“And what do you think about it all?” I said.
“Well, Watson, let,s look at the case. First, we have a racehorse, Silver Blaze – only five years old, but already a winner in many big races, his owner, Mr. Ross, is a happy man – and rich. The racegoers are happy too. Silver Blaze nearly always wins his races, and so people put big bets on him to win. And when the favorite wins the race, a lot of people make money on their bets. But what happens when the favorite doesn’t win, Watson? What then? ”
“A lot of people lose their money, of course,” I said “And people with big bets on a different horse can make much more money, when that other horse wins.”
“Right, Watson! So perhaps some people are very interested in silver Blaze not running in the Wessex Cup. Of course, Mr. Ross and his trainer, John Straker, know that, and they watch the horse very carefully.”