The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-10-25

Tout.
There are but few cities in this country
where racing so strongly retains it's element
OF sport as In Washington. Here people 90
to the track more from pure love of the horse
and the excitement incident to contests of
speed than for the gambling 1t gives an op-
portunity to indulge in. Washington is
horse-loving city. Society turns out in force
at the track, and Objectionable characters are
excluded.
When race meeting is about to open In
Washington many people frequent the stables
and paddocks, and consequently great care is
exercised by the horsemen to keep the admir-
Ing crowd from overstepping the bounds by
becoming intruders upon the privacy Of the
stables Trainers dislike strangers, not so
much that they fear an attempt will be made
to "dose" or 'doctor" their pets, but from
the fact that many of these horses are high
strung and nervous creatures to whom excite
ment is injurious. Some horses interrupted
at a meal will not return to it. Oftimes rope
have to be stretched in order to keep back
strangers. Each horse has man and a bow
to look after him. The man does the Gle an
the horse in his exercises
When horse is particularly valuable one,
and especially before an important race, he
is not left alone for moment. At night one
or the other of his attendants sleeps in the
stall. 1t is such an easy matter to 'sfx' a
horse that the greatest care is exercised to
prevent 1t. A powder thrown into the water
or feed when the attendants back is turned for
moment Is sufficient. When an attendant
has been bribed to dose horse he generally
accomplishes 1t by giving him handful OF
salt the night before the race. This makes
the horse very thirsty on the next day and he
is given all the water he will drink. Under
these circumstances no horse can win.
The jockey is almost as great an object of
interest as the horse he rides. The life OF a
jockey is checkered one. Almost without
exception they have risen fro m the position
Of a stable boy. When lad first enters a
stable he is put to work cleaning bits and
brides and other horse furniture. Then per-
haps he fs allowed to help rub down horses
legs. His next advance is to the position of
leader, that is he is allowed to lead a horse
In his daily walk. After some time spent as
a leader he is allowed to get on horse's back.
From that moment he may be said to have
sporting future before him. If he shows
some aptitude as rider in the exercising
canters he is finally given a mount This is
the proudest moment of his life. He generally
is given horse that the stable has not much
confidence in, and thus he is taught GOODNESS,
self-rel1ance, and alertness. His further ad-
vance depends on his abilities. Some never
get beyond this point and as they gain In
flesh they become rubbers.
Good jockeys are always in demand and
command high salaries. AS an example, take
Frederick Taral, who is considered one OF the
hncf innlynn ir.
contracts. For his services at all times he is
paid $4,000 per annum, for the second call on
his services, that is when not needed by his
first employer, he obtains Sc, 900, for the third
call ne receives $4,000. Besides this sum of
20,500, for every mount he receives an extra
sum. Add to this the races he rides outside
those OF these three employers and the gifts
he receives when he lands his horse first and
his yearly income will not fall below $4,000.
few OF the very best jockeys are sober, saw
Ing fellows who put away considerable money
and consequently are very wealthy men. They
have fine homes where they reside with their
wives and families when the racing season is
over. Each OF these jockeys has valet, who
looks after him at the track. These Wallets re-
ceive the munifcent salary of from $5 to $40
day. jockey who will stay about the
stables is very desirable one, but this kind is
hard to find AS a rule they only appear at
the track at racing hours AT other times
they are In the city spending the money they
termed In vulgar language ''sporty boys"
From their surroundings they can have
little refinement. Money burns their hands.
No sooner do they obtain little cash than
they "blow it In" They lead fast lives
which soon breaks them down. 1t is said
that the highest ambition of jockey is to
have loud clothes, wear diamond, and keep
a mistress.
The hardest task jockey has to perform is
to keep In condition. When one is naturally
slender and of short stature walk of five or
six miles two or three times week is suffi-
cient to keep his weight down. 1t is to those
whose build would naturally make them
heavy that the work is severe and trying.
Hamilton, the well-known colored jockey, last
winter weighed 155 pounds. Now he rides at
ll6. In order to do this he diets himself very
carefully, never eating square, hearty meal.
Every day he puts on heavy "sweaters," and
walks or runs five or ten miles. Turkish baths
are frequently resorted to to reduce the flesh.
This system Is enerVating and very Injurious
to the health. In the case of Fred Archer,
the famous English Jockey, the continued re-
ducing brought on insanity which caused him
to commit suicide. Jockeys seldom live to be
more than middle-aged if they continue to
ride. Often, when they find themselves unable
to reduce to such weight that they can ride,
they become trainers and owners.
A claracter alWaVs Visibla at a raoa rnaaT