The Washington times., 1937-12-07

the wedding supper, outgambled
the plungers, outsmarted the
sharpshooters until he got out
smarted himself, and couldn't
pass stray kitten in the street
without picking it up, stuffing
it in his pocket, and hurrying
somewhere to get it hot milk.
Little Tod, who introduced a
game called bridge to the United
States-the Messrs. CulbertSon
and Sims should bless him
when he left the King Of Eng
land to hunt up another jockey.
while he came home to ride
Ballyho Bey for w. C.. Whitney
in the Futurity at Sheepshead.
Little Tod, whom Mr.. Forty
second Street says never varied
a pound from his riding weight
in a dozen brilliant years in the
saddle. Never 80. Never 101.
Always 100 pounds flat. T.
Sloan, jockey, Kokomo, Ind, a
fabulous mite OF a man who
laughed his way across two
continents and died a couple of
winters back in Los Angeles, his
chin still up. His front, at least,
still confident. cocky. convinc-
ing.
Little Tod that Mr.. Whitney
had to have to ride that day,
because there was a raging feud
on between Whitney and the
Keenes, and the Keenes had
three entered with Spencer,
Burns and Bullman riding.
So the master of Brookdale
cabled Sloan:
Five thousand to ride Ballyho
Bey. Name your own price if
you win"
That cable still hangs in a
frame in the library of John
Madden's Hamburg place on the
UuIOh1L Us VI ACA111S VOI1.
Crinkled and not too legible
now, it bears mute testimony of
the types and times OF which
Doyle was talking, high in a
room that looks down the little
hill from the fifties to the great
White Way.
Then what happened?
Two days before he was due
to sail, Sloan's mount stepped
in a hole on some English course
and the horse behind him
stepped on Tod's bobbing head.
They stitched him up until his
crown looked like a baseball.
and took him to a nursing home,
and said that if he was good
boy he might be out and around
in about a month.
PRIVATE NURSE
But Sloan was on that boat.
He had a private nurse with
him, and, such was his vanity,
he made her take the bandages
off the night before they docked.
He spent the next few days try
ing to find excuses not to remove
his hat. He took a hundred
dollar.a-day suite at the Waldorf,
the suite. He went out to the
track and galloped Balyhoo Bey
one morning, and patted him,
and talked to him. Almost talked
with him.
Then it was futurity day at
Sheepshead and az 2.year-olds
were at the post. A strong wind
blew across the bay, straight
into the faces of the horses,
Sloan knew it would be suicidal
to make a move until he was
around the elbow. He also
knew that 81 jockeys were lay
ing for him, that one of the
Keene trio was in there to take
care Of him.
So he broke in front. Eased
back. At the turn when Spencer
tried to carry him wide, he took
back just enough to slip behind
him and into the opening on
the rail the second Keene horse
never found. At the wire
Ballyhoo Bey'S nose was where
the monkey on the stick" had
meant it to be.
That night Mr.. Forty-Second
Street met Jim Jeffries. They
were born on the same hour of
the same day of the same year
10 o'clock, March 8, 1876. They
picked up Sloan. They had a
celebration. Wine was drunk in
Rector's.
Its been a good Show"