The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-06
LARGE SUMS WERE
WAGERED ON DERBY
Anecdotes of Some of the Famous
Plungers on English Races-Daine's
Sensational Career

''Bookies are afraid to lay good odds
nowadays" an old racegoer remarked
at Newmarket recently. BETS are mere
trifles compared with those of the old
days And certain we do, not hear of
"plunges" such as those for instance,
which characterized the transactions Of
Mr.. Davies, the first bookmaker to be
called a 'leviathan," who betted in tens
of thousands. says Tit Bits.
In the year 1856 he laid Mr.. Clarke
f100,0 600 to f100 against each of three
horses the latter had in the derby of
that year. Mr.. Clarke having to pay
while, if Barbarian had won the derby
OF 1853 instead of Daniel ORourke, the
'leyiathan' would have netted some-
thing like 100000.
Ono of Davies first big wagers was
to lay Lord Strafford f12,O00 to E10G0
against the Cur for the Cesarewitch
Davies started life as a carpenter, and
began betting in a small street off
Gray's Inn Road by taking half
crowns. But by great shrewdness and
insight he soon gained the confidence
of the public, and the amounts he paid
away daily 10 ready money clients were
enormous. He is said never to have
quibbled or suggested mistakes and
such was his honesty that on one oc-
casion, when he found that success
full client had died since making the
bet, ne paid the winnings over to the
widow.
Another famous bookmaker who
made big bets, and in whom the racing
fraternity had the same high confidence
born of actual experience, was the late
Mr.. Fry. In the course of his long and
highly successful career he paid out
as much as 100000 on single wager
and in more than one instance a sum
of 10000. And while he lost upward Of
100000 through defaulters nobody
ever lost penny owing to his failure
to pay up.
1t has been suggested that there
have been such big betting transac-
tions during the last 20 years. In 1902
however, when Ard Patrick won the
derby. the Grately stable had a tre-
mendous gamble on Pekin, and would
have taken more than 100000 out of
the ring IL he had won. Only few
Epsoms ago an amateur speculator had
f12.O0O on one of his horses in a selling
plate and lost the money. while more
recently still 100000 to $4,000 was laid
to the stable against the horse that
won the Cesarewitch
Reference might also be made to Mr..
Henry Chaplin, who was said to have
made quarter of million when his
horse Hermit won the derby. but proba-
bly, half that amount would be near
er the mark. At the odds of 66 to /.
Mr.. Chaplin would have had to invest
less than $4,000 to do 1t.
Quite naturally, it is in backing a
favorite that the largest bets are
made. The odds are. of course small,
and it takes money to make money.
II may be accepted as an axiom that
in a first class race half the betting
is upon the favcrite.
Thus when the fayorite fails IN win
the public is badly hit and the book
makers net thousands and thousands
of pounds. Probably never did hackers
suffer more severely than when Sir
Hugo won the derby in the 1892 race,
at odds of 40 to !.
There was probably only one man
who backed that horse to the extent
of f75o, and he received 100000 for his
bold venture.