The Wasp — 1893 — page 507: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical piece titled "How He Threw the Race" depicts a conversation between an old English steeplechase jockey and another horseman discussing a past racing incident. The narrator explains how he deliberately lost a major race by riding poorly, despite having superior horses. The satire appears to target corruption in horse racing and the practice of "throwing" races for profit or personal reasons. The jockey's matter-of-fact confession about accepting bribes and intentionally losing suggests commentary on the prevalence of fixed races in sporting culture. The accompanying illustrations show sword exercises and "A Reverie"—a dream sequence of a woman with a black cat, possibly representing romantic or farcical complications. The overall tone mocks both sporting dishonesty and the casual acceptance of such corruption among the sporting class.