Evening star., 1948-05-09

taut face lights up and his voice gets vibrant Look
at the way they lower their necks the way thev
prance when you show 'em the starting gate" But
horses moody. Some days they don't feel like
giving their all, other days the track may dispease
them too wet or too dry. The jockey has to try
to fit challenging variety of factors into strategy
that unrolls at binding speed.
Usually Ted uses his whip sparingly ITO real
good horse" says Ted, "a whip is signal A tap is
sometimes sufficient. But poor horse may need.
stronger treatment" " Ted never fails his mount like
an enraged father spanking brat He raises his whip
high and slaps the steed firmly and rhythmicaly
across the rup, keeping time with the horses gait
Ted knows. that some horses scared of the
whip, will shrink and it's touch He
even claims that one bright mare actually shook its
head negatively when shown the whip in an admoni-
tory gesture. Some sensitive animals need firm and
gentle work with the hands and great deal of coaxng
with simple, soothing phrases like, Take it easy,
boy" Whoa, baby" Some jockeys have gone so far
as to Groom to their mounts, but Ted his singing
for his own family
Dirty Work On the Track
SOMETIMES there is dirty work in the backstretch
An unethical jockey will hook one booted leg over
rivals grab his snatch at his saddlecloth all the
while pounding along at blurring speed. Some jocks
sort of tow around the track Such tactics says Ted
Indignantly, constitute three-way foul: pulling
horse relieving horse of weight and adding weight
to another horse
Not so many years ago Ted Atkinson just
stable boy sort of horses aid He shoveed out the
stables, blew the horses noses with wet SPONGE
curred their silken coats with wire brush. They
liked it; Ted didn't. Then he got promoted turned
his cap around backwards rose before sunrise and
galloped horses around the track to get the kinks
out of their fetlocks.
Another promotion and Ted became an ap-
prentice. On a racing program apprentice
carries a discriminatory asterisk beside his
name. To make the grade socially and get that
astersk removed, he has to ride 40 winners in one
year Ted didn't make the grade His stable Greentree
gave him his walking rather than his riding papers,
Ted was disheartened but determined He set out
for the county fairs the country ovals He rode here
there and everywhere, for anyone, for anything.
1t was on New England tracks that persistence paid
off and Ted began to bring home winners Owners,
trainers and agents heard about him. An agent named
Nick Huff, an ex-jock with sly smile stepped into
the picture and in remarkably short time Atkinson
was signing contract with famous racing stable.
And the funny part of it that the name of the
stable was Greentree.
They Don't Sneez Any Mere
To-Day Ted Atkinson makes about $4,000 year.
Born in Toronto, Canada, 81 years ago, he now
owns two American homes, on Long Island. one
in Florida. He is married and has three children He
reads great deal and the literature is not confined to
words surrounded by balloons. At first jocks
sneered at Ted as stuffed silk but they have grad
ually come to respect his clean living his quiet family
life They also respect the money Ted is sailing away.
Rich jockeys can easily afford valets. These aids
do everything but brush the jocks teeth Teds valet