The Washington times., 1906-12-26
NATURED JOCKEYS
FORCED TO QUIT
Low Scale of Weights in East
Drives Most Experienced
Boys From Saddle.
THE THEORY is ALL WRONG
Running Under Ninety Pounds More
Likely to Cause Breakdown Than
Higher ImpOst.

II Redeem, who showed in California
few days back by winning a seven
furlong sprint on Charles r., DurueIFs
three-year-old Nealon that he had not
lost his cunning, insists upon continuing
10 rlde he had better follow the example
OF Cannon and make an European con-
nection, so thinks the Morning Tele-
graph.
he has outgroWn his usefulness in
this country. He could not possibly ride
steadily AT less than Us or 10 pounds.
and there is nor "a chance of his getting
enough work at such weight 10 make
keeping lit worth while.
InjuTing the Stock.
In addition 10 encouraging the devel-
opment OF race OF sprinters the pro-
moters of American racing East as well
as West are doing the best they can TO
bring up runners unable TO pack weight.
Races in which the minimum weight is
100 pounds are almost unknown Oftener
than not 100 pounds is above the aver
age and los OF lJ1 is the maximum.
one hundred pounds should be the ire
duclbls minimum ana rules should he
instituted all over the country Druhfbit-
ing tAe oHerlng At any course of a race
oI any klhd In which top weight is less
than l1U pounds.
What is the use of breeding horses
that cannot carry weight? No credit is
due horse that wins under o. ar 81
pounds. lie might as Wen run loose.
Mistaken Theory.
Records made by horse so rigee5
are worth nothing The Jockey Club Of
New York makes no secret of its reason
for keeping weight down herea bouts.
owners and trainers, its officers saw. do
not Ike 20 run their horses under weight
because they imagine il breaks them
down quickly But this theory is not
oCrne out by history. Horses that carry
light weight break down as often as do
those which shoulder the heaviest bur
dens.
running under a ninety-pOund burden
- - n'oIt APT 10 destroy horses legs
tildl running under l-6, because with
th~ Hght impost me makes the sL.ffer
pace. IL is the pace that kills Her
ms never sol into a race after his three
4edI-oid season under less than l20 or
- pounds, and he often had Ia sh0ul-
Ger l5s or l3i pounds. Yet in spite of
steady drilling he was a great horse ar
INt. something rare IN this country
Nine American horses i'm ten rescb th,ir
prime iR the autumn of their tWo-year-
five.
Jockeys Usefulness Too Short.
Another bad feature of keeping the
weight scale down is that il shorteus
the usefulness Of jockeys almost To the
vanishing point, Our Jockeys like our
horses. thrive a season or so and dis
appear. Nowadays. a rider who cannot
steadily make 100 or 102 pourIs is of
little use. The ninety and ninety-five-
pounds boy is the rage. one who can
not get below los or 10 pounds is rated
heavyweight and il is up 20 him 10
go abroad or take up steepleChasing.
NAeH our RcdleFnS, our Ddums and
our Martins and our lynes reach dis
crlElnaIing age, and when, because of
training experience and bodily strength.
they should be at the summit of their
powers, they are back numbers. They
get so little riding 10 do they find keep
ing I'm condition difficult
Soon Forced to Quit.
Horsemen are Ioath to put them up
for fear enforced idleness may have in
iured their usefulness. The horsenan
perfOrce turns 10 the midgets-the Mil
leTs, the Englanders. The ROsses, ana
the Brussels,
These youngsters get pay which
makes the stipend OF the most import
ant Government officials look niggardly,
but they, too, have their little day and
pass their way. Those that have been
saving become trainers or owners; those
that have been prOdigal become tOuts
or "hustleTs,' ,' as certain peru.CiUus turf
parasites are called.