The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-08
is SLOANE
FAILING /?
He Recently Made a
Weird" Exhibition.
MAY REDEEM HIMSELF.
The Sporting Public Expects TO See
Him Do So Soon.
MAY REDEEM HIMSELF.
HAS RECOVERED LOST GROUND.

ever the blue funk into which they were
thrown the other day when, mounted on
Lehman at Gravesend he ''rode like an
amateur" making weird and fearful
exhibition" which lost the race and con-
vinccd every one that lapscs may be the
occasional lot even of an idolized popular
jockey.
AS to whether his Ill luck--some call 1t
stupidity II nothing worse-on that day
has reduced the price which no can COM
mand for his services have not been in
formed, but certain IL Is that there has
rarely been more sorrowful, disguised
lot of men in this town or anywhere here
about than those who backed their belief
on Sloane by betting on him In that race
That its loss caused temporary slump in
his prestige Is unquestioncd, and while, OF
course, he may eventually win his old
place In the hearts of racegoers by good
work In the future it may take him some
time to do SO. and the rcinstating victories
will have to be won on relatively poor
mounts. To push great horse to the
front will not be sufficient He must win
a few times in circumstances that would
mean failure to most other jockeys.
Tod sIoane's Perseverance.
That he will succeed In this is not doubt
ed by those who know him best. In justi-
fication Of their faith they point to the fact
that he has got to the front In several
races since his "weird exhibition" They
also tell how few years ago after win
ming the highest reputation In the west he
camo east and failed completely, yet two
or three years later regained his reputa-
tion hero by winning larger percentage
of mounts than any other jockey then rid
ing.
Sloanc's mental anguish the year of his
unsuccessful attempt to place himself to
the front among the jockeys-it was in
1892, thinks said to have been IN
tense. He bad mount after mount, only
to experience defeat after defeat. He rode
SO badly at Morris park that the authori-
ties suspended him for incompetency.
But he persevered in the face of repeated
disaster, until finally Mt the Monmouth
meeting he was intrusted with a seat on
the back Of the big imported horse Ben
Strome, only to make completer flyzle,
II that were possible, than any that had
gone before. That failure wound up his
riding In the east that year, and he went
back to the west accounted an emphatic
failure as a jockey.
New York racing men do not seem to
know how well ne succeeded in the west
In the years Immediately following his re-
treat from the east, but they agree that he
must have done lot of thinking and
studying, for when he came here again in
1896 his form seemed much improved. He
surely astonished certain observers, who
banking on his previous poor work here,
bet systematically against the horses he
rode, almost to tears, for IL seemed that
xtsxJ.t
show of winning If only Sloane could be
cess that year was duo to the advice and
counsel Of George Il. Smith, "Pittsburg
Phil"
This ingenio,& gentleman, who has
known what 1t is <S>be down as well as up
in the world, put in good deal of his
time in the winter of 1860 watching
Sloanes work In California, and was firm
ly convinced that he only needed another
eastern chance to win thoroughgoing
success.
Slosne's Unparalleled Career.
The career of Tod Sloane since the be-
ginning of the eastern racing season of
1895 has never been paralleled. Even the
late Fred Archer of England, at one time
the idol of the sporting world on two con-
tinents, scored no such success, either pro-
or socially, as Sloane did on
the other side last year. But the begin
ming of his racing there was marked by
failure to make st. Cloud win the Cesare-
witch. In fact, the horse was unplaced,
and tho English turf writer's pokcd no end
Of fun at tho American jockey, declaring
that such riding as he was able to do
might be good enough for America, but 1t
wouldn't pass for llfttle bit In England.
They termed his riding funny" and
followed the application of that adjective
by the hazard that he would soon return
10 "the States" as he had previously re-
turned to the west. But later they changed
their tune, for Sloane's funny" riding
speedily showed itself to be of the winning
quality, and he repeated his American
successes of the year before In riding
to larger proportion of victories
than any English jockey of that or any
other year
Sloanc's well known devotion to dress
must bc the result of vanity, pure and
simple, since neither IL nor his swell ways
In general can possibly contribute one
iota to his success in race or the avidity
with which his services are sought by
owners. Yet he has always seemed to
ihahc ~ tftnituuDur ppfht VI Ills tiotitto
and the papers have exploited them for
years. Even tho period Of his failure as n
jockey on tho eastern tracks was no exccp-
tion 10 tho general rule that Tod Sloane's
wardrobe should bc written up and Illus
tratcd about once In so often by every
journal east or west making any prcten-
sions to up to datcncss in sporting matters.
An Independent Little Chap.
In som6rcspccts Tod Sloane differs from
oil other Jockeys, especially from those Of
the English brand. lie has no holy respect
for persons of prominence No jockey
had ever been known 10 dwell In n first
class London hotel TIN he went 10 the
British cnpital. bot he put mp at the Cecil,
quite a. swell ns tho Waldorf Astoria.
All prominent iockcys had of course
been held ne pTivilc1ed characters among
titled Englisbmcn, but there was invari.
ably fine dash 81 patronage In the attcn-
tions that were shown them. sloane was
glad to make friends with the nobility, Of
course. but he wouldn't put up with any
obvious condcsecnsion. and when sought