STRANGE BETTING TANGLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 August 1939, Page 13

STRANGE BETTING TANGLE

STIPENDIARY STEWARDS ASKED TO DECIDE. \ The Australian Jockey Club's stipendiary stewards were approached at Kensington recently to adjudicate on probably the strangest betting tangle that, has occurred for many years. A trainer sought the help of a bookmaker in placing a commission on his horse at Ascot. He did not have the money with him, but produced a guarantor, who was not known to the bookmaker. The instructions were that the commission was not to be launched before the horses left the enclosure. The bookmaker mentioned the name of the guarantor to a friend, who thought so much of the name that he sought to be associated with the commission to the amount of a few pounds. The race was run, and the horse beaten, but the bookmaker’s friend was informed that he had not lost his money, as no investment had been made. On settling day the trainer gave £2OO to the guarantor, who sought out the bookmaker, only to learn that the bookmaker had not put on the money. The bookmaker believed that the instructions were to be confirmed as the horses left the enclosure, and as neither the trainer nor the guarantor approached him, he assumed that some other arrangements had been made. The question then arose whether the trainer would have had any claim il the horse bad won. At first the parties were of opinion that they could strike some ration for the division of the £2OO since the trainer believed that he had lost it but the bookmaker declined to receive settlement of money he had not lost.