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WELL-EARNED TRIBUTE TO T. CANNON. Congratulations to Tom Cannon. Sr., who celebrated his seventieth birthday yesterday, and will, I trust, be spared to us for many more years. No living man. first as jockey and then as trainer. breeder owner, etc.. has inscribed his name more deeply on turf annals than T. Cannon, whose first mount, on Mavouraeea at Plymouth, was on August 21. 1860. At the same meeting lie rode hi* first winner in I rd Portsmouths My Uncle, for whom he sealed 71 pounds. His bodily weight at that time was only 54 pounds. His first classic success was on the Marquis of Hastings Repulse in the One Thousand of 1866. which he won again subsequently on Pilgrimage and Rusybody. The Derby he won on Shotover, one of the only five fillies that have carried off the "Rlue Ribbon." On that filly he likewise secured the Two Thousand, which he won . also on another filly in Pilgrimage, and colts in Enterprise and Enthusiast. Six fillies, inclusive of Formosa, which ran a dead heat with Moslem, are all that have ever gained Two Thousand honors. The Leger Cannon won on Robert the Devil. His most brilliant piece of riding in the "classics" was when he "stole" the Two Thousand on Enthusiast from F. Rarrett on Donovan. In after years Cannon came within an ace of repeating that operation in the Derby of 1K95. when filling the composite role of breeder, owner and trainer. Shortly before the big race he called a friend of his on one side — it was under the steps leading up to the trainers stand at the side of the weighing room — and said: "I am going to try and steal this Derby with a half-bred gelding." The gelding in question, Curzon. nearly brought it off. moreover, for with George Chaloucr up he was only b-.-aten by three-quarters of a length by Sir Visto. That was the famous Stoekbridge trainers second attempt in two years, for the previous season his colt Reminder had run third to Ladas and Match -Ikix while as a four-year-old he won the City and Suburban. As a mentor of jockeys Tom. Cannon has likewise figured with great prominence among the shining lights that graduated under his watchful eye being John Watts. Sam Loates, W. T. Robinson and. of course, his sons. Tom, Mornington and Kempton Cannon, also Mawson. the steeplechase jockey. A born horse dealer. Tom Cannon effected many big sales, notably when he sold his stallion. Mel.r.ion. to the Italian government for 8.000 pounds, and previously that of his colt Humewood. with which lie won the Jubilee Handicap of 1.500 sovereigns at Sundown Park, and then sold him privately to Lard Rodney. For the purchaser Hume-wood won the Goodwood Corinthian Plate and also the Cesarewiteh. In the big handicap W. T. Robinson had the mount and it was said at the time by a wag. because Robinsons indentures were transferred to Jewitt. tiiat the jockey had been sold together with the horse. — "Vigilant" in Loudon Sportsman of April 24.
