Ben at Flemington: Bill Smith's Tip

Publication: Melbourne Herald
Date: 03 November 1926

otel expensive
melbun, novemer 2th

to the editer of the herald

dere sir
well me an bil smith as saw the melbun cup at leeste wot i meen to say is
we ave been present on the corse where the melbun cup was run an wile the melbun
cup was run an we saw a lot of peepil oo was trine to see over the eds of a lot 
of peepil oo was trine to see the orses wot i reely seen was the culer of 2 
jokies jakets an a orses oof bil sez e seen awl of a orse awl at wun time an 
wud ave saw the finish quite plain if e ad been 2 or three feet higher
* * * *
torkin between ourselfs i got to oan that i ave injoyed meself a lot better up 
at our gunns gully cup meetin were we ave a taim orses that are trained to
start proper an not move off of the wun spot until thay are told to go
beside that up at the gully i am sumbudy at the races i am mister Ben Bowyang
starter andicapper an also juge if i can run down to the post quick enuf beside
bein president of the club down ere today me an bil smith was just 2 plane country
blokes in a crowd of a hundred an fifty thousan peepil oo diden no we was alive 
an diden care if we was ded i felt orful small an if sum of that joslin crowd
ad ther way thay wud ave maid me smaller owever in spite of awl ime
glad i cum an i will now be abil to tell me gran childern an grate gran childern 
that the melbun cup of 1926 was run in the presens of wun underd an ninty ate thousan
peepil an me an bil smith an severil guvners peepil oo was lissenen in on
the wireless tell me that the cup was a grate race awl i got was art diseese
* * * *
annyways after gittin into the rong trane an goin for a nice lettel ride out to  
camberwill we got to the corse jist as the first race was startin nuthink wud do bil
but rush off down the bettin ring to get a quid on renown wot a man ad tole a man oo 
ad tole another man wot ad tole the bell boy at our otel in strick confidens was
a ded cert so jist at the minit that bil was breathin ard after gittin is muney on 
with a lotter truble the orses started an a bloke sez renown is left at the post
you orter seen bils face i did laff an bil ad a row with the booky wot wudent give im
is muney back wich was won quicker than anny muney i ever see becos if bil ad kep it
5 secinds longer it wud ave still been is i did laff
* * * *
the nex race was a orful quick wun i dident ave no bet becos it looked like about arf
of em cud win it but bil was orful ankshus to ave a bit on fugi sam but i sez rememer
 lars time an don’t be in to much of a urry so bil ums an ars an estitates an
then awl of a suddin bil maiks up is mind an rushes off to back this ere chineese 
orse but by the time e gits there the race is awl over an fugi sam as won
gosh i did laff in the novemer andicap bil sez e aint goin to back for a win
no more so e as a bit on loocera for a place an got a good price i never ad a bet 
becos i wan- ted my munney for the cup well when this ere loocera cum up the strate 
bil neer went mad an when the juge give it secind bil wacks me on the back
an sez oo is laffin now then the juge changed is mind an give secind place to cannon
lor an you awt to seen bil an you awt to erd wot e sed abowt juges gosh i neer dide laffin
* * * *
then cum the cup an bein full p of reel good informashin i planks me doe on pantheen for
a win but bil is orful moody an sez e aint goin to ave a bet but e keeps lookin round im 
curius like bine by e seen a blokes at blow off an another bloke catches it with is warkin 
stick then awl at wunse bil went cleen off is ead an dives into the crowd an leves me 
standin but i dident miss im mutch i was to excited as i sez i cant reely say i seen
the cup ixcept in bits but i ad sum orful good jumpin exercises i cot the art diseese 
wile the orses was cumin up the strate an everywun was yellin pantheen i got complications
 wen the numbers went up an the juge sez speerfelt but i cum verry neer bin a
winner an i aint grumlin wot i objects to is bil smith i cum acrost im abowt arf a
our after the race an wen he seen me e starts laffin like a hieener did you back it 
e sez grinnin like a mud idil

an wen i sez backs wot e sez speerfelt dident you get the tip so i sez wot tip
an e sez dident you see that blokes at blow off an when i sez i did e sez dident you see the
uther bloke stop the at with is stick e sez dident you see im speer he felt e sez aint you got
no branes
* * * *
well mister editer i leeve it to you abowt the branes anny man with reel branes
wud ave dun the saim as me an wot bil dun was jist fools luck an nuthink more
an i wident mind it so mutch if e wud only stop laffin thirty luvly quid he wun an
e aint stopped laffin since annyways wate til thursday an we will see oo is laffin then
i may be prry unlucky but thank even i dont never laff at others misforchins
e oo laffs last laffs last an thers many a slip twix the cup an the oaks
wel ther is manny a sad art in Melbun today and the speer as been felt by more than me an
ime feeling it orful 

hoppin you are the saim

Yours truly,

BEN BOWYANG