Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-14

self employed Wallets, and now the raw
twist of fate saddles him in that posi-
ton. It's one Of the grim surprises
so abundant around horse race tracks.
AS valet 1t will be his huge pride to
tell his master how he rode in the
. Derby and what famous bays and roans
galloped betwixt his boots The years
will draw a cartoon on his face and he
will pass into senility He will lack
strength even to shine boots and polish
! StirrupS.
After that no one hears of your
Jockey. Some think he is mirrored In
the old men who drift harmlessly
around the paddocks. AS in their hey
DAY. they are silent, watching the pa
rade OF groomed horSefieSh. That was
the scene enacted many years ago on q
dozen famous tracks-at Lexington,
Latonia, Louisville. Long Island and
others. Yet now there is new glamour,
fresh brilliance to the scene. But 1t Is
much the same. say the old jockeys
much the same as in the days of Sen
saticn. Velasquez. Tracery, Man o. War,
Democrat. Durbar II and the dozen or
more Bluebeards.
From time immemorial until recently
| jockeys have ridden in the same silks
and in much the same manner. When
the first thoroughbreds were imported
to this country from England the Amer
lean jockeys followed riding customs
In the motherland.
| But 1t Is notable that in the COS the
wno!e system OF jockeying passed
through change that was initiated
and carried to its logical conclusion BY
American Jockeys. Snapper" Garrison
and Tod Sloan introduced the Jockey
seat with short stirrups, and "end-to-
end racing was introduced. Race
tracks were no longer deep with sand
put were scraped. rolled, graded and
combed In order to promote speed.
drotters and buggies passed into OBJ
1lvlon. Sprinting became the fashion.
Inc turfmen cried for speed and pro-
moters dld everything to boost it, Thus
originated the fast track" a thing al
most unknown in bonnie England and
gay France. where courses are on grass
tur1S. In England and on the Contt-
nent morse racing Is technically more
Sportive than in America. The yam
KEGS have made racing a gigantic
financial institution. Because Euro
peans are not so keen on speed many
OF americas jockeys are transplanted
there, after they have grown too heavy
OF inactive Tor an American track.
WHEN Yankee horsemen first went to
England and demonstrated to the
Kings subjects that a Jockeys weight
Is best carried on short stirrups and
high on the shoulder blades, the lords
and dukes did not know what to make
OF 1t. The Englishmen refused y. naAa
the change. They argued that what
was proper in the day of Queen Eliza
beth surely could not suffer improve
ment by Americans. But his rnaiesty's
Jockeys wore the leather out of their
boots and whipped the tails of their
horses In trying to win races when
\ ankeeS competed. The lions roar died
to sickly whimper and before many
more thousand pounds changed hands
the Jockey managers went about whoou-
ing Tor high stirrups and meek" riders.
The jockeys tell many stories about
their favorite horses.
My old plug" said one, was called
Natty Bumpo.' after a famous char
acter In one Of Cooper's books. He
was beautiful brown with a blaze of
White covering his Roman nose. Long
A@tContinued on Fourth PaSa.9