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STARS IN THE SADDLE OF LONG AGO. Unearthed Jockey Records at Essex Park Recall Memories of Almost Forgotten Riders, By Douglas Hotehkiss. Hot Springs, Ark., August 21. "What about these boards? Are they of any value?" A workman was cleaning out the room at Essex Park, which is now receiving the finishing touches for the November twenty-one days meeting. He had encountered the jockey boards which were in use at that track in 1905 the last meeting held at that course. "Hildebrand" was the name on the first jockey board pulled from the rubbish. Few stars shone brighter in turf circles in 1905 than the boy then in the zenith of his glory, who was then riding for Joe Yeager, the quiet-mannered plunger, who but a few days ago succumbed to an operation. Yeager and Hildebrand were a combination at that last Essex Park meeting that were regarded with concern by Barney Schreibcr, Fred Walbaum. Kid Weller, Steve LHommedieu, Leo Mayer and others booking at the meeting. And this recalls that Yeager in his turf career was a handicapper liar excellence. Yeager owned no horses at that time. His turf asset was Hildebrand. He knew the masterful hand with which this boy bandied his mounts. Yeager would handicap the field soon after the entries were out. He would pick the horse that lie thought had the best chance to win. Then lie would go to the horses owner and tender the services of Hildebrand for the race. The horse owner usually was glad to get the services of such a rider. When the prices were put up Yeager would go down the line betting on his choice, and always a couple of hundred dollars would V.e placed for the stable. "Bedfern" was the name on another of the jockey boards. The last race that Bedfern won over the Essex course was the Vapor City Derby, run early in February at a mile, and which was won by Asterisk, in the colors of Mrs. M. Baker. Bedfern rated the Baker horse to tin; stretch and then with one of his masterful finishes, came out and finished alone. "Wonderly," the workman brought to surface next. Wonderly and Charley Ellison were a similar combination to Yeager and Hildebrand, though not so effective. It was seldom that Wonderly went to the post, at that Essex Iark meeting that Ellison failed to have a commission down. Shortly after the meeting here, when Wonderly was thrown by a horse and killed at the Memphis track, there was genuine sorrow among the colony who had known the dapper pleasing little jockey at this resort.- - "Winkfield" was on another slip brought out. Perhaps Winkfield was the only negro jockey riding at the meeting. No other is recalled now. But Winkfield was a jockey always to be reckoned with, as later he proved when he went to Russia and had a success uuparallelled. "Wenrick" came from the stack of jockey boards. AVenrick, like Wonderly, was killed on the track. Wenrick was riding at Oaklawn track in this city only a short while after the close of the Essex Park meeting when a horse fell with him and he was fatally injured. "Henry" came out on another jockey board from the rubbish heap, though Henry is far from the rubbish heap himself. After successfully riding here, Henry wont to France and rode with splendid success until he became too heavy, and today he is training horses back in America with much degree of success. "Troxler" came to attention next from the jockey boards. Troxler was called the "best post boy in the country." Particularly did his mounts have attention in the sprint races and in the early two-year-old events. Troxler had a way of keeping liis eye on the starter and the field at the same time, and of keeping his mount straight and ready for the start. He was usually "away winging" in the short races and a large percentage of his winning mounts were due to the fact that he would beat the gate and get clear sailing all the way for his Viorse. "A. W. Booker" was brought out. They had to initial the Bookers riding in that day, and A. W. was as popular than as later when he distinguished himself at St. Louis when on Colonial Girl lit! won the $.10,000 Worlds Fair Handicap. Booker was a "light boy." He could accept mounts around 90 pounds without any trouble, and could even make less weight if it was necessary. It was said of Booker that he could ride to orders with as much precision as any of the older and more experienced boys. There were many other names recalled to turf history when that stack of jockey boards were gone through with. Every turf follower remembers little Higgins, and Sewell. and J. OBrien, and Goodchild, and 1. OConnor, and S. Dickson, and M. McLaughlin, and Sperling, and J. J. Walsh and that roster of boys whose names were before every grandstand assemblage daily in the hey-day of turf affairs of that date. "Will these bo of any value in the coming meeting?" queried tiie workman as he spread the jockey boards over the greensward in front of the secretarys office. Time and his relentless hand have answered no. When the barrier is sprung at the November meeting at Essex there will be a whole lot of newly painted jockey boards available and not one of them will bear tiie names of the boys who were the dependables of all when last Essex staged a meeting.
