Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-08-20
ENGLISH JOCKEYS.
HOW BRITISH YOUNGSTERS A7s
TRAINED FOR THE TURF.
How Trainers Treat IheiI Apprentices
Profits of the Business successful
Career Of 7 red Arr h, r-.Iocheys
a Mach Tempted Class.


Mach Tempted Class.
Inndpn ,.r San Francisco tHrot.i",-
There re .,-ilv III E..-lani about 2Jo
n-v-. Nho MAKE inc mes varying from
- ; a. s.n.Fr' '- - ly tire IRA Il = Of
.n4-. Jos nj III
-. III r., rid r., ri
-. III 1. g. .'- IN the. 100 pr".e--
-. inc "a HiAi.y more
amateurs. Ar the steel lechase season only
lasts ia this country from the end OF Novern
Ter = tie beginning CT March, the cross
co0.Ey r!iers do not make nearly 50 much
money rs tier professional brethren
who confine their attention to the more
legitimate branch Of the sport OF
racing The English jockey serves anappren-
tice,hip, the terms and conditions Of which
are perhaps more rigid than those in force IN
any other trade or occupation. In selecting
suitable boys for the business the trainer
looks upon the sac Of the subject as perhaps
the most important consideration. Stunted
boys of II or L; years Of age. long in the leg,
but short in the body, thin anG yet wiry
wthal are :he nio>. sought u ter. Probably
three-iourlhs Of tie Jockeys riling to-day
come from -horsey" families, Either their
fathers have lie joceevS before them. or
perhaps stud-grooms or stable boys. who
never became sufficiently proficient in the
art Of riding to enter the higher branch OF
their profession.
ALCCKY wAIF.
Jockeys are occasionally picked up in all
sorts of odd places by shrewd trainers, who
always have their eyes open when travelling
about the country. Sam Kenyon, who in his
day was one of the best Light weights that
ever got into a saddle, was picked up by
Cliff, the trainer, i'll a back street in MAN.
chester. The little wait, who, although at
the time - years of age. was litS0 bigger
than a good-sized baby, was playing about
in the gutter when he eaa9ht the Aednes
ford trainers eyes. ClR hnediately sought
out the boys Iarests an he was there and
then for a pecuniary consideration allowed
to carry him off home to Hednesford The
lad was plucky and soon acquired goa1 seat
on q horse, and five years later was eassung
for his master fully 5000 year 6Aee-
quently, when out of his apprenticeship his
income went up to four times that amount in
one season, but a career of almost oinuous
dissipation cut this brilliant horMcaaAof a
few years after he attained his majsaU.
A TRAINING SCHOOL.
Trainers treat their apprentices very diff
ferently. The veteran Matthew Dawson,
ono of the Oldest and possibly the most re
spected Of bis class, cares for the lads that
are bound TO him almost as much as If they
were his own children. Family prayers ore
held morning and evening. and every night
for a couple Of hours or SO the lads, of whom
there are never less than forty or fifty at
tached to the establishment are instructed
until they acquire fair common school edu-
cation. They are fed with the purest and
most wholesome food, decently and comfort
ably clad, and but for the fact that they are
engaged during a portion Of the day in
riding horses at exercise and that each lad
Gas the doing" Of a particular animal, the
life they lead is very much the same
as that in daily progress at 4 good
boarding-school OF course out Of say
twenty boys who are apprenticed to learn
the trade of jockey, at least fifteen will, in
the course Of few years, increase in weight
to such an extent as to be practically useles,
for riding in a race. Of the remainder, per-
haps only two or three will develop into
promising horseiHen. They may ride well
enough to be able to stick on a horse but yet
may lack Judgment in the matter Of pace
and be unequal to sqeezing the last ounce ont
of horse in a close finish. As time goes on,
the boy whose weight has fortunately for
proved to the satisfaction of his master that
he possesses head as well as hands, will be
at length intrusted with mount in public,
and then, should he by chance be successful
in his first essay, he will find the road tc
fortune an uncommonly easy one to travel
PROFITS OF THE BUSINESS.
The earnings of some Of the leading jock
eys during the past two decades have beer
almost fabulous l know for fact thai
Fred Archer, who deservedly stands at the
head of his profession, is worth upwards o.
100000 and his income to-day from riding
in public probably amounts TO at least $50,
600 year. / should say, however, tina
Archer's career has been to some extent az
exceptional one.
The usual Jockeys fee in a fat race is So,
for a winning and $40 for a losing mount
but as Archer frequently gets $500 for {
win and occasionally three times or even ter
times that amount, I am sure / hav,
not overestimated his gains during thu
period & named. He has been equally
successful during the last year and the season
which is drawing to close, and, although
in 1882 Wood, who is really his only danger
Gus rival in the saddle, nearly approached
his total of wins. as he caught the judges
eye first on 1872 occasions as against Archer
21O wins, there can be no doubt that, if sue
cess is to be taken as a crucial test Of merit
Fred Archer is undoubtedly the premiel
jockey in this country. Wood is also
splendid rider and grand judge of pace
He has perhaps achieved more importan
handicap triumPhs than his great rival, bu
in what are called the classic races-im
portant events Of the year in which Swear
olds only are entitled to compete-Archel
has been the most successful
AMUCH-TEMPTED CLASS
In this country jockeys are exposed t.
even greater temptations than they are il
America. They are made more Of by thei
employers and their society is courted BY
thousands of professionals who obtain
livelihood by betting on race-horses. o
course these lads are in a position to give in
valuable information to the gamblers, and
have known many of them who after they
had made their mark and were in receipt o.
splendid incomes, forgot their duty to theil
masters, plunged into all sorts of dissipation
and finally died dishonored and pennies
almost before they were out of their teens. i
Is but a few years ago that saw Sam Adam
receive 2, 200 pounds sterling In presents
on a chilly October afternoon in 1867, wher
be won the Cambridgeshire, after sensa
tional dead heat with Wolsey. Seven year
later he was walking the streets of London
with hardly a shoe to his feet, and finally
dropped down in the Strand, literally ex
plring Of starvation. Dan Butler, fashion
able lightweight fifteen years ago. died re.
Gently in extreme poverty at Newcastle
He was scarcely 81 years Of age. As much
may lie said of dozens 4 other jockeys, and
when one considers .o, to-day chicanery
and roguery are said to have fairly honey
combed the turf, it i, gratifying to find that
at least some of the chef actors in the sport
can resist the temptations and sSorn the
brlbes that are presented to them on every
side by the unrrincipled hangers-on of the
English national pastime.
Things to DO and to Know.
Plant shaie trees only on the highest
points Of pastures.