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PRANK WOOTTON AND DANNY MAHER. To whatever cause or causes it may be ascribed, the fact remains that in recent years riders other than English have in their particular field claimed the prime share of attention from those immediately concerned with or taking an interest In racing. It is significant that, though this country is justly regarded as the home of the horseman, especially in connection with the handling of the thoroughbred, rivals from beyond the seas should have carved a direct and rapid way through the ranks of native professionals. Most of the strangers who have within modern dates made a more or less deep mark on the records of jockeydom here hailed from America, from whence an invasion of Britain was inaugurated in the "nineties." In 1S95 the colored jockey, Simms, came over and made a short stay, the next season we had a visit from L. Reiff, and towards the end of 1S97 arrived J. Sloan. To him succeeded again L. Reiff in 99 accompanied this time by his younger brother John and then followed J. H. Martin and several others, of whom the most notable was Maher. Some of the men from the "States" played prominent parts while with us. but others eventually fell foul of the ruling turf authorities, and their careers were cut comparatively short. What they did and how they did it need not be gone into now, but It may bo remarked that "Tod" Sloan, who undoubtedly ranked in the first class, practically revolutionized the manner of riding races, and the adoption of the American seat on this side of the Atlantic was mainly owing to the successes achieved by the new method. He became one of the most popular jockeys of the day, and though he did not head the list of winners when a season closed, nor even reach the first three, he always showed a remarkably good winning average and his mounts were largely and systematically followed by the speculative public. A number of the Transatlantic invaders ultimately found scope for their activities elsewhere, and some are now riding in other parts of Europe, leaving Maher Had Martin in this country. Here the pair have achieved honorable and profitable positions, and for Maher especially England must have proved a veritable "Tom Tiddlers ground." He has been among us for eleven years, and while the reputation as a rider he brought with him has been abundantly sustained lie has reached a pinnacle no other American Jockev has attained. No necessity exists to refer to his progress in detail, but it may be remarked that only twice since his arrival has ho failed to fill one of the first three places in the winning jockey list at the end of the year. On the present occa sion he is third, and in the early part of the sea son gone by it appeared quite possible for him to be second, if not first. He and F. Woottou soon went away with a lead of all the others, and when they were joined by Trigg there became no doubt as to the placings, if not their order, at the end of November. Maher has usually taken things far more easilv than his friendly opponents, and resting and holiday-making have doubtless been responsible for some reduction of his figures. And as showing the confidence and esteem with which ho is regarded it mav be mentioned in passing that he spent a brief vacation in August in the distinguished company of his patron, Lord Rosebery. wearing whose colors ho has at various times achieved so many triumphs. The classic races have gone into other quarters this vear, so that Maher shows no addition to his fine record in that connection, but he can look back upon the season with satisfaction, the more especially as he was fully exonerated in a case where for the moment it appeared as though his riding had been open to suspicion. While the career of Maher is sufficiently remarkable, still more so, in some ways, is that of F. Wootton. As a jockev the rise of one so young has never before been so rapid, and when It is remembered that he only came from South Africa in 1900, the eminence he has found in the comparatively short time that has elapsed is nothing short of astonishing. His services have been in incessant demand, and though increasing weight that jockeys bugbear may in future curtail his oportunities, he stands altogether on very enviable ground. The honor he had during the past season of being first jockev to so respected and influential a turf supporter as Lord Derby is one any rider, young or old, would envy, and though that association is now severed, it will carry with it the recollection of a lot of leading races won in the black and white livery. The fact of his lordship owning so many good-natured horses this year gave Wootton additional chances of riding winners, and he is identified with the. victories of such as Swynford, Stedfast, Hair Trigger II. and many others that have secured between them so large a share of the chief prizes going. In fact, he has not been previously able to boast such a long list of valuable events for which he has been first past the post alike for Lord Derby and other owners, and an enumeration of the chief of them may not be without interest. The first was the Molyneux Stakes at Liverpool Spring, and to that succeeded the Durdans Plato and Acorn Stakes at Epsom, Manchester Cup, St. James Palace Stakes, New Stakes and Hardwick Stakes at Ascot, Princess of Wales Stakes and Fulbourne Stakes at Newmarket, Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, St. Georges Stakes and Atlantic Stakes at Liverpool, Duchess of York Plate at Hurst Park, Sussex Stakes, Lavant Stakes, Prince of Wales Stakes. Drayton Handicap, Moleconib Stakes and Nassau Stakes at Goodwood; International T. Y. O. Plate at Kempton Park; Hurst Park Lennox Stakes; Great Yorkshire Stakes and Gimcrack Stakes at York; Breeders St. Leger at Derby; Park Hill Stakes and the Cup at Doncaster; Autumn Breeders Foal Plate at Manchester; Jockey Club Stakes, Great Foal Stakes and many others at Newmarket and elsewhere. Until Goodwood Wootton had not put his ultimate standing in the winning list beyond reasonable doubt, but from that meeting onward his progress was remarkable, and for some time past he has been out by himself. He had, of course, many easy things from the quality of the thoroughbreds he steered, but allowing for the errors of judgment, which all the best horsemen occasionally make he has ridden with much skill the season through, and for the third time claims the distinction of the jockey headship at the close of a racing campaign. Further, he? has not previously had so many mounts in a season nor ridden so many winners. London Sportsman.
