The Washington herald., 1907-11-10
By DEXTER MARSHALL.

is no secret that Americans and Amer
lean ways are less important factors on
the English turf just now than formerly.
II is quite true that an American
owned the winner OF this years Derby
and that the colt was ridden by an Amer
lean jockey; also that Danny Maher is
considered by the most British of British
racing men to be the best of all the
jockeys who have ridden in England this
year Yet he is second in number OF
winning mounts. a jockey named Higgs,
who IS as British as his name would in
dictate. being far in advance, although
Maher leads In percentage Of wins.
Furthermore, instead of Americas be-
ing represented IN England By half a
dozen racehorse pilots, as a few years
ago, there were only two American
jockeys regularly riding In England In
1904 Nearly all Johnny Reif's work was
done in France, his Derby winning being
on special engagement Lucien Lyme.
the only regular American jockey in
England besides Maher. stands away
down near the bottom Of the best twenty
one riders. say eighteenth OF nineteenth.
Johnny Rein himself. who found time.
despite his pressing engagements, 70
cross the channel and ride a few races
in England. lost more OF them than he
won, although this should not be set
down against him. His already high
standing was so enhanced by his success
on Orby in the Derby and on Capt. Call
Iaut's Querido. a French horse. in the
race for the Chester Cup. that he might
haA ~ -, 4
had he been able and willing 10 accept
the commissions. 1t is not surprising
that ne was persuaded by very high pay
10 accept Il few mounts on horses which
had small chance of winning, nor that
in some cases the obvious truth that the
best riding in the world will not trans
form d hopeless proposition into a win
ming one was fully demonstrated.
Modifying American Way.
The scarcity Of jockeys from this side
Of the water this year in England is by
no means the only visible sign of the de
cline Of American influence on the Brit
ish turf. The American style of riding
incredible as it would have been thought
few years ago, is going out, or. at
least. undergoing modification. Stated
conservatively by Horace Lennard, racing
editor Of the Sporting Times Of London,
the situation is about as follows:
Nearly all our Jockeys" said MI Len
nard to the writer, are now using longer
stirrups than they have used for several
years, and are getting rid Of the crouch
seat. They do not use as long stirrups as
they did before Tod Sloan began TO ride
in England, and they still ride well for
ward, but they do not go 20 such ex-
tremes as they did when most infatuated
with Sloan and his ways"
When the Sloan craze was at its height
he was initiated TO the point Of eXagger-
alton. British jockeys then appeared TO
believe they could obtain the desired re-
suits by QUESTIONING Sloan, but since
then have learned that mere servile ini-
tation is OF no more value 10 a jockey
than 70 anybody else IN this il may be
said that the English jockeys went no
further, surely, than their brethren on
this side of the sea.
Mr. Leonard does not think the small
number of American jockeys riding in
England this year was due TO any prvJu-
dice against them on the part Of the Brit
ish public or British owners. Naturally,
and as a matter OF patriotism, an Eng
lish jockey would be more popular than
an American one with an English crowd,
but as was shown in SIoan's case and
with regard 10 Johnny Rein and Danny
Maher, the American boy who can win
is more highly esteemed than the English
lad who cannot
Better Paid on Continent.
THE American jockeys have left Eng
land for the time being" said Mr.. Len
nard. mainly because they could earn
more money on the Continental than on
the English turf. There is a lack of good
native jockeys in France, Germany, Be-
GUM. Austria, Italy. and Russia. The
people Of all these countries like to see
racing. but they do not develop many
frst-class riders. England develops more
than she can employ. and there are plen-
" OF English as well as American jock
eys on the Continent. Better pay and
less competition elsewhere are the chief
reasons, in my judgment. why American
jockeys are not so prominent an element
in England as formerly"
The feeling that was manifested to some
extent against American jockeys when
trouble seems to have died natural
death 1t was never shown conclusively
that the jockeys did anything wrong,
whatever the suspicious against them
may have been. They were supposed 10
have been the victims Of their friends, d"
who are believed 10 have made big win
nings. which later they divided by giving
presents" to the jockeys. Anyway the
English seem as willing 10 forget the past
as the Americans are. and no one puts
forward a claim that American jockeys
have been the only ones who have made
mistakes Maher and Lyme certainly are
considered above reproach.
Danny Maher is a Hartford boy by
BIRTH and there Is a story that he was
intended for the priesthood by his par
ents. Anyway, he was making his own
living shining shoes when nine years old.
and, whatever his parents hoped for. he
had no IDEA Of being Il priest Father
Bill" Days brother Mike married the
lads aunt, and, after some coaxing. al
lowed him to work about the DAILY sta
bles. There he showed that he was a
natural-born horseman, and after exer-
cising two-year-olds for a while was al
lowed TO ride a race at Providence in
which he failed to make much showing
He was a rather puny lad then, and it
was feared he never would be strong
enough TO ride properly, but. at sixteen,
in 1897, he had improved so much that he
then began to ride successfully and regu-
larly. In 1879 he won the Brooklyn Han
dicap with Banaster, but was left at the
post with the same horse In the Suburb
an. This resulted in a ''ten-day scandal
that turfmen still like 10 speculate about
but Maher wasn't disqualified. and the
next year was the star rider Of the East
ern turf. Then he went to England to
ride for the late pierre Orfffar6 md bo.