had, however, got his watch on them, and I waited until the gallop was over. *^ By Jove ! that's a great go," said Frank, looking at his watch. '^ It's worth taking a few pounds about Tarcoola at 100 to 2 or 3." I said, *^ We'll think about it. You can get a bit in the Club, and 1*11 go you halves." Unfortunately Frank did not get the money, and a day or two after Tarcoola did such a bad gallop I forgot all about him until I saw him beating my pet fancy. Carnage, in the Cup. I believe Mr. Wilkin- son wired the result of the good gallop to a friend in Sydney, who won a thousand over Tarcoola. Such is luck. Tarcoola won cleverly from Carnage and Jeweller, with Loyalty well up, and again the public were floored, as Tarcoola started at a very long price. The last Cup I saw, previous to sailing for Lon- don, was in 1891, when Patron won. Again an out- sider landed the race, and it was a most extraordinary victory, as I will endeavour to show. 6 82 OK AND Off TSE TURf. Pafcron was a very good three-year-old, and natur- ally he was backed early in the season for the Cup. On paper his chance looked as good as anything in the race. Some of the first double-event wagers booked were for Paris in the Caulfield Cup and Patron in the Melbourne Cup. Before the date for the Cup arrived Patron went wrong, and his name gradually receded in the betting-list until, shortly before the race, long odds could have been had about his chance. Paris won the Caulfield Cup, and a well-known jockey — I will not mention names — had the double, Paris and Patron. So confident, however, was he that Patron could not win, from information received, that he hedged the whole of his Patron money to two book- makers. Dawes, the jockey who rode Patron, had not much faith in his mount, and Mr. Purchas, the owner, laid off as much of his money as he could. T believe that even as late as the evening before the race, it was not decided whether Patron should run or be scratched. This was certainly not encouraging for anyone who had backed him. It was, however, de- cided to start the horse and let him take his chance, and, much to the surprise of nearly everyone, he won after a good race with Devon and Nada. The latter was in Mr. Wilson's stable, and was backed for a heap of money. She had done a good trial at St. Alban'sy and she evidently ran up to it. Devon was the unlucky horse of the season. He DERBY AND CUP EEMINISCENCES. 83 won the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield, and thereby earned a penalty for the Caulfield Cup, or he would have won it for a certainty. As it was he crossed his legs at a critical part of the race, and was beaten on the post by Paris. Devon followed this up by run- ning second in the Melbourne Cup, and a few days after he ran again second to Taranaki in the Williams- town Cup. It was very bad luck indeed to run three seconds in such important races. The jockey before alluded to, who had the double — Paris and Patron — actually backed Devon in the Melbourne Cup with the money he drew over Patron. If that was not the devil's own luck I don't think it could be very well beaten. The Harvester, a colt owned by Mr. Sam Cook, the trainer, who bred him, I think, won the Derby. There was a lot of bumping at the finish of the race, and an objection was laid against the winner. Bonnie Scotland, who ran third, had a bad run ; but I think the stewards were right in not disturbing the judge's verdict. Chris Moore rode the winner, and was naturally very anxious about the result. The stewards were considering the matter long after the last race had been run, and it was a curious sight to see the bars lighted with candles, and the racecourse suddenly enveloped in darkness. I was on the lawn with Mr. Forrester, Mr. James Bedfearn^ and Mr. John McLoughlin, of Sydney, and 84 ON AND OFF THE TURF. to kill time I offered to run Mr. Forrester a liundred yards for a " bottle of cliam/^ I fancy tlie spurt I gave induced Mr. Forrester to think I could run, and he forfeited. I can assure him the spurt I gave took it all out of me^ so it was lucky for me he did not toe the scratch. When it was known The Harvester had got the race, we four left the course in a waggonette, and after sundry adventures on the road reached Scott's Hotel, where I believe we had a very fair night of it. Mr. John McLoughlin was a worthy lawyer of Sydney —a real good sort, and very fond of a racehorse. In Correze he had a good one, but the horse never seemed to be thoroughly at his best, except when he won the V. R. C. Handicap in the fastest time on record. Mention of Mr. McLoughlin's name reminds me of a little adventure in Sydney. I had been to the theatre, and met Mr. McLoughlin as I came out. He asked me if I was going home, and I said, '* Yes.^' He then proposed I should ride home, as far as I had to go, in his cab. I agreed, and there he kept me, in the cab, until we reached his house at Bronte, miles beyond where I wanted to alight. I remained for supper, then had a stroll round the grounds — it was a beautiful moonlight night — and then a peep at Correze. He had the horse stabled at his house then. I reached homo about 2*0 a.m., and it took all my persuasive powers to convince my DERBY AND CUP EEMINISCENCES. 85 good wife I had been the victim of Mr. McLoughlin^s little scheme. ^' AlFs well that ends well/' and I was none the worse for keeping such late hours. I have mentioned Paris before, and his numerous victories are fresh in my mind. The game little son of Grandmaster is now in England, and Mr. John AUsop's brother brought him over. Paris won his first Caulfield Cup in 1892, and followed it up with a win in 1894. Cis Parker rode him on the first occasion, and Jack Fielder on the second. Both were good races, but his second win was a brilliant performance in such a big field, and with his heavy weight — nine-stone four. When he won the Metropolitan Stakes at Rand- wick he started at ]00 to 3, and won gallantly. Over a mile few horses could beat him, and he is a thorough stayer as well. I never saw a horse that could equal him on the track, and morning after morn- ing he used to do the fastest gallop of any horse out. He was certainly one of the very best horses I saw iu the Colonies. In 1893 the Caulfield Cup proved sensational. Tim Swiveller won, with Sainfoin second, and Oxide third. An objection was laid against Tim Swiveller on the ground of interference, and Chris Moore rode him. The Caulfield stewards decided not to interfere, and the race was given to Tim Swiveller. The owner 8Q ON AND OFF THE TURF. of Sanfoin then appealed to the Y. K. C. as he had a ^perfect right to do. Much to the surprise of the ring, and racing men generally, the V. R. C. awarded the race to San- foin, disqualified Tim Svviveller, and placed Oxide second. This was very hard luck for the Hon. Geo. Davis, the owner of Tim Swiveller, and he was not the sort of man to let the affair rest, for he defended his case admirably. It seems a remarkable thing that the verdict of such a body of stewards as at Caulfield, who saw the race officially, should be over- ruled by the V. R. C, who did not see the race officially. That Tim Swiveller interfered with Sanfoin I have very little doubt, as I saw the race, and had a splendid view of the finish. The horse, however, that suffered most was Oxide. He got jammed between Tim Swiveller and Sanfoin, and Cis Parker, his rider, had to pull up his head or he would probably have been down. I do not believe Chris Moore, the rider of Tim Swiveller, wilfully did anything wrong. His mount was a horse that used to hang a lot at the finish of a race, and this caused him to bore in. A photograph taken of the finish of the race was, I believe, the main point upon which the V. R. C. based their decision. It is said the photographic appa- ratus cannot lie, but I have seen photos of people very unlike them, so there must be something wrong DERBY AND CUP REMINISCENCES. 87 somewhere, I am nofc mucli of a believer in the photo evidence in cases of this kind. Sanfoin getting the stakes made a vast difference to the ring; and there was a lot of grumbling over the matter. CHAPTER IX. CARBINE AND HIS CUP. A great racehorse. His Cup win. Some interesting par- ticulars. On board the " Orizaba." The voyage to Eng- land. Mr. Ernest Day. His yarns, A successful trip. A letter from Mr. Forrester. Carbine does him out of £28,000. Narrow shave for a fortune. In the preceding chapters I hav^e omitted the Mel- bourne Cup won by Carbine in 1890, as I think the horse is worthy of a chapter to himself; he was the best racehorse I ever saw during my residence in Australia. Carbine, by Musket — Mersey, was bred iu New Zea- land, and purchased as a yearling by Mr. Dan O'Brien for 620 guineas. His performances, when they como to be carefully considered, are wonderful. The horse won thirty-three out of forty-three races in which he started, and was only out of a place once, and he was then suffering from a cracked heel. He won fifteen races in succession, and eighteen races out of twenty, being unluckily second in the two he lost. As a two-year-old he ran five times in New Zea- CARBINE AND HIS CUP. 89 land, and won each race. He was brought over by his owner to Victoria to run for the V. E. C. Derby in 1888, and was unluckily second to Ensign. He ran third in the Newmarket Handicap to Sedition, a rank outsider, and that good horse, Lochiel; and in the Australian Cup, 2J miles, he was beaten by Lochiel, who carried 8sfc. 7ib. to Carbine's 8st. 61b. — a real good performance for a three-year-old. He won the Champion Stakes, 3 mile, as a three- year-old, beating Abercorn, who was then a four-year- old, at w. f a. He won several races this season, including the Sydney Cup, in which he carried 9st., or within 41bs. of Abercorn, who finished third. This race goes far to prove he was a better horse than Abercorn, as he was receiving only 41bs. and giving away a year. As a four-year-old he ran second to Bravo in the Melbourne Cup, with lOst. on his back, giving the winner 1st. 71b. He again won the Sydney Cup, carrying 9st. 9lb. — a race the handicapper treated him too leniently in. It was in the Canterbury Plate at the V. 11. C. meeting he ran the only unplaced during the whole of his career. Space will not permit of me giving all his wins, but I can safely say he held the championship as a w. f a. horse from three years old until he retired from the turf. He beat all the best horses over all distances, and he was as good at seven furlongs or a mile as he was at two or three miles. In 00 ON AND OFF THE TURF. these days of sprinters and non-stayers, it is a treat to see a horse of such grand speed and staying powers combined as Carbine. It was as a four-year-old Carbine performed the great feat of winning five of the principal races at the A. J. C. Autumn Meeting in four days, including the Sydney Gup and four w. f. a. races. No wonder Dan O'Brien heaved a sigh, for he had sold Carbine to Mr. Donald Wallace for 3000 guineas some time before. It was a treat to see the way in which Carbine tackled his opponents. The horse fairly revelled in his work, and his rush at the finish was marvellous. I have never seen a horse of his size cover so much ground in his stride. If Carbine was a wonder up to four years old, what shall we say for his five-year-old career, which fairly eclipsed all that he had previously done. He ran eleven times, and was beaten once, when he ought to have won. He won his memorable Melbourne Cup this season, and about it I have something of interest to relate. I had special opportunities of learning a good deal more about that race before it came off than most people. Mr. William Forrester, of Warwick Farm, had in his stable a horse called Highborn that he had spe- cially kept for this event. Mr. Forrester was then, and, I am proud to say, still is, a great friend of mine; and I also knew Mr. Hickenbotham, the trainer of CARBINE AND HIS CUP. 91 Carbine^ very well. I went to Warwick Farm from. Sydney, about an bourns ride in the train, to have a peep at the horses. Warwick Farm is a snug place, and the house and stables join on to Mr. Oatley's private racecourse. Mr. Forrester is brimful of hospi- tality, and a born gentleman if ever there was one. When we came to Highborn's box, Mr. Forrester said, '' What do you think of him ? '' ■ I was looking at a lanky, flat-sided common gelding, as black as coal, with a wall eye that made him look wicked. Honestly, I could not say I thought much of him. It was wonderful how he improved upon acquaintance. " He^s no beauty,'^ I replied, or words to that effect. Mr. Forrester smiled, and gave me to understand if I did not have a few pounds on ^' the black fellow '^ in the Melbourne Cup I should regret it. Knowing ^' the Squire's '^ propensity for practical joking, I thought he was trying it on, but I soon found out he was serious. He had specially kept Highborn for this particular race, and when the weights came out with Carbine lOst. 51b. and Highborn 6st. 81b., there was much joy in the Warwick Farm camp. The prepara- tion of both horses went on satisfactorily, but Carbine's trainer had a lot of trouble with the horse's feet, and had a very anxious time of it. Mr. Forrester and some of his friends were quietly putting money on Highborn at very long odds months before the race. Highborn's 92 ON AND OFF THE TURF. trial was good enougli to win with nearer 9st. up than 6sfc. 8lb., so no wonder they were sanguine. When I reached Melbourne that year for the Cup meeting, I saw Carbine do his winding-up preparations on the track at Fleraiugton. One morning he beat his stable mate. Megaphone — for whom Mr. Wallace had given 2,000 guineas or more after he ran Carbine such a great race at Randwick — badly. Meeting Mr. Hickenbotham after the gallop, I remarked what a good go it was. "Yes," he replied, "and weight or no weight, bar accidents, he^ll win the Cup/' I had an idea he could go near it, but doubted if he could give 3.st. lUb. to a horse like Highborn. About a week before the Mel- bourne Cup was run, I met Mr. Forrester, and he asked me to go up to Oakleigh Park, as they were going to give Highborn a run there. I went, to my sorrow, for Highborn was just beaten by Mr. James Redfearn's Malvolio. I remarked to Mr. Forrester, after the race, that a beating like that was not good enough to win a Melbourne Cup. " Don't make any mistake,^' was his reply. " Mal- volio's Rfidfearn's crack three-vear-old, and he'll win the next Melbourne Cup with him,'' Sure enough his words came true, for I saw Malvolio win it the fol- lowing year. But to the race. When the saddling bell rang before the Cup race there was intense excitement, and Carbino held his position as favourite firm as a rock. CAEBINE AND HIS CUP. 93 iind Highborn was at 83 to 1. Kamagc rode Carbine, and Egan, a tiny iad, Highborn. ^' Old Jack ^^ was fairly nobbled as he was being saddled, but as usual he took no notice of the crowd. When he came on to the track there was a terrific burst of cheering. Carbine stood still and looked round, and then declined to go to the post. Mr. Hickenbotham gave him a push behind, and Carbine moved a few paces. This was a slow process. At last Ramage threw the reins over the horse's head, and Mr. Hickenbotham fairly dragged him up the course. I never saw a more sluggish horse until he commenced to race, and then there was a different tale to tell. Mr. Forrester was very confident Highborn would beat him. I shall never forget that race. Carbine held a good position throughout, but did not get well to the front until they were in the straight. At the home turn Highborn looked to have a chance second to none, and the hopes of his backers were high. No sooner, however, did Carbine see an opening than he shot through, and after that it was a case of hare and hounds. On came '^ Old Jack,^' with his lOst. 51b., and at the distance he had the race won. Cheer after cheer rent the air, and people went almost frantic with excitement. It was a wild scene. For months Car- bine had been backed by the public, and at last the suspense was over. It was a glorious victory, and everyone knew it, but none better than Mr. Forrester, ^4 ON AND OFF THE TURF. whose crack Highborn finished a couple of lengths behind him. Not only did Carbine carry lOst. 5lb., but he ran the two miles in 3 min. 28i sees., the fastest time on record for that distance in the Colonies. To show how good the performance was, I have only to allude to Highborn's performances afterwards. Highborn won the Australian Cup, the Sydney Cup, and the Anniversary Handicap, and ran fourth in the Melbourne Cup the following year with 9st. up. He was sold to go to India, and when the property of the Maharajah of Cooch Behar he won two Viceroy^s Cups in succession. A word as to Carbine's defeat by Marvel at Randwick. It was a wet day, and the ground was sticky. In the All Aged Stakes, a mile. Carbine ran without plates and could obtain no hold. It was pitiable to see him floundering and not able to stretch out in his usual grand style. The same afternoon he met Marvel again in the Cumberland Stakes, two miles. This time Carbine ran in shoes. The race resolved itself into a gallop over the last mile, which was all in favour of Marvel. Carbine, however^, beat him badly, and I think there is no doubt he would have won the other race had he had shoes on. I saw Carbine win all his big races, and when he was bought by the Duke of Portland for £13,000, I came to London in the same vessel he was on, the Orient liner R.M.S. '' Orizaba.'' A few particulars about CAKBINE AND HIS CUP. 95 Carbine's voyage may be of interest. The horse did not come on board until we reached Melbourne. Mr. Ernest Day^ who had charge of him for the Duke, was naturally very anxious to get the horse shipped quietly. A notice appeared in the Evening Herald, on Thursday, stating Carbine would be ship- ped on Saturday morning. As I happened to have a letter in my pocket stating he would come on board on Good Friday, I smiled. Evidently the paragraph bad been inspired to put people off the scent. 1 was on board when the ^' hero of a hundred fights '^ came to the pier, and the borse was accompanied by the colt by Carbine — Novelette, who has been named Lerderderg by the Duke of Portland, and wbo was alongside of him. "Old Jack ^' at first seemed inclined to remain asbore. Mr. Day endea- voured to persuade bim to step on to the gangway, but be declined tlie invitation. A handful of clover was given him, which he quietly munched, then he looked at the crowd as much as to aay, '^ What do you think of me ? ^' Cunningham, the man who has had charge of Carbine at the stud, and who came home with the horses, then went to the rescue. No sooner did Car- bine see him coming along the gangway than he stretched out his neck and put one foot forward. Cunningham spoke to him, and then quietly pulling the head- stall. Carbine followed him like a lamb. The horse felt his footing carefully all along the gangway, 96 ON AND OFF THE TUKF. and crouched down when he felt the boards creak under him ; but he never made the least objection to following his leader. Once in his box Carbine com- menced to munch hay quietly, as though a trip to England was an everyday occurrence with him. The colt took more trouble to get on board, but once in his box he settled down like an old horse. Not know- ing the time Carbine was to go on board, there was not a great crowd there, but on Saturday morning (April 13th, 1895) the people came down in hundreds to have a last peep at the champion. When it was found Carbine had been put on board the day before, the crowd commenced to see they had been sold, but they were determined not to be done out of a sight of him. I never saw a more determined mass of people than Carbine's admirers. They crushed up the gangway and jammed up in front of his box, regard- less of torn clothes and pickpockets, and there were plenty of the latter about, or what looked like them. Hundreds of people caught a passing glimpse of Car- bine as he stood quietly eating in his box. It was their last sight of " Old Jack,'' and there were many present who had won money over him in that memor- able Melbourne Cup. No horse that ever ran in Australia was a greater idol with the public than Carbine, and the pier was crowded with his admirers long before the boat sailed. ?y\ 5'p ?J? 5]^ ^ JJC carbtnl; and Hrs ccp. 97 When we cast oflf from Sandridge Pier there was a mighty burst of cheering, and cries of '' Carbine" rent the air. I was near the horse's box at the time with Mr. Day, and " Old Jack " pricked up his ears and raised his splendid head at the sound, as though she fancied there w^as another race to be run. A beautiful wreath was sent on board for Carbine. It was in the shape of a horseshoe, and had Donald Wallace's colours on, and written on a card attached to it, " For dear old Carbine ; hon voyage." Had Carbine got hold of that wreath, I am afraid he would have made short work of it. Mr. Day had several chats with me during the voyage. He is a most entertaining man, and has travelled all over the world in charge of horses. He took a con- signment of horses to India for the Ameer of Afghanistan, and safely conveyed them through the famous Khyber Pass. The Ameer's sons came out to meet him, and they were escorted into the capital by a troop of horsemen, whose soldierly bearing made them look exceptionally fierce. The Ameer asked Day how he would accept a gift — in skins or precious stones. Day, with all due respect to his Afghanistan Nibs, said he would prefer gold. The Ameer is reported to have winked the other eye and given Day a cheque on the Bank of India. At all events, Mr. D. got the ready. On another occasion he had to secrete himself in the luggage- 7 98 ON AND OFF THE TURF. waggon of a train and flee from Buenos Ayres when the revolution was on in that city. Mr. Day says thai bullels p.'