Betting on Racehorses.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIII, Issue 23, 8 December 1909, Page 11

Betting on Racehorses.

SOME FAMOUS WAGERS. £50,000 TO A WAISTCOAT. ? All sorts of exaggerated ideas in eohreetion with betting cm racehorses are held by the unitiated. The trial of a Liverpool bank clerk a few years ago Irov.ght out some -curious facts in this connection, the poor -dupe, thinking it was possible to invest. £50,0000n a racehorse an hour before the time set for the race. A plunging -bettor may* certainly nowadays- invest £50,000 on an important handicap; hut this amount would have to be judiciously, and with much diplomacy, divided amongst the principal bookmakers, on the same principal that fire insurance offices share tlu? risks of enormous insurances. The backer would certainly* find a remarkably short prieo on -offer against > hjs fancy at the finish, as the betting market is entirely regulated- by the law of supply* and demand. Yearling Books on the Derby. |.. .Some historic bet* were made in eou-

rcction with Hermit’s snowstorm Derby, 'the late Duke of Hamilton laid Captain Machell the large bet of £ 180,000 to £OOOO against Hermit winning. The sensational winner of the great Epsom event was then only a yearling, and actually started at more than double these odds on the day of the race. The plunging Marquis of Hastings would not believe that Hermit had a ghost of a chance, and lost a fortune, no less than £105,000 in bets going to Hermit's owner, Mr. Chaplin. The lucky jockey, Daley, who was only engaged to ride at the last minute, vas presented with the whole of the stakes, 7000 guineas. Some years ago it was fashionable for sporting noblemen to make yearling books on the Derby—that is, wlien the entered horses were only a year and, in some eases only a few months old. Sir Joseph Hawley, upon one occasion took the long odds "of £200,000 to £3OOO, split up on the chances of bis five Blue Ribbon candidates. Lord George Bentinck was one day dead tired, and fast asleep in White’s Club, after an all-night’s debate in the House of Commons. Several of the members tried to rouse him from his heavy slumber, but unavailingly*. Lord Glasgow, however, bet a fellow club man £lOO that he would wake the sleeper with less than a dozen words, and, going up to him, he bawled out, "I want to make a bet with you, Bentinck!” Instantly Lord George, who was remarkably keen on gambling—he would bet on the merest trifle—woke up and stated his willingness. “I want to back ibe produce of Miss Whip against that ol any mare you like to name for the Derby of 1818,” “ Done,” said the wakened sleeper. “ I name Crucifix. How much?” “Five thousand,” said the challenger. Lord George’s lueky awakening won him that sum, as Crucifix shortly after foaled Surplice, who cantered away with the Derby. When Cremoirne just managed to finish a few inches in front of Pell Mell, after Hie latter had been badly hampered in the race, a sporting peer asked the late George Payne, who had supported the second, what difference the short head had made to him. “ One hundred thousand pounds,” was the ealm reply. A Gigantic Bet. Mr. Henry Chaplin, who landed such a large sum in bets when his horse Hermit won the English Derby,'essayed to bring off another big betting coup over Holy Friar for the same race. Henry Stee', the Sheffield leviathan, who afterwards presented a churoh to' the steel town, laid him the gigantic bet of £105,000 to £15,000 against his fancy proving successful. Mr. Chaplin’s judgment was, however, at fault this time, as Holy Friar turned out a bad roarer. Nevertheless, the plueky backer was in luck, as a few weeks before the race the nominator of the horse died, and thus the big bet was rendered void. After the settling over Thor-nanby’s Derby, Mr. Merry , the owner, covered his drawing room table with his winningnotes and gold to the extent of £lOO,OOO. Some years ago two bookmakers were having a heated argument on Bath Racecourse as. to th? probable winner of the forthcoming Derby. One of the peneillers was so disgusted with the fancy of his brother bookmaker, which was Adams—that he actually laid him £50,000 and a suit of clothes to a waistcoat.' ’I be layer of these remarkable long odds must have trembled when he saw the race being run, as the despised outsider finished third, very close up. Indeed, thousands of spectators were of opinion that Adams actually won the race.