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NEGRO RIDERS Of RENOWN 1 1 i Great Jockeys of Color in Action ■ Thirty Years Ago. « . Isaac Murphys Keen Ability — Simms, Hamilton, Barnes, Over- J ton, Clayton and Other Stars. hi i ♦— N Almost as great a mystery as the total disappear- fj mi ■•• f the peseeacer pfayeea is the almost total : disappearance of the catena1 Jeehejr from American racing. It is almost as d if fie nit to account for one- as tin* ether. It is true that ■ tea ere ■till riding. . hut their number tan he counted on the fingers of a hand. J So short a tim" as thirty yean back the case was « entirely aiffereat. Vaaifricellj the colored riders. . especially i?i the West, held their own Hell with . theft white- rivals In rcepttt to skill in the sad- _ Ule the liest of ihcm liad nothing to ask from the j white riders. AI-o they worked in harmony togeth- , er. If there was racial feeling it was repreeaed . and had little, if any, public manifesr.it ion. «j First and foremost among the colored riders of „ that time was laaae Murphy. In no eoasvtry or at . any time was there ever his eapertef in l In- arts of ... exquisite- haneaiaaahto. As ■ judge of pace he was . . w marvel It was relate. 1 of him thai on an eeca- ., ■tea Mr. Haggin asked him to work Ban Fox three- V quarters in clo=e to 1:14. So literally did he fat- :, low his laetraetteae that he worked the famous eoit . In exactly 1:14. several expert timers agreeing on j, the time made. He had an almost uncanny knowl edge of what his own bene was doing under him in ,. I race and of what the other horses were doing under their riders. He was a powerful finisher when it was required and took cepacia] delight in drawing a finish so fine as to win by inches when ha could Lave won off. | ISAAC MURPHV S RIDING PROWESS. Isaacs nam- is deeply indented la the history oT the most valuable races of his time. Be won r four of the first five American Derbys on Modesty. | Silver loud. V- l.uite and Cmperor of Norfolk He won the Kentucky Derby oa Buchanan. Riley and Kingman. Be won the first Lateaie Derby on i Laaaataa; the third, feartb and fifth Lateaie Der-ii s ou Benaa silver Cteaal aaal Libretto and the ninth on Kingmiu. At one time and ■aether he won most of the important easten stake raeea. Isaac-was of polite and pleasing manners and baBMaeely popular with the patreaa ef the tart Cast and t West. His like ere bare aerer bad Riaee. Hiding it the same time was Joha Stovai. a hap- t py-go-lncky -nstome-r. but i rider of gnat skill and. especially, wonderfully effective in whirlwind fin- v isnes through the stretch. He "as an artist in re- a serving a mount for an unexpected last rush. "like" Haines was yonuuet ihan Marphy and | Sfoval. but became well knc.wn as a remarkably t Kkiilfu rider before they bad retired from the sad ,, die. It was Haines who guided Procter Knott to | victory over Salvator and Galea in the first Futurity. The major part of his riding was done over | western tracks, but besides that Futurity he won a the Brooklyn Derby and Itrlatoal Stakes with Bur- . liugtou. the Brooklyn Handicap with leiinv. as well as many of the less famous eastern stake races. So he was well known to eastern racing folks and [ bad his followers there. Alaaaa Loaaie Clayton was oae of the great joe kc vs. As handsome as a Haphael cherub and a little gentleman in doi ortmcnt this rider was in favor Fast and West, and propc-ry so. la all tie- J elements of high class Jockeyahip be may be ranked ii -x t to Isaac Murphy without in the lea-t disparag- iug the claim- f other noted colored riders to that fame. Clayton seemed to he gifted with that btttiaC- I live •feel" ef his horses which tohl whether a wait- 1 ing policy or an instant sprint for the lead was I most conducive to success "limine" Clayton was I not one of the elect who could boa-l of hiving en n an American Derby, but won the Kentucky Derby t w ith Aan and the Lateaie Derby with Newton ami I Ornament, the St. Iyouis Derby with Ornament and i the Suburban Handicap with Tillo. SIMMS. HAMILTON AND OTHERS. W. Simms was another capital colored rider He succeeded James McLaughlin when that grand jockey became too heavy to ride for Dw yer Bros, and stood in the front rank of American jockey s for some years. Hiding for such a powerful stable it was but natural that he should achieve many triumphs in the great stake races of his day. In the main his riding was confined to the eastern tracks, hut he traveled West with he great little horse Hen Brush and with him won the Kentucky and Latonia l erhys. but struck a snag in the St. beetle Derby and had to finish second to Byron McClellands fine colt Prince Lief in the fastest time ever recorded in that then important race. Later on Simms won his second Kentucky Derby on Plaudit, llr- won the Suburban Handicap on Ben Brush and headed the jockey list in 1H93 and MM. Anthony I Tony I Hamilton was of a low order of intelligence, but that did not prevent him from being a wonder in the saddle. He won the Brooklyn Handcap with Exile and Hornpipe and the Suburban Hnndicap with Eazzarone. the Futurity with Potomac- and many other important races, and was justly feared by his rivals. All the foregoing would rank with Loftus. Sande or any other high-class jockey of more recent days. They were not all by any means. Such others as "Monk" Overton. Isaac- U-wis. Felix Carr. "Tiny" Williams. E. West. J. Winkfield. Jerry Chorn, Dink Jones. Bob Isom. Tommy Knight. James iSoupi Perkins. Tom Britton. James Lei-. J. Porter. "Pete" Clay. Chevalier. Hoggett and others that could be mentioned wen- masterly riders, credited with great feats of horsemanship at one time and another. James bee won enduring fame at Churchill Downs July 5. 1910. when he piloted the winners of the days card of six races. "Monk" Overton rode the wiuers of six races at Washington Park July 16. 1891. He had no mount in one of the seven races of the day, but made a c-lc an sweep of the other six. • Continued oa second pace1. I o • KEGR0 RIDERS OF RENOWN oatinued from first pare. - .. ion was ,,f the Hamilton type, a square, . 1 ...w i-ful young man snd exeeilod in holding hard-hcaded - horses together and driving them in a finish when they fad a chance. There never was a greater favorite than Felix Can v . - on th.- Chicago and San Frabeisco race tracks • in the da.s when he was lightweight rider for Barney Bchreiher. For some occult reason among tie things not to be accounted for lie was immense ly popular with the feminine patrons. Their shrill I war cry "Come on you Felix" ascended to the high heavens when his mounts began to show in the • stretch and. as a rale, Felix was coaling with such ef|. at that th.so impiorings were changed to jubilant notes of rejoicing lie was then a merry little Voon" and be surely rould ride. R. Tiny Williams was a rider of great power • and dash and extrimcly effective on tv.o-y. ai old-. ••Soup" Perkins was good enough for any mans • stable. He rode Prince Lief and defeated Shams I u P.en Brash in the St. Louis Derby and won the Kentucky Derby on the grand colt Habaa. Winkfield 1 v.as anoth.-r extremely capable jockey who is still i riding, but in Frame. He had Kentucky Derbys to 1 bis redit on His Lmincnce and Allan a Dab- in I 1901 and liXtl. Also a L.tonia Derby on Hernando. .1. Knight rode Dick Welles in all of his aotable lar.s and Pete lay is inseparable from the fame of tie wonderful "Coal Bssck Lady" Imp. the two being a combination of great celebrity on the New Fork trucks. Prior to being nearly killed by a fall at Washington Park Tom Brittoa was a star, bold, skillful and I a topnotch finisher. He won the Tennessee Derby • of ls.M on Yal.ra and of 1 s;L mi Tom Llliott. as - wll as the Kentucky O.iks of ism on Miss HsWkins. ■
