The Anaconda standard., 1896-05-15
GRIFFIN THE JOCKEY
One Of the Best and Most Reliable on
the Turf in This Country.
HE'S RIDING FOR BELMONT
The Sponge Epidemic at the ingle-
side Track-M on aux Creates
Sensation-Ne ews From
the Courses.
HE'S RIDING FOR BELMONT

street Catholic Protectory-sevc1 years
ago by Jim Shields, and who Learned
the trade" 1 quote learned the
trade" because the term as applied to
the American jockey isn't well applied
We have no school. or next tc hone.
Our jockeys are born. not made. They
require too many natural gifts for
manufacture as culture goes. There's
no reverence. less respect, and still less
courtesy in the riding contests If cur
turf. Your darkey of Is, IL he has tie
notion-and the horse-thinss IL gioiy
to hook up with your Haywards or
Taylors and skin EN-" If he's got the
backbone of it all, this darkey, b., may
even go to the end of a finish, says the
Mercury. Action only Keeps honor
bright in these effervescant days, and
the winners the idols all the time, no
matter what his experience, weight or
color. When one considers the utilita-
rianism of 1896 and the conflict oe all
the days around us, this caens proper.
We're for profit, and the only profit is
in the front of the racing corner of our
world. That's the rule of life, as find
1T, though a man may grade IL for lrim-
self
Griffin is yet bound to Shiel1s, who
shares his earnings, some s25, COO a
year, by the right of maki1g him.
From the ranks of novices Grii,in went
to a school that was more careless than
bad. When he rode for Roller here he
was always under suspicion. At last
the boy got within close lines and since
he has been between them his ,iding
has been the best the turf has ever
seen. When / say best, / mean IL il. a
full sense. Griffin is almost feather
weight. After his recent sickness,
through an accident in California, he
weighed 110 pounds in his street
oln lnth hot a s..
in his riding weight Yet Griffin holds
his own under the weights at the scale
from 122 to 126 pounds-with riders of
the strength of Taral and Hamilton.
His record in this particular line marks
the boys ability.
Go to the refined stake list of 1895. It
shows that he rode IA of their winners
There were but II in the seasons list,
East and West. His mounts won $125-
900 of the s402.745 in the $4,000 stake list.
Requital in the Futurity carried 115
pounds; Handspring in the Great Trial,
lis; Ramapa in the Long Island, 126;
keenan, in the Tidal, 122, and in the
Brooklyn Derby, 1872; Hastings in the
Surf, 118; Floretta w. in the Expecta-
ton, lis; Daisy, lis, and Amazon, 120;
ReQuital in the Seaside, los; Hazlet in
the June. 121. and the Spring 11s, and
Henry of Navarro in the Manhattan,
127, and Municipal, 100. Behind the
boy were such riders as Sims, Taral
Reiff, Doggett, McCafferty and Hamil-
ton. He held his own, and sometimes
won by a finish on not much the supe-
rior horse. Perhaps 1t was an even
thing or less in some cases.
Griffin is full of resources; his hands
are grateful to the 2-year-old; he uses
the spurs but little. and the whip less,
knows pace, is courageous, and can ride
finish-his arms are strong. While
Drawn counts on some horses, the turfs
riding level is one of brains, as 1t
should be, or the conditions would be
false.
Griffin rides for Mr.. Belmont this
year; he rode for him part of last That
gathers skill. horsefiesh and tone in a
group and the result should be superb.
Griffin ought to ride for a long term.
His stature favors him. He will be ma
tured-he's not 21-at 125 pounds. Be
fore he grew to fame heard stories of
his brother-younger (he had three),
who rode better than he, and young
Donnelly, who rode and failed in Cali
fornia last winter. These boys, report
said, outclassed Griffin. They stopped
at nearby goal and fingered there.
The other youngsters didn't. He had
courage and ambition. The goal to
their possessor is elastic and moves
with time and progress. Griffin's a
credit to the turf.
There are Ala entries still eligible for
the Futurity of 1896. says the Racing
Calendar out of 920, when the stake
closed on Jan. e. 1894. OF the original
entries, 169 are void, PIP declared at $40
each, n at $40 each, $42 at $50 each, and
six at $40 each. From the present out
look, the rich price will be worth from
100000 to $4,000. This race is governed
by the rules of racing of 1893, ,and not
under the Jockey Club rules-as distinc-
tion that is equally applicable to the
Ralization-and the Coney Island Jock
ey club is the only club that has stakes
now being run under the old rules.
Since that time at Bay District when
1t was discovered that some miscreant
had placed a sponge in the nostrils of
the race mare Marjorie to prevent her
winning, the nag has not been herself
The other day at Ingleside IL was de-
cided to prospect for other sponges and
preparatory to an examination being
made the mayors head was given a
good steaming and she was sent out
over the inner track for good warm
ing up. On her return a second sponge
was found in her left nostril, il having
become loosened by the exercise and
the steaming.
1t is now thought that Decision, an
other mare who was made a victim of
the sponge planters may be in a like
predicament. Decision will be steamed
and warmed up. and small bets are be-
ing made that the vets. will locate a
second sponge.
The following from an English ex-
change should be of interest to admir-
ers of Mr.. Croker's colt Montauk: In
these days. when betting upon future
events is almost a thing of the past,
IL is not surprising that the backing Of
Montauk on Monday to win upwards Of
E20.0 900 for the Derby created a mild
sensation. The big American colt is a
chestnut, by Strathmore. out of Spin
away. the latter of whom is a mare by
bennington. out Of Megara. and must
not be confounded with the late Lord
Falmouth's famous animal of the same
name. There Is. however. very much
to like in his extended pedigree. and,