"SMILES."

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1206, 12 April 1895, Page 22

"SMILES."

Even those who are in a manner dependent on the turf for a living sometimes know very little of its technicalities. On the Wednesday before the Newmarket Handicap the wife of a leading bookmaker said to him on his return home: —" I had such a disappointment to-day. I sent a pound up for the big sWeep, and when a telegram came to-day I, was quite certain that it was to tell me that I'd drawn the winner of the Newmarket Handicap. I thought it would be suclj a good chance to tell yon, so that you shouldn't bet against it." " I explained to her," says the leader of the ring, " that it was only in pony racing that the winners wore absolutely known three days before the race." —Exchange. .

" Woomera " in the Australasian tells the following story :—" A race meeting was held lately in a little Western township, and there was a .strong feeling among the stewards that one of the residents had deliberately pulled his horse in the race for the Publicans' Purse. Did they wink at the offence as so many stewards do, and agree that 'taking down ' the visiting bookmakers was .really a public spirited proceeding for which any sportsman might be excused ? On the contrary, they met in the stewards' rniamia, and decided that .* unless Mr Jones apoh!>gises before sundown he shall be disqualified for life.' If metropolitan stewards would but deal with the abuses of the turf in this Spartan-like manner a new zest would be given to sport, and the rush of erring horse owners and jockeys for the committee room just before sundown would become one of the events of all well-regulated race meeting's."