The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-06-27
A o t5t:!l5 i ossllll3 OF RACING.
Luck Of the Turf Shown in CAGES of
Jockeys Miller and Lee.

The part that chance plays on the
turf Is never ceasin,g marvel to
those who have grown white-haired
in the business of, racing thorough
The Goddess Of Fortune Is a ca.
PRECIOUS lady at best, but her vagar
les oh2the race track are so notorious
that 1.-The Luck: of1the turf has come
to- be a. by-word. Two-recent cases
10 point are-the- experiences of Jock
eys Walter Miller andJ. Lee. .---..,---
Miller IS the champion American
Jockey. He established new rec
ord for Jockeys last year and bids
fair to lead all riders again this
year. He IS earning a salary that
probably compares favorably with
that of the President OF the United
States. His employers are two aris-
stocrats of tho turf-Andrew Miller
and James r. Keene. Seldom does
he ride a horse that has not a good
chance to win. Thousands Of betters
all over the country follow his
mounts, regardless Of conditions.
Friday was Miller's eighteenth
birthday, and he began the days
racing at Gravesend with the hope
that dame Fortune would not the oc-
casion and make up for his rather
poor luck Of several days past. This
Is what happened: - "a
Is He rode in all six races and was
beaten in every race, Four times he
finished second, once "by q nose" and
again "by head."I n the last race
he was on "a good thing" heavily
backed. In his effort to get a good
start he took his mount across the
ffo o1r In, I@ a@1I
horses fell In the jam and two boys
hts mount, fined him 5000 and sus-
pended him for week.
Jockey Lee Is Negro, boy rider on
the Southern circuit. Up to few
weeks ago he was obscure. Then his
work IN the saddle attracted the at
tention Of the veteran horseman J,B.
,C'Rome') Respess, who, gave him
contract. Then, with better mounts,
his riding became notably successful
Last week Lee jumped into the lime
light by performing the seemingly
impossible. *"
It was Wednesday,, at Louisville,
and Lee rode in each OF the six races
on the, card. winning them all. Only
two Of his mounts were favorites,
and the field averaged very large,
the number starting being, respec-
lively, 15, IS, 10, 10, 5 and 10. The
closing odds against mis- mounts
were, respectively; 7 ITO. 1, 6 to /,
s IL to i, to 5, II to 10 and to
i. One dollar "parolled''---wagered
with Its winnings on each successive
race--w6uld have amounted to 49,
404.4O.
Lee appears to have set new
record. SO far as tho experts have
been able to determine, no other
jockey ever swept card Of six races.
There have been, however, feats Of
horsemanship closely approaching
his achievements.
Monk" Overton, also q Negro,
won six races at Washington Park on
July 10, 1891, and did not have a
mount In the seventh race. Tommy
Britton, won the entire card on Aug
ust IS, 1896, at Newport, KY. but
there were only five races. Glenn
Jenkins, Winnie OConnor and f.
Cochran have won on five out of six
mounts and been second or third in
the sixth.
Without undertaking to calculate
the respective chances of success Of
the two jockeys on the two days in
question, and assuming that the two
boys are equal in skill, we And one
doing about as badly as fs possible
and the other making a perfect per-
Torrance. Such is the "luck OF the
turf" .,..,.,.,.....- !