Take a look at the hints below for guidance.
Hint 1
Ignazio Riolo is an Italian gangster, with several crimes under his belt as listed in the Evening Dispatch newspaper article. Does any evidence point to his involvement in Brown’s murder?
Hint 2
The telegram dated 01 Aug 1920 mentions a phone call—listening in on Applegate and Carraway’s call (1st August, 11:00pm, Mains 0208 & 0216), they discuss Brown’s death as well as a previous call. Listening in to the second call (30th July, 1:00pm, Mains 0208 & 0216), Applegate explains he was threatened by Riolo, who was trying to overweigh racehorses to fix the race at Warwick. Was Riolo successful?
Hint 3
By comparing the “Final Weight” in the Warwick Racecourse 1st-Rank Steeplechase entrants list to the handicapping equation given in the excerpt from the horseracing book, we can see all the horses were indeed overweight except for one: Monaghan Boy. We can also see that Noble Standing was struck through and did not race. Riolo’s threats to Applegate fell on deaf ears, so perhaps he took drastic measures to eliminate the competition. Which horse was Riolo backing?
Hint 4
The betting ledger page shows Riolo had bet a large sum on Monaghan Boy. As Applegate didn’t accept a bribe to overweight Noble Standing, Riolo had a motive to kill either Brown or his horse and ensure Noble Standing wouldn’t compete against Monaghan Boy. What info do we have on Riolo’s movements around the time of the murder? The Evening Dispatch newspaper clipping explains Riolo was arrested a few hours after Brown’s murder, after a brawl with Arthur Shelby. He apparently had nothing on him other than a hotel compliment slip – this evidence may shed more light on Riolo’s actions.
Hint 5
If you’ve covered all bases and you’re still stuck, please follow the hint section for The Final Hints to gradually reveal the answer to this case.