Bound to Win; a tale of the Turf

Front matter

BOUND TO WIN A TALE OF THE TURF. By HAWLEY SMART, AUTHOR OF " BREEZIE LANGTON;" "A RACE FOR A WIFE;" "COURTSHIP IN 1720, 1860;" ETC. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. III. LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL, 193, PICCADILLY. 1877- (All rights reserved. ) CONTENTS OF VOL. III. CHAPTER PACE I. Mid-Winter Speculations ... i II. Challis's ... ... ... 22 III. Waiting for the Verdict ... 45 IV. Theodora's Good-bye ... 68 V. Darlington gets the Key-note ... 92 VI. Coriolanus settled ... ... 105 VII. The Honble. makes a Discovery ... 117 VIII. Steadying the Favourite ... 142 IX. The Derby Trial ... ... 166 X. The Carpeting of Sam Burton 191 XL Comparing Day ... ... ... 216 XII. Epsom ... ... ... 242 Conclusion ... ... ...

Chapter I. Mid-winter

speculations. The racing season of 18 — is a thing of the past, and around blazing fires turfites discuss the vexed question as to which was the best two-year of the bygone year. It is hard to deny the claims of The Felon to this distinction, and yet the followers of the green and silver braid vow that Ptolemy was only half trained when he won the Middle Park Plate, that he is a backward colt, and will be a very dif ferent horse when he is seen at Epsom vol. hi. b in May. The Blithedown stable, too, is somewhat of a conundrum to the public, and as to which is the veritable crack of that stable the learned in turf lore have much to say. Lacedemonian, although his owner was not there to see, and despite his exhibiting hocks of a very doubtful appearance, won the Criterion cleverly by a length, and there were not wanting those who held that he was the best of Darling ton's string.

Pooh-poohed, this idea, again by others, who bid you recollect the way Coriolanus was backed for his race, and declared that such running was far too bad to be true ; that he never got off, and was, undoubtedly, the real Simon Pure of the stable. Amongst the initiated in turf mysteries, too, the singular story of Lux moore's inheritance has oozed out, and that gives rise to still further debate on what will be the tactics of Blithedown in the coming campaign. In the opinion of the more astute of these gentlemen, Harold Luxmoore will, probably, rely upon Lace demonian sor the Two Thousand Guineas, and keep Coriolanus for the Derby.- The paramount interest he has in winning the latter race, would, they opine, be sufficient to induce him to risk the loss of the Two Thousand sooner than jeopardise his chance at Epsom.

That the defeat of Coriolanus was looked upon as all a mis take was denoted by his status in the Derby betting, which at the commence ment of the new year ruled as follows : — 5 to i against The Felon 8 to r ,, Ptolemy Ptolemy io to i „ Coriolanus 15 to i „ Lacedemonian. For the Two Thousand, Ptolemy was first favourite, The Felon not being entered for that race ; but the winner of the Criterion was also a good deal fancied, and but for his suspicious hocks would have been doubt less backed freely. Still, by that numerous class of small backers, who never go near a race-course, and would be no whit enlightened by so doing, Lacedemonian was in good repute, and at the lists — they were in existence in the days of which I am writing — was nearly as good a favourite as the victor in the Middle Park Plate.

Meanwhile, Harold Luxmoore spends a good deal of his time at Laxton ; he has had it fairly out with Mr. Layton, and acquainted him with the determination he has come to. Of course, the old gentleman can make no further objection after what he said at Liddington to receiving him as a son-in-law. The story of the mis understanding between Gracie and Harold has been kept between the sisters and him self; they have agreed this is best, while it has also been decided to retain Lux moore's resolve a profound secret. When Harold urged this, Mr. Layton at once assented, and even went so far as to propose that neither his son nor his wife should be made acquainted with it. The old gentleman had heard a story or two about Berkley Holt of late that had rather opened his eyes to Berkley's true character, and, like a shrewd business man, he saw at a glance the enormous temptation to foul play that Harold's resolution offered to his cousin.

Nine thousand a year and a flourishing stud of horses dangled before the eyes of a needy and unscrupulous racing-man, upon the proviso he prevents a certain stable from winning the next Derby, is rather too powerful a strain to subject a man of Holt's character to. The chance of many an Epsom candidate has been reduced to nil upon very much slighter provocation ; and so it came to pass that there was much less talk about the reconciliation of the lovers than would have been the case had the romantic story been generally known. In the county it had got abroad that the engagement between Mr. Luxmoore and Grace Layton was on again. It was rumoured that Mr. Layton had withdrawn his prohibition upon the understanding that Harold was to abstain from betting henceforth, and, amid the young men of those parts, who knew what a daring bettor Luxmoore was, this resolution of his was hailed with much mirth and incredulity ; instances of the woeful shattering of such high resolve being manifold in turf history.

Considering what a gossip-loving world it is, and how prone we all are to discus sion of the affairs of our neighbours, it will doubtless seem singular that Theodora Richeton should be still in ignorance of an event that so much concerned her as the coming together of Grace and Harold Luxmoore ; but an undoubted coldness had sprung up between her and the Layton family of late, and the widow, as it happened, had no other acquaintance in Bloomshire but Harold himself, and Luxmoore was peculiarly reticent about his re-engagement. Jim Laceby, was indeed, the only one of his intimates in possession of the whole facts of the case, and the Honble. had counselled silence concerning it most strenuously for the present. "We know, Harold, that there has been foul play about your correspondence," said" Jim, " though we don't know who con spired against you, or with what object.

I'd recommend a close mouth about it in future, at all events till after Epsom." The Honble. took Mr. Layton's view of the case precisely, and with considerably stronger reason, insomuch as he was a more accurate judge of what Berkley Holt was capable in the way of turf intrigue ; and could imagine his poisoning all Blithe down — horses, trainer, and stable boys to boot, did he get fair opportunity of doing so without discovery — should he once be come aware that Luxmoore intended to resign Liddington, if unsuccessful in the forthcoming Derby. Then again, Berkley Holt, with that devotion to his own interests, so eminently characteristic of that gentleman, had decided that Mrs. Richeton was not to be en lightened upon this point. Although affairs had prospered with him of late, Berkley was too prudent to deprive him self of such a golden spring as the fair widow's passion for Harold Luxmoore had placed at his disposal.

" Always practic able to draw on that secret service fund," thinks Berkley, "in case of necessity, which is convenient. If I tell her how things stand, she will see at once it is so eminently to my interests that this marriage should take place, that it would be absurd to suppose I can be induced to take steps to prevent it. No, Mrs. Richeton must make her own discovery of the true state of affairs, and the longer she is in doing it, why — so much the better for Berkley." Over the intelligence he has extracted from the fair Hemmings, Berkley has mused much. He can scarcely believe it MIN-WINTER SPECULATIONS. 9 possible that a man can really contemplate such madness as the resignation of Lid dington for any eyes, however bright. By dint of flattery, bribes, and even still more by the acuteness he had shown in reading the ladies-maid's mind, he has completely re-established his ascendancy over that damsel.

She has confided to him all she heard and witnessed, and returned to Laxton more devoted to him than ever, but placing a much humbler recompense upon her services ; quite willing, indeed, to accept of Berkley's protection without preliminary of marriage at this present. Mr. Holt decides that it would be as well to keep even his devoted friend, Mr. Larcher, in ignorance of this change in his prospects for a little ; not that it was possible to doubt the attorney's devoting himself enthusiastically to the cause when he but knew of so great an opportunity. It appealed to his greed of gold, and to his passion for obtaining it by fraudulent means. There are plenty of men who will spend hours to trick their fellows out of a sum which could have been obtained in half the time by honest industry. Mr. Larcher was one of these.

" I cannot do without him later on," muses Berkley, " but it is no use taking him into confidence before it is necessary. He's clever ; so dev'lish clever, that he would go over to the other side if he thought he could make a better thing of it. I don't think that's possible ; but, great heavens ! what a miserable world it is, when one can't both win and lose with the same horse." Messrs. Goodman and Osgrove are getting extremely anxious to know what is the programme to be pursued with regard to The Felon. It is subject of bitter lamentation to this pair of common place brigands that the horse is not entered for the Two Thousand ; their petty-larceny minds about equal to contemplate the losing of the above stake and the winning the Derby afterwards as an elaborate sort of thing in turf mancevres ; sort of tran sparent pettifogging robbery that would occur to those who have got their liveli hood by the running of nondescript horses on in-and-out principles for some years.

Great frauds are always mapped out, at least, if not perpetrated, by master minds, and this axiom applies to the race-course equally with the Stock Exchange ; but, oh, ye children of the sward, what innocents ye are to your brethren of the City ! Still, fence it off as he may, pressure is being daily brought to bear upon Berkley by his confederates all through this dawn ing of the new year, to decide whether The Felon shall be a mere straw horse for Epsom — a horse that shall never attempt to win the Derby — Mr. Larcher, much of this way of thinking, that The Felon should be well beat at Epsom, and allowed to do his best at Doncaster. Only one thing determinate in this unrighteous confederation, that the horse, reported by his trainer to be doing extraordinary well, was to be run on " pecuniary principles," and no whit upon his merits, unless they happened to coincide with "pecuniary principles."

Quite as much in favour of "pecuniary principles" is Berkley as any of his colleagues, but it is becoming more impressed day by day upon his mind, that his view of the case and his confederates' will be very different. If Sarah Hemmings's story is true, and he believes it is, there is nothing connected with the Derby can be of such consequence to him as that it should not be carried off by Blithedown. Quite prepared is Mr. Holt to resort to any means that may make Darlington's team innocuous at Epsom. He has money himself, he can draw a bit still on Mrs. Richeton, and he knows, again, Mr. Larcher will find more when the story is told to him, and yet he thinks no chance should be thrown away. It is well to have a good horse to run for you, even when you suppose that you hold your opponent's bridle.

How that was to be accomplished was as yet a thing Berkley had not much thought about. Difficult at present to discover which was most to be dreaded of his cousin's team ; difficult again to find an agent in the stable that could be relied on to administer the fatal blow, potion, or whatever it might be ; but Mr. Holt had no more misgivings about know ing which was the best of the Blithedown lot before the end of May, than he had that the crack would run in his interests instead of his master's. Berkley had suc cessfully interfered before now with pro minent fancies of the public's when he had the command of very much less money than he possessed at the present juncture. He held fast to the cynical aphorism of Sir Robert Walpole, and, though he ex pressed it differently, it came to virtually the same thing.

When Berkley declared " every horse had its price," it was equivalent to asserting that some one in charge of him had. Mr. Holt anticipated meeting with no more virtue in Blithedown than he held existed in any other establishment of the sort. He did not think that Mr. Darlington was to be bought, certainly, but considered him pretty well the only man connected with Blithedown that it would be imprudent to make overtures to. Success in such roguery is wont to lower a man's standard of his fellows, and induce him to believe that humanity is for sale for the most part ; just as successful turning of the king at ecarte might establish belief in the blindness and density of those with whom we associate. Hallucinations are apt to be rudely dispelled, but let them be dispelled ever so roughly, no votary ever clings so madly to his faith as the man who has once had recourse to malpractices, either on the green cloth or green sward.

On one point has Berkley Holt been specially assiduous during these winter weeks, and that is, if possible, to get at the truth of the great fiasco of Coriolanus in the Middle Park Plate. To a nature such as Holt's, belief is difficult that a race has been lost by accident, not design. Midst all sorts of turf-goers does Berkley seek to discover whether Sam Burton was left behind by intention on that occasion, or otherwise. As may be supposed, he acquires quite as much unsubstantial testi mony on the one side as the other. Plenty of people who never even saw that start were prepared to speak positively either one way or the other ; opinion, indeed, of such incompetent witnesses pretty evenly balanced, as in most cases where a favourite comes to infinite tribulation ; a close finish in the Derby, or any great race, invariably resulting in bitter criticism of the judge, and the unfortunate jockey whom it was given a head against.

Public sympathy goes but rarely with the un successful, but when the being vanquished means the touching of the public's pockets, it would be folly to expect it. Now, whatever deductions Berkley Holt might draw about the Middle Park Plate, Sam Burton's mishap upon that occasion had been, as far as he himself knew, a mere accident, and yet it was not so. Mr. Burton has the weakness of most heroes — wine and vanity. He could never resist a glass of champagne, nor belies in his own riding. He was no drunkard, and, when on duty, particularly careful in this respect ; yet an invitation to crack a flask of Carte d'Or, his peculiar vanity, was a temptation he never had quite strength of mind to put behind him. On that eventful day at Newmarket, a bookmaker, conversant with his weakness, had insisted on a bottle to Coriolanus's success just before the saddling-bell rung.

The result was that Sam was jolly — by this I mean careless — at the start. He knew he was on a rattling good colt, and had the best of the weights of everything deemed dangerous, bar Caraway. That he was five pound better than any jockey of the day was an established axiom with Sam Burton ; he was consequently firmly im pressed that he had at least half a stone in hand. Half a bottle of champagne, upon the top of the idea that one is immeasurably superior to everything else in the race, perhaps produces a little indifference about getting off; and that had been just Burton's case. He had been careless, and he had paid the penalty. Luxmoore, after his talk with Laceby, had fallen into the mistake of recurring to the Middle Park Platefiasco, and administering sharp rebuke concerning it to his jockey.

A mistake this, desperately common to humanity. Sam Burton had been prepared for severe reprimand in the first instance, but he had good right to hold that he had been arraigned and harangued, and that the thing was now past and done VOL. III. C with. That is the defect of Dante's hell ; he believes ever in physical torment, as if eternal snow or eternal fire were to be compared to the torture of eternal nagging. You can flay a man alive but once, and sundown sees his spirit released ; but you can flay him morally for years. Pooh ! these old tormentors were mere neophytes in their science, and the Spanish Inquisition much behind the inquisitors of Belgravia. Harold Luxmoore, losing, had more than once recurred bitterly to Coriolanus's un fortunate performance, and at the end of the week Sam Burton felt by no means enthusiastic on the subject of his new master.

Imprudent very was Burton, for he suffered two or three shrewd turf men to perceive this ; and, more critical still for him, he allowed it to be transparent to Mr. Darlington, who, though of course absorbed in the question of whether his " Cardinal Yorks" could be possibly induced to blossom in April successfully, still seemed to have eyes and ears ever open, and mouth ever closed, as was his custom on a race-course ; and yet that hardly describes Darlington, because he was by no means churlish of speech, conversing affably indeed on almost any subject, with a special leaning towards the growing of flowers, more particularly roses, and with some visible reluctance to talk more racing than the occasion absolutely required. Outcome of that unfortunate week at Newmarket, that Sam Burton felt no very great loyalty to his new master, and that Mr. Darlington felt a little distrustful of the jockey of the stable.

Not a promising state of affairs this as a prelude to carrying off the Olympic crown. By dint of much persevering study of men, and by che listening to many tales of verbosity and froth, Berkley Holt has come to some understanding of this case ; not quiet sure yet that Burton did not deliberately lose the Middle Park Plate for reasons tangible and golden ; yet draw ing, from all he can make out, that Sam Burton is, at all events, a man it is possible to make a bid for. Very determined, indeed, to make that bid is Berkley; but though he knows many of the jockeys, it so happens he is unacquainted with Sam Burton. Still, he thinks there is not much difficulty about that. " Bah ! it is but taking a room, and living at the John o' Groat for a month or so, and the thing is done. Certain to come across him there, and the offer of a cigar, or for the matter of that, a remark, constitutes an acquaintanceship in an hotel of that sort."

Berkley Holt, steadily haunting the John o' Groat, is not long before he scrapes acquaintance with Sam Burton. Keen and shrewd, Berkley is not long before he discovers his new acquaintance's weak points, and is for ever insisting upon their trying new brands of champagne. Not so discreet as his kind generally, Sam babbles a little over his wine cup, and Holt, whose capabilities in that way resemble Mynheer von Dunck's, chuckles much over the revelations that are made to him. Still, Berkley is much too judicious ever to allude to such communications afterwards — a reticence that leaves Sam sometimes with an uneasy feeling that he had said more than he ought to have done, alternating with the belief that he had either not done so, or had not been understood. One thing, however, thoroughly clear to him is, that he is engaged to dine with Berkley Holt at the John o' Groat on the Friday before the Two Thousand.

Chapter II

challis's. On the left-hand side of Rupert Street stands a tavern, of late years expanded into an hotel, that is a house of mark of its kind. London hotels have their specialities. Crowned heads go to Meurice's, and did to the Clarendon while the Clarendon was. Young men of means, entering on life, gravitate to Long's, and, till the desecration of carpets was committed in its coffee-room, were much given to Limmer's. Americans throng to the Langham ; wealth betakes itself to the Grosvenor and Alexandra ; but Newmarket goes to Challis's. A few challis's. 23 years back, and Challis's was the John o' Groat, more familiarly known to its habitue's as " Gregory's," but it changed hands, and blossomed into an hotel ; the coffee-room expanded, and the smoking room grew ; still, its clientcllc remained the same, and the leading horsemen of the turf are as faithful to Challis's, when in town, as their predecessors were to Gregory's. A house, too, this with a considerable country connection, filling up for the cattle week pretty nearly as much as for the Derby, and at that time Challis's really does not know exactly where to stow its customers.

The snug little coffee-room is literally full to overflowing, and well ventilated as the cosy smoking-room is, yet the cigars are all too much sor ventilators to cope with, and the flow of tongues is shrouded in a haze of smoke ; but when Challis's is not labouring under such pressure, when " John " has not to undertake the superintendence of half a score dinners at a time, and the smokers gather in moderation, one may do infinitely worse than dine at Challis's. The ascetics of the saddle, from time immemorial, have been addicted to feasting when an interim in their labours permitted. Frank Buckle — is it not recorded in turf history — always sat down to a roast goose on the Saturday of the Houghton Meeting, and I should imagine many of those whose sigh is, " Oh, that this too, too solid flesh would melt," must make amends for their enforced abstinence when the " hay and corn " gathering is once got fairly done with, and they are assured that no clerk of the scales shall trouble them for the next three or four months.

At all events that was Mr. Burton's conception of getting through the off season. He liked theatres, good living, Carte d'Or, and the pleasant round of London dissipation generally ; the Cambridgeshire week once over, and Challis's saw a good deal of Sam Burton. challis's. 25 Hence, as may be easily conceived, a thorough London man, like Berkley Holt, when he once took to frequenting the John o' Groat, easily made acquaintance with the jockey. Berkley had plenty of talk of all kinds ; he knew what was going on at the theatres, and was conversant with the gossip of the coulisses, and, like many others in very superior position to himself, this was an attractive subject always to Sam Burton. In short, by the time the racing season commenced again, Berkley and his cousin's jockey were fast friends.

All through the winter the betting on the Two Thousand had varied little ; Ptolemy was first favourite, and Lacede monian second ; while both Hypocrite and Coriolanus were occasionally backed, the former at twelve and the latter at twenty to one, but when the spring got more advanced, it was noticeable that every now and then there was an outburst of hostility to Lacedemonian. There was no disguise about the cause of these demonstrations ; it was known that the horse was infirm, and there were not wanting those who vowed he would never stand a preparation for such a race as the Guineas. Coriolanus would have been strongly supported but for the prevalent idea that he would be reserved for the Derby ; the public having quite settled in its own mind that Blithedown would fall back upon Hypocrite as their champion, should the Criterion winner fail them.

But the week before the First Spring Meeting at Newmarket arrives, and still the horse-watchers report Lacedemonian to be galloping strong and well. Those who had opened fire so often, and laid heavily against the colt, begin to get frightened, and take their money back again. The result is that Lacedemonian becomes a better favourite than ever, finally passing Ptolemy in the quotations. Such is the state of affairs upon the Friday challis's. 27 before the big race, on the evening of which day, it may be remembered, that Sam Burton was engaged to dine with Berkley Holt at Challis's. Berkley has secured one of the tables next the fireplace, and given very precise and somewhat voluminous orders concerning this repast. Especially has he commanded that the Perrier and Jouett should be well iced and bountifully handed round, for Berkley has made up his mind that Sam Burton must be turned inside out this evening, if possible.

He knows that the Blithedown horses have been tried this week, and he is pretty sure that Burton rode in the trial. If, as is probable, all the three-year-olds were engaged, there is, of course, no question now as to which is the best of them with the stable ; and this, remember, is a point of vital im portance for Berkley to discover. Upon inquiry at the bar, he learns that Mr. Burton arrived from Newmarket about half an hour ago, and, while discussing a glass of sherry thereat, he is joined by that worthy. " Dinner '11 be ready in a few minutes," said Berkley, as he greeted the jockey ; " come into the coffee-room and sit down. I've got a corner table, and all the luxuries of the season. Oysters for the last time this season to begin with. We'll say good bye to them with a tear, eh, my epicurean prince of the pigskin ?

" As he spoke he led the way into the quaint little coffee-room, and passed up to a table upon which the delicacies in question, with their concomitants of brown bread and butter and lemon, were duly displayed. A quietly dressed man, with a rather sporting cut about his light coloured scarf, seated at a table next the door, raised his eyes as the pair passed him, gazed somewhat curiously at them for a second, and then became once more absorbed in his newspaper. His back challis's. 29 being towards the door, Holt does not catch sight of this individual's face, nor, indeed, engaged as he is talking to the jockey, does he notice him, and, from his being seated in the recess on the left 01 the entrance to the coffee-room, he is not very plainly visible when Berkley and his guest have taken their places.

"Well, Sam," said Holt, as he tossed off his glass of Chablis, " I suppose you've about settled the Two Thousand by this at Blithedown ? " "Yes," replied the jockey, "we shall be handy, I dare say." " Put them together, I suppose ; and which am I to stand ? " " You must wait, Mr. Holt. I can't tell you anything as yet. Of course we've had a trial, you know that as well as I do, but I ain't at liberty to say what come of it." " Never mind that. You'll win next Tuesday on one of them, no doubt. I shall know which to back when I see which you ride ; that will be time enough for me," and with this Berkley dropped the subject for the present, and rattled on about other topics, still keeping a vigilant eye upon the condition of his companion's glass, which he took good care should be always promptly replenished.

By the time dinner is over, Sam Burton is talking some what vain-gloriously of his feats in the saddle, and relating more than one anecdote of his professional triumphs over his brethren, no one of whom he honestly believes can ride upon even terms with himself. " Yes," rejoined Berkley ; " you are quite right, you're about three pound better than any of them, certainly — five when you're once off." " Once off!" retorted Burton, indignantly. " You think I'm not as quick at starting as anybody ? Nonsense ! nobody ever gets half a length the best of me when the flag falls." challis's. 31 " Hum ! I don't know, Sam. How about the Middle Park Plate ? " "Well, I suppose we must all have an accident sometimes. That Coriolanus, too, you see's a little awkward." " Awkward, pooh ! no horse is awkward in the hands of a first-class horseman.

He didn't run awkward when you were once away with him ; but that's what I say is your weak point — getting away." " Well, you see if I don't get away next Tuesday with him, and make a pretty mess of the rest of 'em ! " " Don't talk bosh, Sam ; of course, you'll ride Lacedemonian. I've got a monkey on him, and mean to see it out ; " and, as Berkley spoke, he threw himself back in his chair, with the air of a man who had no more to say. Sam Burton looked cautiously round the coffee-room for a moment — it was empty — the gentleman next the door had taken his departure. " Look here," he said at length, " I don't want you to be let in hedge. It '11 be all over town in another four-and-twenty hours. Lacedemonian's hock went in the trial." "And they're going to win with Corio lanus ? " inquired Berkley, eagerly.