The Law: Winning Loser

As the horses pounded down the homestretch, Parisian Maurice Luca was certain that he had picked a winning tierce.* France's noted jockey, Roger Poincelet, had whipped Scallywag−one of Luca's betting choices−into third place, and there was barely a furlong left to go. Suddenly Poincelet eased up, and so did the horse. Scallywag finished out of the money. Track stewards suspended Poincelet for his disappointing efforts, but Luca had his own disciplinary ideas. He sued the jockey for $20,000, the amount he stood to collect had Scallywag placed at least third.

In an unprecedented decision that has the French racing industry in...

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