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JOCKEY GRIFFINS SKILL SKILLThe Skillet The American turf has never seen a better rider than Henry Griffin the boy picked from a New York orphan asy ashy ¬ lum Blum the old 110 street catholic protectory protector seven years ago by Jim Shields and learned the trade I quote learned the trade because the ternt tent as ap ¬ plied to the American jockey isut insult well ap ¬ plied We have no school or next to none Onr OR jockeys are born not made They require too many natural gifts for manafacture manufacture as culture goes Theres Theresa no reverence less respect and still less courtesy in the riding contests of our turf Your darky darkly of fifteen if ho has the no ¬ tion ion and the horse thinks it glory to hook up with your Haywards Hayward or Taylors Taylor and skin em If hes hems got the back bone of it all this darkey darkly ho may oven go to the end of a fine finish Action only keeps honor bright in these effer offer ¬ vescent vesicant days and the winners the idol all the time no matter what his experience weight or color When one considers the utilitarianism of 1896 and the conflict of all tho thou days around us this seems proper Were for profit and the only profit is in front of the racing corner of our world Thats Hats the rule of life as I find it though a man may grade it for himself himselfGriffin himself Griffin is yet bound to Shields who shares his earnings some 25 000 a year by the right of making him From tho thou ranks of novices Griffin went to a school that was more careless than bad When he rode for Roller hero he was al ¬ ways under suspicion At last the boy got within close lines and since he has been between them his riding has been the best the turf has soon When I say best I mean it in a full sense Griflin Rifling Is almost a featherweight After his recent sickness through an accident in Cali Ali ¬ fornia Formica he weighed 110 pounds in his street clothes That means about 97 ridiug riding weight Yet Griffin holds his own under the weights at the scale from 122 to 126 pounds with riders of the strength of Taral Aral and Hamilton His record in this particular line marks the boys ability abilityGo ability Go to the refined stake list of 1595 It shows that he rode fourteen of their winners There were but seventyone seventy in the seasons list east and west His mounts won 125000 of the 402 745 in the 2000 stake list Requital in the Futurity carried 115 pounds Handspring in the Great Trial US Ramapo Ramp in tho thou Long Island 126 Keenan in the Tidal 122 and in the Brook ¬ lyn Derby 122 Hastings in the Surf 118 Flor Floor etta IV in the Expectation 115 Daisy 115 and Amazon 120 Requital in the Seaside 105 Haz Haze lett let in tho thou June 121 and the Spring 118 and Henry of Navarre Navarro in the Manhattan 127 and Municipal 130 Behind the boy wore such riders Simms Sims Taral Aral Reiff Riff Doggett Doge McCafferty and Hamilton He held his own and sometimes won by a finish on not much tho thou superior horse Perhaps it was an even thing or less in some cases casesGriffin categorizing Griffin is full of resources his hands are grate ¬ ful foul to the 2yearold ho uses the spurs but little and the whip less knows pace is courageous and can ride a finish his arms are strong While brawn counts on some horses the turfs riding level is one of brains as it should be or the conditions would be false falseGriffin falser Griffin rides for Mr Belmont this year he rode for him part of last That gathers skill horseflesh and tone in a group and tho thou result should bo superb Griffin ought to ride for a long term His stature favors him He will be matured hes hems not 21 at 125 pounds Before he grew to fame 1 heard stories of his brother younger he has three who was better than he and young Donnelly Donnelley who rode and failed in California last winter These boys report said outclassed Griffin They stopped at a nearby goal and lingered there The other youngster didnt didn't He had courage and ambition The goal to their possessor is elastic and moves with time and progress Griffins a credit to the turf
