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JOE THOMPSONS BETTING OPERATIONS For clearness of intellect, businesslike acumen and energy Joe Thompson, the Engli-h bookmaker who died in 1000 on he Island of Micleiia. was a re-uiiiikable man. .lud. having regard to Hie magnitude of his business, he deserved to rank with "Le-vialhan" Davis, who was one of the biggest pen-cih-is of Ihe past generation of racing men. Joe Thompson started life as a sailor. In a voyage to Australia he was shipwrecked outside Sydney harbor and managed to reach Ihe shore on a cask. He landed a I a time when Ihe gold fever was cm. and making his way up to the diggings he did very well and laid the foundation of a respectable fortune. I He later took lo the turf and before long became recognized as one- of the foremost operators in Australia. Success attended him lrom the outset and in the course of time !.e had race hoises of his own heme of the most celebrated horses of Ihe time carrying his colors. Among them may be menlioned Argus. Don Juan probably the best of the lot. Scandal. Roinula and King of the Rigu, Thompson being al this period himself called "King of I lie Ring." After joining the ring in England Thompson had woikeil hard for ihe benefit of the memlter of jai-lersalls and was responsible for the fifteen-minute rule regarding objections. He was Ihe originator in England of the mammoth double-event bet:; on the principal races. lie paid innumerable sums of 0,000 over double events, the largest amount laid in duo bet, and lost, being ITBMf* to ,000. About C..medv Bad Ratri-rnni.de he laic! a wager of 25,000 lo 00. He al-o lost in the aggregate a sum of 25,000 when l„c Flei he woi the Cambridgeshire, independently of .i d .iible. laid to a brother bookmaker, of n.0H0 to |8H Burnaby and La Fleche for the Cesarewiich and Cambridgeshire. Winkfields Pride, at 200 to 1. was offered a few days before he won the Cambridgeshire. On that occasion Thompson took ,000 to 0 that the winner was not named in twenty tries. Needless to tsay. the backer did not include Winkfilds Pride in his twenty horses. Mr. Thompson was a big loser on the race. In 1894 the late Sir J. B. Maple hacked Childwick and langway. bath of which banal he owned, lo win is 100. 000 with Thompson. After Childwick had won the Oaaarwttea "Joe" asked the baroi.et if he would like lo hedge. "No." said Sir John. "I want a little more on Gangway." "Oh. do von? Well. I will lay you 8.000 to 1,000 to buy some sueet stuff Willi." When the second race was decided and Gangway was beaten by Indian Queen. "Joe" beckoned to sir John and sang to him. "Thou art so near and yet so far." Li anoi her in-tauce a backer had a double-event bet with "Joe" to win 0,000. and when the second horse proved successful the backer was so overcome lhat he fell in a faint. Naturally, a crowd began to gather around him, and on some one calling out "Make room, and let him have air." Thompson iuizzically observed, "Send him a wreath." Bui Thompson was a great winner over the Cambridgeshire of IS94, as he was in posse-sion of some rure information concerning Indian Queen. On the nigl.t preceding the race he went into the subscription rooms a i Newmarket after the card bad been culled over and not only supported the mare to win the race but also backed her against pretty nearly everything else running.
