The evening times., 1898-12-21
HYPNOTIC ExPERrs.
A Theory Accounting for the Success
of Some Famous Jockeys.
(Frcm the New York 81

of Some Famous Jockeys.
(From the New York SUM-
During the racing season just closed
there have been many occasions where tha
good understanding between horse and
rider has led to excellent results 10 their
owner. and there have also been cases
where lack of sympathy between man
and horse has lost the race TO a wen-rsd-
den favorite. About the most notabe case
of the effect of kindness was that of the
three-year-old George keene. At the be-
ginning of the season KeeEe was REGARDED
as one of the most promising horses in his
class. bCt he very soon brought grief to
his hackers. and a large disgust to his
owners. by his fn-tempered performances
at the post He gained the reputation of
being the ugliest-dispositioned horse on
the turf. and the bettors fought shy of
him. but then Keene was claimed in a
selling race by Sam Hildredth, and irnme-
diately his reformation began.
The next time this ill-tempered young
ster appeared on the track he sported the
Hildreth colors and had Clawson, one of
the best lightweight jockeys on the turf,
riding him. To the surprise of all and
the delight of a favored few, he behaved
handsomely at the post got off with the
flag and won easily. From that time on
George Keene was favorite in about ev-
cry race he entered, and won enough
money for his followers to redeem his
losses Of the early season. From being
one of the worst-behayed and worst-tem-
pered horses on the turf he became thor
oughly traetable
Some people contend that the reason of
the reformation of Keene was that b
training had been changed The raflbi-Cs.
who study such things and can always
tell why this or that horse did or didn't
win, say that ii is hypnotism pure ana
simple. and that Clawson is the hypnot-
- h. a. l. L.
mounts. but with George Keene he was
particularly careful Ten minutes before
IL was time TO leave the paddock for
post ClawsOn would stand beside his
horse talking to him and patting him in
the way all properly conditioned horses
like. and when post time came he would
mount and ride out to the post strckins
his horses neck and talking TO him as
though to a human being The horse, on
his part. seemed to like this. and. instead
OF trying TO scrape his rider off against
the rail. he would prance down the m d.
die Of the track. shaking his head b lck
at his rider. and when the race sta. te
he certainly proved that the chat and
kindness had agreed with him. On one
occasion another boy was tried on the
big horse, but the result was disastrous
hoene finishing somewhere behind d
quartet OF horses greatly inferior TO him
self in form and speed.
II is almost impossible to get anything
out Of high-strung, sensitive horse wi h
a whip and a tight rein. A few words
and a stroke of the hand at the PROPER
time viii do more TO quiet sensitive
thoroughbred tnaa all OF the thoEgs and
spurs ever made.
Tod Sloan owes d great deal of his sue
cess on the track to his personal popular
ity with the horses, and ii is remarkable
to observe how the horses remember the
little fellow. When Sloan entered the
paddock at Morris Park or Sheepshead
and spoke aloud the horses that he had
ridden would often recognize his voice
and turn to look il his direction. The
diminuUive rider Is remarkable for the
fact that he never uses a whip except
when the struggle in the stretch
is of the toughest character. and
most of his important races have been
won without whip or spur. Tod can en-
dear himself TO any horse in a very few
minutes by the use OF barney. and there
are only couple of cases on record
where his mounts have behaved very bad
y az the post for any length Of time.
Another equestrian hypnOtist is M2her
and mis- record Of winnings would certain
II go to prove that his habit Of having
confidential conversations with his horses
while dashing around the course is high
IL beneficial The little Irish boy stands
al the t0p Of the winning jockeys for the
season Of 1895 and, though at various
times he has been placed on some very
nasty tempered horses. he has very few
left at the post marks on his record
and has almost invariably been in gooc
position when the flag fell.
DoCgetr and Taral, who are both eX
ceIleut horsemen. never have anything L
say to their mounts, and ii Is noticeabh
that though they have had a number O
good horses during the season just pass
ed. their records of winning mounts hav'
been small This may. of course be du
TO the fact that they have grown to-
heavy for the 2-year-old races whicl
were so much in vogue in the season o
1925. but the psychological railbird con
tends that they lack an lmal magnetism
or the hypnotic faculty, and that Whel
they speak to their mounts il is only I
cast doubts upon the purity of their AN
cestors or to call them names not in tn
racing guide Anyway, ii is a self-evi
dent fact shown by the records that III
jockeys who take, or pretend TO take,
personal interest in their mounts, hav
been the winners in the season of 1885
while the names of the men who simpl
ride are away down on the list.
Riding racehorses has become more o
a science than ever in the last tw1
years. and there are a number Of JOCK
eys on this years list who could Civ
points to the old-time wonders, Bic
Laughlin, Garrison and Hayward. IN
STYLES of riding have not changed Yer
much. so perhaps the railbird is right an
the jockey of the future will have to fur
nish credentials a first-class all
around mesmerist We'll as certificate
of horsemanship.