The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-02-06
SPORTS Parade
By HENRY McLEMoRE

lpSktN TfaO aAolu AihFn AAN
racing form
He will rde the favorite up
there Find the track wide. the
turns well banked. and clear
sailing along the rail"
This fine tribute TO Earl Dew,
oouehed as it should he. IN the
language Of the turf. appeared
over the signatures Of Eddie
Arearo. Sonny Workman. Car
roll Herman. Johnny Gilbert,
and a score Of other riders who
had Numbered along the back
stretch and fought down the
straightaway with Iowa boy
whose tack is hung up forever
That's mighty nice" the old
jockey said. choosing his words
a. carefully a. ne used to pilot
thoroughbred through q
needie-eye opening In the stretch,
"and I hope We won't have 30
read any more things like II
this year. But I'm afraid we
viii. ITS q miracle some boy
isn't hurt or killed every day"
AS If TO explain this somber
statement, the man who used TO
boot the racers home 20 years
ago recalled the days when he
WAS answering the bugle's call
astride a thoroughbred's back.
In my time there wasn't a
third Of the racing there is to-
day. There were no tracks in
New England. California. or
Florida. So. there were Jockeys
enough To go around, Most Of
the boys who rode were old
hands al the game.
The, had come up the hard
WAY and knew all the answers
to the dangerous game Of rae
Ing. Now, there are something
like $4,000 races = year In this
country. That means there must
be lot Of Jockeys. And jockeys
aren't made overnight
The old-timer paused. and
seemed to read in his listeners
expressions that he was con-
demning Dew as rider. He was
quick TO correct this
Not that Earl wasn't a good
rider. He was. A fine one. But
he wasn't any Johnny-come-
Tuesday, either. He had been
riding since he was 13. II wasn't
his fault his horse went down.
But there is many boy wearing
silks today who doesn't know
anything about riding a horse
much less about keeping out Of
Jams. or, more important. get
ting out Of jam when he gets
into one.
II see race. all the time-all
over the coumtry-where the
riding il So foolhar dy and No
bad that ! almost have 10 shut
my eyes. II scares YOU 10 death,
that sort of riding. when You
have been through the mill and
know the dangers that are out
there on the track, even for the
best OF riders
The green hand the insure
nder, is not only a menace to
himself but menace TO every
other jockey in the race. the
oldtimer pointed out.
In the old days. we used 10
yell TO one another when we
saw a jam coming up And we
knew enough 10 protect our
selves and the fellow who was
headed for trouble. But now a
lot Of the kids just climb aboard
horse, shut their eyes. and
pray.
And there are ten thousand
and one things that can happen
to you when you're rolling along
on a racing horse. And ten
thousand and one worse things
thst can happen n you go off
the horse. Let's just hope the
Lord keeps holding on TO their
reins."
II the old-timer IL right and
he does make sense. doesn't
he what is the solution ,
Just as there are only 80 many
concert pianists. 50 there are
only a limited number Of boys
skilled in the ways Of riding a
Thoroughbred.
Still with racing expanding all
me time. there is a growing de.
mand for more and more
Jockeys. There can't be racing
without them.
There understanding u
some-be safe and sane racing
With youngsters who make ths
jump from exercise boys u
lockey almost overnight It's q
urohienn for n Wiser hesd thar