Tbe question whether jockeys should be allowed to bet has been exercising our Australian friends of late, but there can be little doubt what answer will be made to the query. The reply will be a negative one for a multitude of reasons. Some people consider it a harsh thing to deny the privilege of betting to a jockey. The position is taken up that it is an infringement on the liberty of the subject, and that the authorities cannot suppress the practice. But it must be evident to any thinking man that in only very exceptional cases can jockeys who bet heavily be trusted to ride in a manner that will result in monetary loss to themselves, and that it is the duty of racing authorities to place them in a position which will prevent their being tempted to place their private interests before those of their employers. If a man puts £5O on a horse and rides another, it is £lOO to a cherry that he will not properly ride his own mount in a finish with the animal he has backed. Of course no one would think of preventing a jockey from putting a losing mount on the horse he is riding, or wagering a few pounds on a race in which he is not engaged, but one could not expect fairness in a finish in which a man had to ride against an animal he was backing.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 202, 7 June 1894, Page 4
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241Untitled New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 202, 7 June 1894, Page 4
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