The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-13 00:00:00

SFURTING NOTES.

The renewed correspondence respeqing the Soiled Dove
case shows that Admiral Rous is still persistently obstinate
in advocating opinions and views which I feel sanguine, be-
cause they are not based on sound reasoning, will never be
endorsed by members of the Jockey and other Clubs equally
experienced with himself. Tao Admiral says, " The gen-
tlemen who decided against the bets being paid misunder-
stood the first rule, which is solely applicable to horses
dead in law, or to the Elinor case, where the bets wore
declared off because the Jockey Club decided that, as she
was improperly named, she could not start, but if she had
started the bets must have been paid." I have insisted,
however, over and over again, that if it had not been for the
negligence of the Jockey Club qfficials, who allowed Soiled
Dove to run, and consequently be claimed by Mr. Chaplin in
direct opposition to Rule 15, none of this unpleasantness
would have occurred. In the- Admiral's book on Horse
Racing, in quoting Rule 1, he remarks:—" If money be
betted p.p. against homes dead, or legally struck out at the
time the bet was laid, it would be void, but trot so if the
horse was dying, or if lail before the declaration was
made; or if by any pos:dbility at the time the bet
was made the horse could start, it would held
good." But in this case the horse could not
not have started had Rule 15 been enforced, as the
Admiral expressed his astonishment on a previous occa-
sion that the fraud had not been discovered earlier, a
pretty good proof that the necessary certificate could not
have been produced, without which Soiled Dove had no
right to run. The Admiral goes on to say, " Thus, a fields-
man who stands £2,000 against Soiled Dove, and £2,000
against Reigning Beauty in the match, will eventually pay
£2,000 to the latter party, and receive nothing from the
other side." When I find the decision of the committee is
so palpably unjust and illegal (the Admiral's expression),
the reverse of which appears, in my humble opinion, the
case, I shall bo willing to enunciate his views and his
opinions, but they must first be more carefully put and
backed by sounder arguments than he has yet brought for-
ward. For instance, it is simply preposterous to use the
above argument, as, of course, the veriest tyro ought to
know the committee's decision is to the effect that all bets
on the match are null and void. They decide, in effect,
that all wagers on Soiled Dove are off, because, in reality,
there was no such -animal in the race ; and they probably
believe that there was not, in any one of her races,
£5 betted by a single party who was not entirely inno-
cent and ignorant of a fraud having been committed.
The Admiral makes another proposition, which I dispute
in Coto:—" The backer of a fraudulent horse may win to
any amount, and the committee throw their shield over
him, and will not allow him to lose. The fieldsmau must
lose ; he can by no possibility win. By this theory a man
may back a four year old for the Derby to win £200,000;
if he is detected he is to pay nothing. We may thus
look forward to a great increase of Bloodstones, Leanders,
and Running Reins." Now if the gallant gentleman or
the fieldsmen, whose cause he advocates so strenuously,
can bring forward the slightest evidence to prove any
guilty knowledge on the part of the owners (Mr. Chaplin to
begin with) who had the animal in their possession during
the period she won her races, or against the backers of her,
I have nothing more to say ; but as I am pleading the cause
of justice on a broad scale, until Admiral Rous and his par_
tisans will admit the justice of their being, on tko suppo-
sition of any of them unfortunately having possession of a
forged cheque or bank note, criminally prosecuted, so long
will I uphold, with voice and pen, the righteous decision
which will, I am satisfied, never be revoked. The punish-
ment to any of the gentlemen in the case of having a ficti-
tious cheque or note would be compelling him to refund
the money; and is it not punishment enough fur Mr.
Chaplin and others to toecap their winnings?
One word to the bookmakers. There is no race of any
importance throughout the year where those gentlemen do
not get every advantage over the backers of horses, some
of which are not intended to run, others do not try - three
parts of them cannot win, and as others are " hors de
combat" from "some of the ills which horse flesh is heir
to," it frequently happens that some outsider not trusted
with a shilling wins them Marge sums of money.
I think, therefore, they might let the subject drop with a
good grace.
I suppose the usual sensational movements may be ex-
pected anent the Derby at the ensuing Bath meeting, which
commences to-morrow, although Vauban and The Hermit
are not likely to contest fOr the Fifteenth Biennial Stakes,
which looks a certainty for WROUGHTON, otherwise it is
bound to have some effect upon the Duke of Beaufort's
horse for the Derby. VA/4 AMBURGff appears to be an im-
proving horse, and may run amongst the first three
for the Epsom event. Lome PALMERSTON and Gram-
STON ought to 'give a good account 0 theluselves in the