The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1888-07-19
IN. Y. Mail and Express.1
S5 YEARS A JOCKEY.
Haywood Tells of Some of His Experi-
ences on the Turf.

ences ON the Turf.
The life of professional jockey is
full of the widest and most unre-
strained excitement. doubt if its
parallel can be found in any other vo-
cation. Watch even the casual spec
tator of horse race, as he sits on the
grand stand calmly viewing the start,
and then see him as the horses speed
around the track. The on-looker be-
comes interested more and more until,
by the time the winner has crossed
the line, he is standing IN his chair,
madly waving his arms and cheering
until his breath is gone. That is the
way closely contested race affects
even a passive spectator. To what fe-
verish excitement, then, is the jockey
himself subjected who, next to the
| good mount unnder his saddle, is the
most active participant in the contest ?
Yet amid it all the rider must be as
cool and clear-headed as If he we're
simply taking constitutional
morning canter on his fathers favor
ite mare.
l believe that / am to-day the old
est professional race-rider in the Uni
ted states, and for more than thirty
| five years | have taken part in some
| of the most famous events in Great
Britain and this country, having rid
den the majority of the noted runners
of the past quarter century, and | can
say that no words of mine can convey,
even in the remotest degree, the sem
satitions in a hot race around the
course. Sometimes feel, after race
is run, that [ have never ridden the
like before, so new is the excitement
and so all-absorbing the interest with
each contest.
ALMOST BORN IN THE SADDLE.
can scarcely remember the time
when / was not in the saddle, for |
began so young. With that record
behind me | am, naturally, fast ap-
preaching the age when it is about
time to think of settling down for
good in quiet retirement. but | find
myself in such good bodily health
that see no reason why | should for
the present abandon the calling which
| learned to love long years ago, and
which has done so well by me and
mine. Perhaps more than my proper
share of success has fallen to my lot,
but should be loath to put aside my
chosen profession until old age actual
ly compelled me to do so. | should
be jockey were | millionaire. That
is the long and short of it. When |
attempt to recall the number of races
khave ridden | am utterly at loss,
for their total would probably run
into the thousands. | have often
been asked the question as to the
amount of the stakes the horses |
have ridden to victory have won, but
| have no means of making even an
approximate estimate. [ should say,
however, that the sum would be large
ly in excess Of S1,0O0,OO0 which, of
course, does not include anything but
the stakes and purses.
Ny love for horse flesh was born in
me. | was always lounging about the
stable. While but mere boy had
the good fortune to be thrown in with
sporting men of wide repute in that
country, among them being Aleck
Taylor, the famous trainer. | know
not the reason, but somehow old Aleck
took great liking to me when | was
a mere lad, and gave me my first les
son in the art of riding for money. It
was he who kept fatherly eye upon
me and the horse | rode at one Of the
English county fairs in my first race,
when | was but fourteen years DID, l
shall never forget how kindly he
praised me after | had leaped to the
ground winner.
COMING To AMERICA.
Thus my career as a jockey began un-
der the most favorable auspices and
my good luck generally stood by me
for | rode in races in all parts of En-
gland and Scotland with considerable
success, for several years. was for
a long time in the employ of Mr..
Merry, the owner of famous stable
in England, and it was with him that
Iwon races on the celebrated horses
Scottish Chief and Doncaster. But |
became tired of living in the old coun-
try, and in 1867, just twenty-one years
ago, [ came to New York. [ found
that [ already had some reputation in
the United States and did not have
long to wait before became connected
with the American race track. |
made my debut in this city on Load
stone in three-mile race for the Ho-
tel Stakes at Jerome Park, in the
same year. Many of the older gener-
alton of sporting men in New York
City to-day will remember the details
of that great race against Onward and
Gilroy. The success attending the re-
suit of this event proved an excellent
starter" for me, for | have not had
an opportunity to starve since Thus
the next ten years of my life were
L.