Snooker’s Racing Experiences.

Evening Star, 7 September 1901

“Snooker’s Racing Experiences.” By “G.Q.” R. A. Everett and Co., London.

This is a series of amusing turf experiences much on the same lines as Jerome’s ‘Three Men in a Boat.’ Some idea of the author’s humor may be gained from the following excerpt, in which he tells how he managed to get round on the “books” at the close of a somewhat disastrous day:— “There were seven runners. They were all backed except three. It was a turning, twisting course with the final bend close home. My jockey knew that he could take all sorts of liberties with the others when he was riding White Eagle, for the horse was so artful and handy that he could go anywhere. ‘Get the inside berth,’ I said to my jockey; ‘lie up with ’em in the straight, and butt ’em round all the turns. Butt ’em hard round the last turn, and come home alone. We must have no bloomer.’ He laughed, knowing that the old horse was capable of the job as well as he; both liked a bumping finish. There were no stewards present likely to do mo any harm. I was not obliged to ‘sweeten’ anybody. Then the race, the race—only if you had seen it you would certainly have been wrought up to a high pitch of excitement, and might have screamed at intervals as if you were terrified in your sleep. . . . Round all the turns White Eagle was busily engaged in butting away his foes. His jockey had gained the inside position, so that he dashed at them when they were turning, and, catching them on the skew, drove them out of their ground. At the last turn he did that beautifully, but was obliged to go out a little himself after one that had the audacity to butt back, so that he let up a speedy filly, who took his place on the rails and came into the straight with a nice lead. Having settled the others, he did not seem to see her at first; then he went after her in desperate earnest, and I never saw a horse struggle on more gamely under punishment. He caught the filly opposite the stand, and neither could go any faster. But he gave her a little butt, which knocked the go out of her in the last few strides, and so we just got home. . . . It was a near thing. Yet, as a winning effort, it was magnificent, placing me on my legs again until I broke down in the old spot—you know, near the rails.”