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* E i GOSSIP OF THE TURF. Jimmy Michael was to ba a jockey last year but he wasnt. He had a vast amount of free advertising, however, on the score of his intention to desert the bicycle and become a rival of Tod Sloan. A few days ago he showed that the talk had solid foundation when he made his debut as a jockey in a race at Gravesend, but the impression be made was hardly flattering. I The New York Journal says of his first effort in his new profession : "There was nothing in the style of a blaze of glory about the long deferred debut of the ex-cycle king, Jimmy Michael, in the role of jockey. He began by getting a scolding and finished by whipping in a field of very bad horses after the brilliant animal he bestrode had nearly carried him through the ontside fence. "The appearance of Michael was a welcome break to a monotonous day, doubly dull after the raptures and roses of Saturday. The famous midget was due at the scale before the horses had gone to the post for the fifth race, but he failed to appear in time to be weighed then. He had small margin of time after the race, but he made the trip and turned glorious in a new set of cardinal and white "Mr. Crickmore greeted him with a curt remark that he would have to bs earlier in the future if he wanted to be weighed at all. Michael, who was deathly pale, smiled a sickly smile aud answered in a would be flippant style: Ob, that dont matter. "The veteran clerk of the scales looked decidedly astonished and pulled the young man up sharply with : Yes, indeed, it does matter, Youll find that your going to be treated just the same as any other boy. "The field was large, fifteen going into the starters hands, but at the post Michael, who was on Morose, showed no timidity. He seemed to be well up when the flag fell, but at once pulled back and then made a vain effort to work a safe outside passage. To this Morose was not agreeable, and neither had the speed to improve his position under the circumstances nor the inclination to go straight. He evidently wanted to get into the fifty-cent field, and it was only by a liberal applicatton of cat -gut that Michael prevented him from doing some fence climbing. "Of course, it would b9 absurd to condemn Michael on one such trial, but it was ridiculous to see such an exhibition after the blare of trumpets with which his advent to the turf has been greeted. To judge by the lads face as be unsaddled his horse and went to scale, he would be well content to be back in cycle racing."
