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TOD TODD SLOAN AND HIS ISMS Tom Gallagher had a sketch of Tod Todd Sloan and his peculiarities in last Mondays TimesHerald Timeshared that was a gem in its way Here it is Tod Todd Sloan of Kokomo Kokako Now York and London who rode one mount for H R H the Prince of Wales last fall is of Chicago development It was here he first achieved distinction in the saddle His home was then at 545 West Madi Mardi ¬ son street After having been abroad creating a sensation on the English turf winning the re ¬ spect aspect of British turf critics and the admiration of lordly and royal patrons of racing and seeing the sights of Monte Carlo and Paris he still likes Chicago It was his intention to have re ¬ mained maimed here only a few hours Friday but he decided to remain until Saturday night Then he changed the date of his departure to Tues ¬ day night and finally said All bets on Tues ¬ day night are off and there will be a new book probably Wednesday WednesdayFive Wednesday Five years ago his diminutive proportions caused frequenters of local tracks to call him Tot more often than Tod Todd Reminded of that fact he yesterday remarked When I first went with the horses in the fall of 1887 1 was 14 years old exactly four feet high and weighed fiftythree fifty pounds with my clothes on In 1891 I stood four feet two inches and threequarters treasurers Now I stand five feet and threequarters treasurers of an inch and weigh 100 pounds stripped I will ride this year at 100 pounds and dont don't intend to re ¬ duce to ride below that weight At Washing ¬ ton Park July 18 1890 1 rode the twoyearold toehold filly Marmora for Bill McQuigan Michigan in a condi condo ¬ tion ion race of a mile and seventy yards Her weight was 56 pounds and I was half a pound overweight That is the lowest weight at which any boy ever rode in a condition race in the United States The Guide says Marmora car ¬ ried reid six pounds over but I know I was only half a pound over I rode last year at 145 pounds and will go as high as they ask me to this year Of English racing he said I dont don't know how to talk about it to interest American peo peon ¬ ple pale I dont don't believe the average American race ¬ goers would like it The tracks over there are generally neither straight nor circular with the exception of Chester Newmarket Newark Heath Ep ¬ som soma Downs Doncaster Downcast Lincolnshire and Liver ¬ pool are not inclosed unclosed People who go to the races here are not satisfied unless they can see the horses from start to finish Over there one has to be content with seeing a part of the race and a person located in a field will be lucky if he sees more than the colors flitting by The charming part of the sport over there is that it is conducted by men of high class Everybody connected with the management of the tracks is polite and attentive and the trainers neither use nor tolerate bad language around their stables At the post the ridors riders are careful to obey the starters orders and such a thing as a starter speaking even harshly to a jockey is unknown unknownPerfect unknown Perfect discipline is enforced by the Jockey Club and the result is perfect order about the j stables and on the courses The horses run fast over there in dry weather because the turf f tracks become uncommonly hard In wet weather the tracks are ankle deep and of course slow To spectators I believe the racing here is more exciting than in England To a rider the racing is equally exciting here and abroad but there is less danger on the English course courseHow course How did I become a jockey Not easily I can assure you In the fall of 1887 my brother Cass who was then in the employ of Tracy Levy of St Louis came through Washington Ind Indo wljich owlish was my homo and I went with him to St Louis and went to work walking Biddy Bowling and Surprise around a ring The races were finished there and the horses and outfit were shipped to Kansas City to the fall meet ¬ ing King From there Iwent Went to Pueblo Col Cool where I worked all wicfter swifter for Charles Johnson owner of Jim Douglas I walked horses chored cored and cooked until the spring of 1888 when I went to Denver After a month with the horses at Den ¬ ver veer I joined Johnny Campbells Campbell stable at Kan Kahn ¬ sas sacs City From there I came here to Washing ¬ ton Park ParkAfter Marketer After accompanying the stable to Saratoga and New York I came back here in the fall and remained with my folks on the west side until Campbell came and got me and took me to Lex Alex ¬ ington Kingston From there we went to New Orleans Then I had my first mount on Lovelace Overlade Febru February ¬ ary Cary 5 1889 I finished third I rode four or five other races that spring and summer but got no better than second At Washington Park I quit Campbell In the fall I had my first winning mount on Walker at the fair at Cambridge City Ind Indo IndAfter Indenter After that I went with Jim Brown The next spring I was frequently in the saddle In 1891 I bought Hominy Bill and made two killings with him at Garfiold Garfield Park September 26th he won at threequarters treasurers and was backed from 12 to 1 to 5 I rode at eightynine eighty pounds Frank Shaw cleaned out the Covington Coving pool ¬ room causing a Cincinnati paper to say a ghost walked through it October 8 with eighty pounds up we got the money again the post odds being 5 to 1 Frank Shaw and I were the only two who knew how good Hominy Bill was Everybody about Chicago who knows any ¬ thing about racing must remember the two races 1 won in one day on Van Buren Burn at Garfield Park That was August 11 With ninety pounds up he won the second race on the card seven furlongs in 1 26i Then he started in the fourth a mile and a sixteenth with the same weight and won in 1 46 I rode Van Buren Burn in the match with Kingston and had Kingston straight for over half a mile Then I had three years of bad riding or bad luck bad riding I guess In 1894 I sold my entire outfit to Cass for 60 and thought I had quit riding ridingThat ridding That winter at Frisco I got in form again and have had more or less success ever since What I have done recently is too well known to justify repeating repeatingTod repeating Tod Todd is a general surprise to those who knew him well before he went to the other side of the water It is thought the boy has gained a world of knowledge from his association with the nabobs on the other side His close friend and manager the widely known bookmaker of St Louis Eddie Gaines is taking the best of care of the little fellow Gaines thinks Tod Todd is the greatest rider at his weight in the world He will travel will Sloan wherever the latter chooses to go Gaines stamps the story that Pittsburg Pittsburgh Phil is broke as a lie pure and simple He says it is possible that Smith may be pressed for ready money as the richest man may be at times but it is impossible that he is fiat at this time after the prosperous season he had last summer Sloan still retains his love of billiards and while in France had a most amusing experience He sauntered into the billiardroom billiard of the largest hotel in the French capital one day and indicated that he would like to play with some one A man was found for him and Tod Todd be ¬ ing King out of practice fell a rather easy victim to the stranger When ho went to the desk to pay his bill he found that he was charged double price because his opponent was the professor Finding a kick was useless Sloan found another table and practiced studiously for a few days Then he went back to find the professor Ho also took with him an interpreter and indicated that he would play the professor for the price of the table This offer was refused and then Sloan agreed to pay double if he lost and not a sou soul if he won This was accepted Sloan ran the game of 100 points out easily and had no trouble in defeatingthe defeating professor The latter was so disgusted ho threw his cue on the floor and refused to shake hands Sloan drew on his handsome overcoat lighted one of the giant cigars for which he is well known and saun sauna ¬ tered termed out of the room whistling as loudly as he could He was regarded as an absolute freak by the Parisians
