The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-04
MODERN RIDER IS
INFERIOR TO OLD
No Presenf-Day Jockey Shows Head, Hands
and Feet of the Negro, Isaac
Murphy.

A group Of old dtimers-breeders, own.
ers and trainers-at Horseman' IS head
quarters at Louisville, Ky, recently was
discussing the jockey problem. All
agreed that the riders Of today are no;
an expert in horsemanship, not as good
Judges of pace, and decidedly not as
mindful of the rules of clean racing as
were the jockeys two and three decades
ago.
The majority of them were of the
opinion that this deterioration is owing
mainly TO the preponedrance of races
at sprlntlng distances, and in great
measure to the freedom from restric.
tions in his leisure hours that the mod
ern rider enjoys all 10 his detriment
and the detrimcnt OF those who employ
him and back his mounts. In other words.
1t was the consensus of opinion that il
return is made TO the old custom of
giving more races al Il mile to a mile
ano half and two miles, and if the
Jockeys are required to live more or
derly lives, going to bed early, getting
full night S rest and arising at dawn
to devote the morning hours TO exer-
cising and studying the dispositions.
characteristics, temperaments and traits
OF the horses they are to ride in races.
there will be general improvement in
riding, and. forsooth, in racing
These old-timers. recountiug the riders
from 1880 to date, were of the opinion
that Isaac Murphy was the best of then,
all.
Murphy was a superior Judge OF
pace; could rate horse better than am
man | ever knew; was quick TO per
ceiye the strong points and the weak
ness in the horse he rode, and he had
| that rare gift of knowing Just how and
when TO make his move, that is, to cal
! upon his mount for the supreme effor'
| which brings victory said Will Nc
] Daniel, son of the memorable Colone
| D. Mcdaniel, and the trainer of Bound
| less, Lookout and Calhoun, the derby
winning trio of 1898, and succession
or good ones since that time.
"The stable regulations governing
| jockeys were better and more rigidli
| enforced IN the time of Murphy thar
they are now. The races were al great
er distances. and conservation OF tn.
horse s speed and stamina was a neces
sary element in good horsemanship. tt
! acquire this entailed a close study oi
many angles, chief of which was pace
'' Nowadays we have no good Judge.
of pace that | know Of, for the very
| simple reason that the vast ma ioritS
| of our races are al three quarters of
mile or thereabouts, and it has come
to be the rule OF the riders to get to The
| front as quickly as they can. and thai
at any hazard and without regard Il
the lives and Limbs of themselves o.
their mounts or to other riders and Their
mounts. As my old negro groom put
| it, It's whoopty.do from the rise o.
the barrier to the money house
| - Murphy was marvel in all these
essentials to superior race riding. and
above all, he was trustworthy. l do no
| believe any rider in this country oil
| elsewhere held the confidence of Et
Corrigap as did Murphy. Certainly M
| other Jockey ever made the astute Mas
ter of Hawthorne so much money
Garrison, who was contemporaneou:
| with Murphy, was a wonderful jockey
| and they had many n struggle for su
premacy. The greatest display of horse
manship, I believe, l ever saw was be
tween these two riders in the race fol
! the Ashland Oaks here in 1886. The
ride was at one mile and half. There
| were four starters, each carrying IL;