Tommy Burns to Ride No More: Veteran Jockey Announces His Retirement as Immediate Result of Mishap at Fort Erie, Daily Racing Form, 1909-07-14

article


view raw text

TOMMY BURNS TO RIDE NO MORE. Veteran Jockey Announces His Retirement as Immediate Result of Mishap at Fort Erie. From Buffalo comes the word that veteran Tommy Burns, who. during two successive years headed "the American jockey list, has ridden his last race. The. broken collar bone which followed Burns fall from The Thorn at Fort Erie last Saturday, is directly responsible for Burns determination to retire after a career in the saddle covering no less than sixteen years. Burns had been contemplating retirement for some time, but the ease with which he made riding weight and the fascination which the sport held for him. kept him in the saddle until the accident came along and finally Influenced him" to bring his long and useful riding career to a close. As long ago as 1803 Burns, then a midget ot midgets, was riding at St. Louis under the tutelage of Tom Hums and Dave Waldo and since then hp has been actively in the saddle east, west and south. In 1S9S and 1S90 he earned the proud position of leading jockey of the United States in number of winning mounts and ranked amoug the leading riders-of the country in other years as well. When Burns was at the zenith of his fame no rider liad anything on him. He started In riding at seventy-five pounds and won his first race in St. Paul in 1SJ4 on JJncIe .Tint, owned by "Deaf Tom" Hums, a well-known turf character of that period. Burns began to show his good form in 1S0C and 1S07. He was engaged by John W. .Schorr mid Charley Ellison, since famed as a plunger, took him in hand. It was with Burns that Ellison made his fortune. The boys success brought to them many thousands of dollars. Burns never allowed his successes to. turn his head. Unlike many of the boys who get to "the position he achieved In the racing world. Burns was not improvident, and always kept the future in in I ml. As a result he Is now worth a considerable amount of money, some placing the extent of his fortune as high as 00,000. Whether or not that figure Is correct it is hard to say, but it is certain that Burns is Independently fixed for life. He Is married and has a son and is now about thirty years old. Few jockeys that have ridden in this country can duplicate or approach the record which Tommy Burns has to his credit, as shown in the following tabulation of his saddle showing from the time that he lirst headed the list of America In 180S down to date: Year. Mts. 1st. 2d. 3d. Unp P.C. 1S!S !73 277 213. 141 334 ,2S 1800 l.tMH 273. 173 200 352 .28 1000 505 13S 10Y !0 230 .24 1001 717 150 150 !I7 314 .21 1002 040 VX 110 77 32C. 20 1! S23 150 134 102 431 .1! 1001 H0 80 100 OS 308 12 1!M5 515 74 04 70 337 .13 1000 17! 15 27 IS lla .08 1007 Did not ride. 100S !.-, 1:5 14 14 r,f .14 100! 152 1! 23 IS 12 .12 Totals .. .0,405 1,32.8 1,121 099 2.957 .20


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1909071401/drf1909071401_1_5
Local Identifier: drf1909071401_1_5
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800