The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-11-13
OLDEST JOCKEY IN UNITED STATES.
Charles Taylor, "a Years Old, Still In the
saddle.

From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
Charles Taylor is undoubtedly the old
est jockey in the United States. He has
had a career of over eighty years In his
calling. Hale and hearty, his hand and
arm are as strong and steady as a col
lege athletes. his eye is bright, and his
understanding clear. Mr.. Taylor is nine
ty-four years old.
81 owe my great and unusual vigor to
the care l have taken of myself and to
the unmixed stock from which / come"
he said. For ten generations my an
cestors have never married out of the
pure German race. and from the first
ancestor in this country, who came from
Heidelberg. on the Rhine. nothing but
the good old blood has flowed in our
veins. / have never used tobacco or liz
Tor in any form. and have always used
myself as l would my horse and that
means pretty good care. / do not know
why l should not live to be as old as my
grandmother, who died at H.
when did begin horse racing? Why.
bless you. | began when | first woke up,
| think My father kept a relay station
for coach horses in Wilamstown, Upper
Canada, where / was born. At ten, re-
member, / rode race across country and
won. Since then have been in about all
the States of the Union and all over Can
ada. For seven years took the Queens
plate at Lapine Park, at Montreal, offer
ed for Canadian-bred horses. The horse
that did 1t is there In the barn now-Fsc-
tory Boy, twenty-three years old. who
has a record of 2:20 and better. Mr. La
pine told me that | had taken more
money out of Canada than any other
man. / took away 81. 500 in one day. II
must be something like 5000 which have
taken In prize money In Canada alone.
But that is in recent years Years ago /
rode in the Western States. / have been
In Salt Lake City, Denver, Chicago st.
Louis, Nashville, Lexington. and Mobile
/ used TO be in the Southwest circuit reg
ularly before the war OF late years !
have preferred TO stay nearer home.
II have always run my own horses,
never caring to be responsible for other
mems horses. You see, / would buy a
young and promising horse. take The very
best care of him, exercise him secretly,
and then bring him out and clear the field.
/ keep them for awhile, and then some
one comes along who gives me a good
price and let him go and start another.
| have had offers TO drive famous horses.
Many prominent h0rsemen In the last
fifty years have come 10 me and begged
me TO take their horses and run them
but [ would rather nave my own and
avoid the responsibility. William Alex
ander OF Lexington KY. told me TO make
my own terms and run his horses.
eyes; / have been In smash-ups, but
have never been hurt Once in Canada,
when | knew one or the other OF us must
90 down, / drove my horse straight over
the sulky in front OF me and crushed
horse, suIky. and driver to the ground
and won the race. just year ago. up
IA Barrie my horse ran away, and. after
going two miles came back and won sec
ond money for me. Last week wheel
came of at Bradford. but ] did not get
kurt. ! am driving Robert Il. now. and
YOU will see him making better time th1n
the 2:i2 which won first money at the
Vermont fair races the other day"
What the old Jockey does not know
about horses and horse racing on the
American turf for the past nifty years IL
ha -iIy worth knowing. He says proudly
h his old age that he never sold A race
nor bought pool. and that he has never
knoqyp a sick Cav