The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-29
ENGLISH WRITERS
NOT ALL JUST.
CERTAIN MY0rIC AND PREJTDiCED
TURF ScRiBES TAKE PAINS TO
DisCREDir AMERICAN RIDERS.

CERTAIN MYOPIC AND PREJTDiCED
TURF SCRiBEs TAKE PAINS TO
DisCREDiT AMERICAN RIDERS.
Readers cr the sporting columns Of news
papers in this country prefer. as a general
thing. to have the facts I'm any case laid
before them IN an uEprcjUdiced manner
that they may form their own opinions.
So general is this preference that # would
be surprise TO many persons TO read the
accounts published In many OF che English
papers concerning the American horses and
Jockeys now sweeping the boards in that
country. In nearly every case the articles
twist and diStort the facts until they place
the ease in an entirely different light. the
Americans. 81 course. getting the worst
end Of il.
This Is not the case with all the papers.
however. As there are many which recOe-
ri1e the superiority of both the horse. and
the jockeys wherever they deserve IT, These
periodicals are for the most part turf
Journals whose readers base their specula-
tons upon the statements set forth In their
columns. thus requiring absolute exactuess:
and there are many English papers which
possess sufficient sense of fair play to give
as fun credit to American products for
any performance as To anything British.
These last parer= are in the minority.
however. and tie cause of II lies in the
lameRtable fact that the English public
in spite or its baasted sense OF fair play
wishes to read only thos- articles which
show fair play 10 the British product.
There are exceptions here also. Of course;
but any impartial person reading; ,he letters
published il: the big English papers which
are sent in by the readers Of those pa
Ter be 4 In 10
upfaIrncss " hilh dominates certain Of the
British turf writer's.
An example Of the prejudice Of the pa
Icts was shown tho carly part OF this
year. when the Enslish nat racing season
vas about 10 open. Tod Sloan had made Il
wonderful record on II. tracks the previous
year and the superiority ~ the American
style nt riding Was plainly evident. So clear
Wa II that three 9th American jockeys
were preparing 10 ride they being J. ana
Lester Reia and Ben Richy. ihe latter a
product Of the south Side track of this
city, as indeed. was Sloan also Now. IL
would seem as Il patrons uI any sport
that had its interest truly AZ heart would
BE- glad 10 see an Improvement introduced
even if il came from another country. And
racing is supposed TO exist for the iu-
proEC;ueHt Of the breec; of horses, any ac-
Cess.oa Of a better class OF horses appar-
emily should be welcomed
In this country certainly the newcomers
Would have received absolute justice and
full credit for everything they did. and the
arrival of a foreign racehorse who seems
able to rai~c the standard of r1cehOTscs n
the stud i always the signal FOR cnmpii-
raeutdry notices in tire press. as the turf
really has cause for se'i-conBrat ulation.
Not IN England. however. The arrival
Of the three American jockeys was -e-
scrib,i the American INVASION. 10 take
fees from tae pockets Of the Brush boys.
TIE horses were never given credit for any
Of their performances. and although che
wagcrs of English hOrsemcn were recorded
with pride IN the columns OF The paper as
an evidence that the sporting spirit OF Oh
England wds SJiil alive. every considerable
bel 10y an American horse man called forth
ii auwi on the grounds that he Was making
racing merely a medium Tor gambling
An incident illustrating this last case may
be mentioned. Every English sporting pap 7
SPEAKS proudly Of LORD koSehery ana o.
his sporting spirit, as eVid.uced by the
huge Drts ne made on his colt La HIS wien
that animal won the Derby some Years
ago, il. reality, the EOrSe was "a close To
AN absolute certainty as ever started IN
race. the only animal of class in tH.e race
BE- sides himself being Matchbox, horse ne
had beaten repeatedly. on rIiis account he
was a; ] TO In the betting, and waSe's
made 1T pruhihitiVs odds ~ that sort Ger
tainly seem dictated more by the desire OF
taking advantage OF a good thihS rather
ti,an any sporting spirit. The best Inter
probation was pat upon the matter bS tne
English critics. however, but last year.
"a hen some heavy bets were made by the
American horse own.rs. the matter was
seriously discussed in the columns or MAN.
papers as an evidence Of the lownoss OF tn
motives of those gentlemen: Toe fAct that
there was more samene>S IN DetuHs Whtn
other horses In the race besides their own
had "A chance was not considered.
The Americans did the best thins under
the circumstances. They treated the ar
ttcles which appeared With silent contempt
and in order 10 illustrate which sice reaiiy
possessed the sporting spirit about which
the English papers euthu.S When IT - III
their own coLnir, mem. IL may De men
toned tnai IN spite 81 the gross ChidnI-c>S
shown them. not Il single boiler app AIRED
In any paper either ia England or h-re. II
eyer there was an effective silence 1t
after race ANA even Zen R!ghy. who WAS
unable To excite admiration at south side
Park. fairly walked over the crack jockeys
of England. Sloan made a record this sea
son which has never been squaled by any
Jockey on the English tTf.
to criticise IN" Americans, and exactly how
the English public can stand the articles
which appear day after DAY ana are ah.urd
upon their face, II Is hard tn see. For tn
stance. in a number Of The Illustrated
Sporting and Dramatic News. paper
writer, an article appeared about three
weeks ago in which u WAS gravcly stated,
that although the Americans could win
races they were not good h0rScmen. and
this in face Of the fact that they had been
beating the best juckeys that England could
produce every time ;iIcy mel.
Even the private business Of the Amer
lean stables Is criticised. one paper object
ing To tn. Use of Sackin1 hy the ~ta al,
hands for rgt bDg HtgS" down. The writer
aid not stop to think that sarkilIE
il one IF the best ahsorbents pos shle and
Is freely used here But he had to kick
about something and did
Another turf writer objected: Ia the habit
of one American stah. Of placing "A towel
beneath the saddle IT y horse. He gave
30 reason fer his Obj ciipn. bat Il is sup
posed 20 he on some aesthetic grounds.
ArT it f. freely believed and expressed that
much of She SenSCi-.s opposition to the
starting gate on English race courses is on
account Of Jealous belief that the Amer
lean horses ar" accustomed To such device
anl may win few more races through its
aid.
The criticisms of the Jockeys. however.
are So riGicui uuSly absurd that II is a won
der that the public Will stand for them
Besides the assertion that American riders
their position in The saddle is discussed .
and il IS said that they have not the con-
troll Of their horse that - possessed by their
English coun;oruarjS and this after the
Americans have won AT least hall their
races by vigorously outriding their English
near the winning post
That there Is anythi Z ia being a Judge of
to admit. and although they have published
many theoretical ard absurd reasons for
the success of the Americans the obvious
tfciS arc overlooked. \ little study will
show them. or would show 4 Differentiated {
person. that the forward leaning of the
A American Jockey creates less wind resist
1ncc, gives him more instant control Of his
horse IN driving finish and that his juGs-
reHt of Tace enables him to rat. hi, horses :
better Il the English who r,.,-,r ~