The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-10-23
HOW JOCKEYS TRAIN.
Methods of Reducing Weight and
Their Dangers.

eys a stronger and harder breed than
those of the present day?
This is the question, says Pearson S
Weekly, that many people have been
asking, in view of the lamentable
breakdown a short time ago of Frank
Wootton. due to the severe wasting
he had to undergo before the opening
of the season.
The truth is, probably that it is
not so much a difference in the men,
or their stamina; the change is in
the methods jockeys now adopt in or
der to rid themselves of the super
fluous flesh that they have put on
during the winter months.
In the old days they used to walk
fifteen or twenty miles day sWathed
in half a dozen sweaters. Now 1t is
Turkish baths and medicines-a far
more weakening process.
1t was this regime that killed poor
Archer. A fortnight before his death
he rode in a race in Ireland at nine
stone four pounds. This was on a
Tuesday. The following Thursday he
rode again at eight stone twelve
pounds. Then, on the Wednesday fol-
lowing, he rode St. Mirin in the Cam
bridgeshire at eight stone six pounds
He never rode again. AS everybody
knows. he went home in a raging fe-
yer. became delirious, and took his
own life in a fit of insanity.
If ever a man died for his profess
sion, Archer did.
Poor Luke Snowden, an elder broth
er of the famous Jem Snowden, vast
ed very hard in order to ride horse
named Claire at seven stone SIX
pounds. He walked about all night
prior to the race, wearing four sweat
ers and a heavy horserug, and would
not so much as moisten his lips with
a drop of water, lest he should be
tempted to swallow some. He won
the race, but fell out of the saddle
in swoon at it's conclusion, and had
to be carried to his bed, where ne
died three days later.
Then there is the case of Tiny
Wells, who tainted on the race course
after getting down to five stone five
pounds from six stone three pounds
in seventeen hours-a seemingly IN
credibly feat.
Sam Day, another famous old-tlme
Jockey, used to boast that he could
kill a town wasting" whatever that
might mean. He certainly came near
to killing himself on many occasions,
for owing to his lowered strength and
vitality, due to the heroic methods ne
adopted, he met with so many accl-
dents while riding that at different
times he broke practically every bone
in his body, excepting his right arm,
but including his skull and jaw, while
one leg was fractured twice.
John Wells, the tallest and biggest
Jockey who ever rode at eight stone
seven pounds, used to walk twenty
two miles in four hours with four
suits of sweaters on when wasting
for an important race, and live on Dry
toast with an occasional glassful OF
soda water.
He dared not, he used to say, yield
to the natural cravings of his appe-
tite, as upon one occasion, when re-
duced by severe wasting, a single
wineglassful of sherry, which he was
induced to partake of, sent his weight
bounding up by two pounds.
Another jockey famous in the
wasting line was Sam Darling. He
kept a regular diary of his walks IN
sweaters during twenty-five years,
entering up times and distances, and
on his retirement he found that ne
had totalled up just over 5000 miles.
Most present-day jockeys would
probably prefer to this the methods
now in vogue, although not all OF
them, of course, rely exclusively, or
even principally, on wasting mix
lures" and Turkish baths.
Otto Madden, for instance, pinned
his faith to open-air exercise, and
plenty of it, and with excellent re-
suits, Judging by his performances.
Yet he used to put on flesh exceed
ingly fast during the winter.
Another famous jockey was dlscov-
cred one Easter Monday in heavy
f1annels, and armed with a peacock
feather "tickler," chasing a lot OF
girls on Hampstead Heath, and being
chased by them in return. FINEST
thing out" he exclaimed on being
expostulated with by friend, makes
4 Ia