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AN UNLUCKY RACE FOR TOD SLOAN Cambridgeshire Handicap of 1500 Proved the Down ¬ fall of the Great American Jockey JockeyA A French turf writer says that the late 31 Ephrussis horse Codoman has been at the stud in Italy for some time but lias not proved a great success This is the horse which was beaten in the Cambridgeshire by the Irish horse Berrill when Tod Sloan got into trouble with the stewards by openly boasting that he had backed his mount to win GfijOOO pounds poundsThe The Cambridgeshire was always an unlucky race for Tod Sloan and eighteen years ago in 1900 the big Houghton Handicap proved the first nail in his coffin so far as English racing was concerned concernedAfter After riding the French colt Codoman to victory in the Prix du Conseil Municipal Sloan formed such a high opinion of 31 Ephrnssis threeyearold that he prevailed on those connected with him to put up the fourteen pounds extra and let him take his chance in the Cambridgeshire That Sloan and his friends backed the Frenclirman for a lot of money there was no possible doubt whatever as more than one prominent commission agent knew to their cost An Informal Jockey Club inquiry followed Before and after the race all sorts of tall stories and rumors gained currency It was openly stated that means not quite in accordance with the rules of racing niight be resorted to in order to gain a victory victoryThis This may have been nothing but the yaporings of the man in the street but certainly the Irish party connected with Berrill became alarmed and though they hart engaged an American jockey to ride their colt altered their mind at the eleventh hour arid sent over post haste for native talent This turned up in the person of T Thompson who in those days had only just started in the pro ¬ fession in which later on lie became a shining light Whatever may have been the reason for a change of jockeyship the judgment of the selection was not at fault for Thompson obeyed his instruc ¬ tions to the letter This was to jump off at scorn and make the best of his way to the winningpost Also to avoid as far as possible any interference interferenceThe The early betting was 100 to 8 against Codoman whom Sloan had been riding at exercise at Xew market all that week refusing several public en ¬ gagements Despite the money that went on Codo ¬ man he did not harden in the market Probably this was accounted for by the fact that the general public did not take kindly to his claims He had 122 K unds on his threeyearold back and on the liook could not be made out quite the same class as Foxhall Plaisanterie or La Fleche previous heavily weighted threeyearold winners Then too money came in plenty for the much overrated The Raft while Capt Bewicke and the Grateley party were on the war path with Little Eva EvaAll All the same hopes rose high when the yellow spotted dark bine jacket took second place to Herrill ascending Bushes Hill At the famous land ¬ mark Sloan gave Codoman a momentary breather Then getting his elbows well out as was his cus ¬ tom when calling on his mounts reserve lie set him alight coming into the Dip Irish cheers went up for the leader and Codomaus supporters shouted Go it Sloan But Codoman could not go any faster and thus a big adventure failed
