Chicago eagle., 1902-03-15
TRIALS OF JOCKEYS.
UNDERGO HARDSAIPS IN ORDER
TO WIN SUCCESS.
Many English Riders Nearly Starvc
Themselves Through Most of the
Year in Order to Keep Their Weight
Dowu-Their Remuneration.

Dowu-Their Remuneration.
"A recent article In the English III.
lustrated Magazine gives number
uf details concerning jockey life that
proves that no outsider can have any
Idea of the turturCs which the heroes
of the Epson Derby and of the
Prince of Wales stake are Obliged to
intict upon themselves for the honor
of their profession.
Some put on five suits of clothing.
aud run distance of four miles. after
which they stimulate the pcrspiraiion
induced 10y their exercise Ivy exposing
themselves for several hours to the
heat of an immense fire.
Others prefer 10 abstain from food.
John Arunll. an English jockey. be
ing obliged to get rid of at any cost
OF an excess of SiN pounds which would
have debarrcd him from taking par;
IN an important race. picked out eight
apples. and for the eight days prcced-
ing the race lived upon absolutely not
a thing else.
Thanks to this regimen. which was
adhered TO even TO the exclusion of
drinking pure water, lie attained his
object.
Apart from the periods when cxccp.
tional fasts and various methods of
artificial perspiration are necessary,
the best means for jockey of long
retaining his place ON the turf Is to
accustom himself from an early age
TO eat and drink very sparingly. From
the month of March until the end Of
tile autumn, John Crockers, another
well known Jockey. adopts diet com.
posed OF n small piece Of bread and
butter and cup of tea for breakfast.
for dinner very small piece OF fish.
and a small one of plum.pudding tn.
ken without other beverage than the
inevitable cup of tea. which Is des-
tined to simplify the work Of diges.
tion-already only too simple 1t would
seem to the laity.
As for supper. 1t Is. during the rae
ing season, eliminated from the life Of
''the talent" Only during December,
January. February is 1t that the mod.
'rn Tantalus may listen to the prompt.
ings of his stomach. At the very first
approach Of spring the inexorable ~.
ranny of weighing resumes iull sway
and heroic remedies are resortcd to in
order to melt the too solid flesh nc.
quired during the winter.
A means of livelihood which con.
dcnlns n man to starvation during the
greater part Of the year does not seem
calculated to attract many followers:
yet there Is no such crowded profes.
sion as that of Jockey. Every year
sees hundreds of English boys Of about
1o soliciting any employment. however
humble. under the celeb ated train
ers.
To counterbalance the hardships OF
Jockeys life. his pay Is extremely
remunerative. Indeed. scarcely any
other road to fortune Is SO rapid. 1t
IL not unusual for q young man of 20
to earn from four to i've thousand
dollars year. In ordinary races, the
winning Jockey receives $2J ana the
others $15. The emoluments Of q trial
race are only fifty francs. but all these
small sums accumulate rapidly In the
course of year. Even u third or
fourth.rate man ls sure of ample
means Of existence, ana one who has
made q name for himself, and has the
luck TO win three or four big races.
makes about $4,000 q year, without
counting the accessory gifts which nj.
most every celebrated jockey has show
cred upon him. The well known Fred
Archer, for Instance, received In n sin.
gle week three diamond scarf pins.
DAILY, the jockey of Hermit. who one
year won the EPSON Derby. on that
occasion received $4,000 worth of
bonuses of various kinds. besides a
large quantity Of jewclry from various
grateful women bettors. Nor Is the
wealth accumulated by jockeys nova.
days anything but fairly earned one,
according to the optimistic belief Of
John Crockers, who furnished most of
the Information for the illustrated
Magazines article. "The days of cor.
ruptiOn have passed." he says, "and the
turf is to-day above rcproach." He
admits that Ii was not always so, and
that he has frequently known jockeys
10 hold back a horse, whilst seeming
10 ply him with the whip; the strokes
falling on the riders own boots-a
trick which, he says, It Is impossible
10 discover even by the use OF the best
field glasses. Nowadays, however, so |
punctilous have jockeys become that |
they even refuse to give tips" to thell
best friends.