The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-10-13
THE HOME OF FAMOUS HORSES.
eserss =; Le.lIIafa': stable on. Long

George l.. LoriIIard's Stable on Long
Ielaud--Noted Jockeys.
About three miles from Islip, l.. l.,
is the summer residence and farm OF
George L. Lorillard. Eight hundred
acres comprises the extent of the place,
and very large portion of the ground
is laid out in such q picturesque man.
ner as to suggest fairyland itself. What
was at one time only barren waste has
been made, thanks to the expenditure
of q vast sum of money and the employ
ment of the highest skilled labor, to
blossom like the rose. It is here that
all the famous horses owned by Mr..
Lorillard are kept during the greater
portion Of the year. The stable is a
large, low wooden building, octagonal
in shape and capable of accommodating
about fifty horses. Each animal has a
good.sized apartment to himself, and
the whole place is kept scrupulously
neat. An army of small boys and
young men are employed the year
round to care for the stock. The
largest of these employees are Grub
bers" or guddens, whose sole duty
consists in rubbing down the horses
after they have taken their morning
exercise. In one portion of the stable
is school-room, where, at certain hours
during the day and evening in the win
ter months, the boys are taught the COM
mon English branches. The school is
taught by Mr.. Brown, pro 'essional
teacher, who comes from Tslip for the
purpose. Regular prizes are given for
proficiency in the various studies, the
first prize being q gold watch. Exer-
cising the horses is about the first thing
the boys are set 10 do when they arrive
at the farm. After they have served an
apprenticeship of five years at this busi-
ness they are given chance to become
horse jockeys, and that, it may be men
toned, is something they look forward
to with the utmost interest. Before
most of them can enter race they are
obliged to train off some of the SUPER
fous flesh, to get them down to racing
weight.
Some gossip about few of the jock
eys who have acquired some reputation
may not be uninteresting. Tom Cos
tello is a mere youth, and was taken
from the House of Refuge. The first
year he rode he made $1,000, and he is
said to be worth to-day $50, ZOO, which
he has "salted down" in good securities.
The regular price paid to jockeys for
riding horse is $25 if they win and $40
if they lose. But if they happen to win
there is no telling what their earnings
will be, for the owner of the horse
almost invariably makes the rider
present of considerable sum-ranging
all the way from 800 to $4,000. In the
case of Costello last season he rode the
King at Saratoga. One gentleman who
was backing the horse heavily offered
him $500 if he would ride him whethe er
he won or lost. If he won he was to get
$1,000. Costello won, and SO received
for few minutes work what is the
yearly salary Of many a clerk in Brook
lyn or New York. He is but fifteen
years of age, and is very quiet in his
habits. Larry Ural is fourteen years
old. He is the best light weight jockey
there is. Matt Condor is also fourteen
years of age, and has been on the Loril-
lard farm since he was six years old.
Charley OLeary is a light weight who
eau ride at seventy-five or eighty
pounds. He is only twelve years of age
and has won some very good races this
son.-Bro0klym Eagle.