The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-07
JOCKEY FRAuk O7NE1LL
WHO RODE IRIsH LAD,@
WINE q OF THE BROOKLYN
HANDICAP.

much abova the average in personal graces
and mental merit.
honorable. true and honest was bred in him.
honrabl true and honest was bred in him.
In 1892 when the lad was riding with poor
success at the Fair Grounds. underlined
gamblers. men of low brow. were wont to
call him thief" because they might lose
bet on the horse he rode.
Bred as he is. it is just as impossible for
young o'Neill to be thief as it is for Irish
o'NEiLLs COME TO ST. LOUIS.
John ONenl. Franks father. drifted from
Wisconsin to Kansas and married Miss
Oviatt Like the family. he took TO fast
horses. He drifted to St. Louis about If
teen years ago. when Frank was baby.
Mr.. O'Neill had stable. of race horses
and operated at a local day and night win
ter and summer jockey club and outlaw
tracks. He was a horseman by profession.
Sometimes ne was afituent sometimes 9TH
erwise. as is the habit of his kind.
BEGAN To RIDE AS a BABY.
Frank began riding as soon as he could
sit on a horse. When he was he was an
exercise lad When he was 10 he was rid
ing races. In 1896 he rode his first race
on Aunt Jane, an owners handicap. at he
His father delights in telling how plucky
his baby son always was and when horses
threw him how he always remounted as
John ONeill likes to tell of when the good
jockeys he employed would not ride frac-
iOus horses in exercise. his little son would
get up and work them.
FRANK O'NEILL AS A NEWSBOY.
The lad sold newspapers all along Grand
avenue from Kossuth to Easton avenues.
when he was not exercising horses. All in
that neighborhood know frankie. and all
think the world of him. A very quiet little
lad, ard very Senteel. he could whip any
boy on the street when he had to do it.
He was bred not to quit;
SfiGknaN- R1rnpfr
Frank to Tom Hayes. This 10-pound lad
is fine exercise boy. Tom" said Stick
ney. :! do not want Bennett TO get him.
Hayes took him and liked him SO well he
kept HIM. He gave the boy his first mount
in a race II was a winner. too. on Ethel
Wheat mare owned by Urb Haley. Mr..
Hayes's brothcr-in-law. frankie tied up"
with Harry Cochran on Senator Beverage
was Was % IT to /. BeTeridge. the favorite, was
! TO ;. Cochran and ONeill had been ex
ercse boys at ST; Louis together two years
year of success in the East and was rated
fine jockey. To put it over him in a hard
drive with 20-to-1 shot was Il feather in
the O'Neir cap.
Frank then rode out the season at st.
Louis. and was about as good boy as Dale.
though twenty pounds lighter. He won
stakes and purses and made fine reputa-
ton.
THE REPUBLIC PREDICTED SUCCESS.
The Republic at that time gave his pedi-
gree and performances and predicted bril-
liant future for him. The Republic is very
glad that its prophecy has been fulfilled to
the letter and in the spirit.
For some unknown reason little O'Ne!n
had Il bad season in 1902 at St. Louis. He
rode few winners, and seemed to have lost
his form. He had had a bad winter in Cali
fornia- In August 1902. he was ruled of at
Buffalo Tor riding Jessie Jarboe bad race
Mr.. Goldblatt. Jarboes owner had been
ruled off three times in one month for rum
ming his horses bad races. O'Neill was
down for three months. but was reinstated
and had his character cleared of the stain
put uron it by mistaken officials. Then he
went to New Orleans and had a bad win
ter. He simply could not ride winners
WITH THE PLUCK OF HIS RACE.
But the lad kept on with the pluck of his
race. He would not give up.
John. I want this lad of yours said
Newton Bennington to John O'NeiIl before