The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-02
OLDEST LIVING JOCKEY.
Veteran, Now Ninety-FOur Years of
Age. Still Rides Races.

Age sun kSlUeS races.
Most jockeys find it either convenient
or necessary to quit the saddle after a
few years. Not so Charles Taylor. He
is nfnety-four years old and has been
riding eighty years, says the New York
Telegraph
II owe my great and unusual vigor to
the care l have taken Of myself and TO
the unmiXed stock from which I come
he said For ten generations my ances-
| tors have never married out of the pure
German race, and from the first ancestor
in this country, who came from Heidel-
berg Rhine, nothing but the good
old blood has flowed in our veins. 1
have never used liquor or tobacco in
any form, and have always used myself
as I would my horse, and that means
pretty good care. l do not know why 1
should not live to be as Did as my
grandfather, who died at one hundred
and twelve.
when did I begin horse racing? Why,
bless you, began when l first woke up,
l think. My father kept q relay station
for coach horses in Williamsburg, Upper
Canada, where l was born. At ten,
remember I rode a race across country
and won. Since then 1 have been in
about all the states of the Union and
all over Canada. For seven years 1 took
the Queens Plate at Lapine park, at
| Montreal, offered for Canadian bred
horses. The horse that did 1t IS there
in the barn now, Factory Boy, twenty
three years DID, who has record OF 2:20
and better. Mr. Lapine told me that I
had taken more money out of Canada
| than any other man. l took away SLIGO
in one day. 1t must be something like
| $1,000 which l have taken In prize money
| in Canada alone But that is in recent
years. Years ago 1 rode in the Western
| states. l have been in Salt Lake City,
Denver, Chicago, ST Louis, Nashville,
! Lexington and Mobile. 1 used 10 be in
| the Southwest circuit regularly before
! the war. OF late years l have preferred
to stay nearer home.
II have always run my own horses,
never caring to be responsible for other
mems horses. You see, I would buy a
young and promising horse, take the
very best care of him. exercise him Sc
cretly and then bring him out and clear
the field. ] keep them for a while, and
then some one comes along who gives
me good price and [ let him so and
| start another. l have had offers to drive
famous horses. Many prominent horse
| men in the last fifty years have come
to me and begged me to take the horses
| and run them, but l would rather have
my own and avoid the respons, bIity,
William Alexander, of Lexington, Ky,
| told me to make my own terms and run
| his horses.
Yes, L have been in smashups, bdt
! have never been hurt. Once in Canada
when | knew one or the other of US must
go down, I drove my horse straight over
the sulky in front of me and crushed
horse, sulky and driver to the g,ound,
and Won the race. Just a year ago, Up
in Barrie, my horse ran away, and, after
going two miles, came back and won Sec
| ond money for me. Last week wheel
| came off at Bradford, but I did rot get
| hurt am driving Robert B. low,
and you will see him making better
| than the ZIP which won first money at
| the Vermont fair races the other day.