Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-02
and work of fellows who come alongside. Stu

ana WORK OF IeuoWs VINO come Alongside. STU
art the little Englishman. was the first of the
five whom had good chance of seeing, and
he was q very trim, business-like. thoroughgo-
ing rider. IA vast improvement on Lord
ws$dh *ss," said Westmore and others on the
judges stand, who were watching him as he
came flying down the homestretch straight as
horse could run. The young lord referred to
had been over a year or two before and had. so
they!said, ridden all Owe his horse" Rosch-
lectrer, also, was pretty rider. though too
high in the stirrups to suit me. and more than
once thought that the coach. whom he had
smploJesEa jockey with beautiful seat and
sIands but a shady record-was laughing in his
sleeve at him. Crenneville. only saw in sad
die twice before the race. and both times ID
struck me he was "too much in the air." Hear
ing a Mobile horseman commencing the counts
style, and anxious to learn its special points as
viewed by him. l asked his reasons.
why, he's so light Never touches his
horses back. You would think he wasn't on
him at ALL"
well. if that horse should suddenly shv or
swerve he wouldn't be on him. was the an
swer that occurred to me, but said nothing at
the moment. The next morning his horse did
shy and the Austrian thrown headlong.
These three gentlemen had their coachers or
trainers with them great DEAL but after the
first day preferred to allow no one to touch
my horse.
4 THEN CAME THE ANNOUNCEMENT
and then 1 made my bets. Both of them
against myself OF course if riding could do
it. meant to win that race. There was everv
reason why should Pride in the fact that I
was riding for America; pride in the fact that
was riding for the cavalry of my country;
pride IN being winner. even. But when l
looked on the horses and their records my
hopes went down. All other things being even
Ross would land Ireland's green silk an easy
winner, with the emblazoned arms of the horse
OF Crenneville good second. was willing to
believe that il the rest Of us were not
punched" could come in fair third. The
horses assigned us were as follows:
TO Ireland-The brown colt Nathan Oaks
To Austria-The chestnut colt Tom Akin.
To the United States-The chestnut gelding
Templar
To England-The brown filly Rapidita.
10 France-The bay FLY Oleander.
WHAT THEY COULD DO.
l knew every one of them. Nathan Oaks,
was glorious colt-capable of anything. /
had watched him in his practice and had seen
him win two races. making time that old Tenn
piar with any weight couldn't touch, and the
very day before our race came off he justified
my faith in him and sent my heart farther
down in my boots by winning the two mile
heat under the eyes of the people who were to
watch his struggle for the International on
the morrow
Ihe chestnut colt Tom Akin was another
flyer. He had a record, under ninety pounds
OF making his mile on the Metairie in 43-
about as fast as it could be done-and while he
certainly could not repeat that performance
under Crenneville. who was to scale 123 pounds
when he came to the post he ought. even with
that weight, to brush close on Nathan Oaks.
Rapidita and Oleander were both fleet and
pretty racers, and under normal weights would
have run right away from Templar but we
amateur jockeys could not be made to ride the
weights of the PROFESSIONALLY are mere
skim sinew, stunt and bone-and all things
considered 1t as fair an assignment as
could be made with the means at hand.
But had agreed to ride Templar at the re-
quest of old Mr.. Harrison, who owned him. and
the Natchez stable. He was more of a ..hurd-
Ter" than anything else-had never won fiat
race such asswe were to ride, was a notorious
bolter. and only day or two before our race
he pitched his powerful negro jockey over his
head and dragged him all over the field. / saw
him.
But the stable men and experts said Templar
and ''got along together first rate" l had
taken a fancy to him and he was accorded to
me.
Then came the announcement of the weights.
That meant that with his saddle. and in full
jockey dress, each rider must scale in mount
ing as follows:
King, 143; Rosenlecher, 1876; Stuart; 1885,
Ross, 13O, and de Crenneville, 1873 To reach
his weight the latter had to carrya three pound
weight.
And thus were the long preliminaries settled.
The story of the race itself will take another
chapter-but not so long one.
BY CAPTAIN KING.