THE AILESBURY TURF SCANDAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1667, 1 December 1887, Page 4

THE AILESBURY TURF SCANDAL.

As the Marquis of Ailesbury is about to betake himself to the Antipodes, and—according to reportmeans to remain in Australia until " the clouds roll by ” and his latest escapade is forgotten and forgiven, your readers may perhaps like to know the true story of the horsey Peer’s misdoings, Various versions are afloat, but I think I can promise you the following is the correct one: —Lord Ailesbury being neither a fool nor in want of money, it at first sight seems incredible that he should have consented to one of his horses being "roped.” The fact, however, was that in common with other owners, His Lordship had suffered seriously from the plunging propensities of Mr Ernest Benzon, and constant association with some of the lowest blackguards on the turf having sapped his sense of honor and weakened his judgment, he joined, only too readily, in a plot to “ let down” that young gentleman.

The race chosen for the “plant” was the Harewood Plate at York, on the lastday of the meeting. Benzon, besides losing over £IO,OOO at baccarat the previous evening, had been very unlucky in his plunges on Tuesday and Wednesday, and it was rightly conjectured he would make a desperate effort to recoup his losses on the winding up afternoon. Eor the Harewood Plate Lord Ailesbury’s Everitt looked a real “ good thing,” The ring, however, were for once generously disposed and instead of even money, which would have been a fair price under the circumstances, freely laid 4to 1. To inspire Benzon with confidence it is alleged Lord Ailesbury asked the " Plunger” to get on £3OO for him. and it was this fact that told more against him with the Jockey Club than anything else. Benzonfell into the trap like a lamb. Certain bookmakers laid him leviathan bets, and in an incredibly short time he stood to win about £30,000, to lose £IO,OOO. The more money, however, he put on the worse favorite the horse became. The public by this time were on the qui vive, and long before Martin left the paddock on Everitt his mind misgave him as to the possibility of stopping the horse. The reality proved even worse than the prevision. Halfway up the straight Lord Ailesbury’s colt had everything beaten, and nothing short of a most flagrant "roping” could prevent its winning, In this quandary Martin lost his head. First he decided to win, and secondly he resolved to loose, the result being that, to the horror of all concerned, he did neither, but made a dead heat of it. The scene that followed I described to you at the time. But for Jem Mace, Martin would have cetainly been lynched and Lord Ailesbury have fared badly. The bookmakers were furious. Here was a case of the “ biters bit ” with a vengeance. The whole " plant ” had been exposed, and would probably lead to half-a-dozen of them being warned off the turf, and yet the race had not been lost. The ringleaders, on the “iu for a penny in for a pound” piinciple, would have had Everitt "roped ” again the run off, but here little Martin (frightened into fits by the execrations of the crowd) "struck” and another complaisant jockey could not for the moment be found. Everitt won the run-off by many lengths, odds of 6 to 1 being offered in vain on him before the start. So the "plant” on Mr Benzon failed, and instead of losing £IO,OOO he won £30,000. Since then he has left other people’s horses alone. The Jockey Club inquiry into the affair was long and exhaustive; almost every person of note in the paddock at York being examined. At length Martin (seeing the truth mast out) turned Queen’s evidence to save his own skin. Worse than this, he confessed to having “ pulled ” horses on other occasions for Lord Ailesbury. —London correspondent Dunedin Star.