The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-07-07
By ]. S. A. MACDONALD.

OF this army not more than ten viii
graduate into the saddle this summer.
Then what is there 10 a Jockeys career
when one considers the future OF middle
age? The butterfly life Of the young
race rider proves too great a temptation
for even the strongest character. They
spend their money and so train their
bodies and minds that when the stern
struggle comes after the heyday OF the
saddle they connot take up the battle
Of life In other walks
Few jockeys ever gain a HES com
potency. After ten years OF SUCCESS and
The earnings Of thousands and thousands
OF dollars, Arthur Redfern is round
about the paddock just now, fat and de-
Jected. wondering just how PA" Red
I fern invested his earnings IN the years
gone by. Tod" Sloan. Snapper Car
rison. 'Hughey" Penny, George Odorn.
Grover Fuller. Spencer, Hndebrand. Co
burn and nearly all our race riders OF
prominence Of the last twenty years are
down on their luck right today. though
they all should be rich and affiUent.
Some Horrible Examples.
Sloan and Garrison each made and
spent s1.Go0.0o0 in their day. Garrison Is
now training horses for H McCarter
Potter, while George Odom. only five
years ago our premier rider and making
at least $1,000 a year. is none too strong
In the worlds goods right now. Fuller.
perhaps the greatest rider Of them all. is
down and out and crippled for life in the
bargain. 'Hughey' Penny used 10 de-
mand $1,000 a mount AT GUttenburg. He
is now gs1Oping horses for so a week.
Hildebrand has passed out OF view,
I
Just A plain hustler" Melbourne
Thompson. who piloted Irish Lad in his
first winning race. Is a stable cook for
John E Madden. Hicks works for SIS
a day as a laborer. Spencer would give
his right eye 20 ride 20 favorite
now. He is from pillar 10 post too
viii Miller Keep It.
80 the list goes. Isaac Murphy. Mar
| ty'' Bergen. Pike" Barnes, all died II
comparative obscurity- Lucien Lyme, one
! OF our greatest riders. is now IN Eng
/ land. 3 wanderer. seeking mounts wher-
ever he may find them. Considering the
risks OF human life and limo in race
riding and the sour future, the game Is
scarcely worth the candle.
Miller Is well OF today. so far as the
] public knows. but Il will be interesting
/ five years from now when his riding
/ days shall have passed 10 learn Just
| what his guardians have done with his
( earnings. How much will Miller have in
hand when he is obliged TO look 10 the
I fifty years still left in his Hfe2 OF
course, there are exceptions. Tommy
/ Burns. now in France. and Willie"
Shaw. in Germany, have been riding for
/ over fifteen years. Burns has safe in
Frrra In al
well Of. Then Trainer Jimmy Rowe
! OF the Keene Stable. was once a race
/ rider These exceptions only prove the
rule They are very rare.
Walk-up Start Again.
Here in the East the turf is once
again cOnvulsed over the method of
starting the horses. Mars Cassidy Zen
! Into spell OF bad work about a iort-
/ night ago. and at once the New York
I turf writers set Up a great hullabalo0.
| It seems the public wants the walk
/ and break style which Cassidy made
| so successful on the winter course az
I Hot Springs. Ark. three years ago.
Nine cut Of ten racegoers want the
| old-time and unnatural standing break
abolished Cassidy's poor work was ex-
/ cused because the easy-gOing old stew
/ ards OF the Jockey Club were Supposed
/ TO have imposed a style which he did
/ not care for himself The stewards
/ were roasted and toasted right and left
/ by Cassidy's friends.
Cassidy Needs Rest.
Then comes funny piece OF by-pIay.
( Cassidy up and says that the standing
start is better than the muchly adj
yocated walk and break style Imag-
] Inc the attitude of his supporters. His
; friends now say that unless he can dc
I better work with the present style Of
standing start the only thing left
/ for the stewards is to secure another
I and more competent starter. There Is
how the muddle stands right now.
One thing is sure, Cassidy's work *
/ very ragged at the present time. The
man needs 6 holiday. He has been al
l the grtndStCne both winter and summer
I for four years and needs a freshening
up. However, every starter has his bad
spells. Caldwell. Flynn, and FitzGerald
/ had them.
Hated by Turf Writers.
Then again. Cassidy is cordially ,,is-
liked by the turf writer's. He ran coun-
/ ter to them from the very first His
system Is to repel criticism with a
swing on the Jaw OF the writer. Very
bad policy. Last summer he was repri-
manded at Brighton Beach for such an
| ofense-
According to the general understanding
among turfmen, FttZGerald hates Cas-
/ sidy. The former is now the managing
/ director OF the Brighton Beach track.
Cassidy asked for a vacation durlns
the meeting there. but the Jockey Clu5
has instructed him 10 start the horses
After that A. B. Dade will replace him