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SLOAN AND ENGLISH RACING How the American Rider Succeeded and Then Came to Grief The English idea of Tod Sloans riding and Impression in and on racing on the other side is smoothly told in the following story in the London Winning Post PostShortly Shortly before the Newmarket Second Oc ¬ tober meeting in 1S97 there arrived at New ¬ market from America a little man who was to ride St Cloud II for Mr J P Keene in the Cesarewitch The jockeys name was J T Sloan and it quickly transpired that his course name on the other side of the At ¬ lantic was Tod When seen out with Jacob Plncus team he at once attracted attention and met with much derisive criticism from the Newmarket wiseacres American jockeys previously seen over here such as the colored lad Simms and Lester Reiff had been noted for riding with short leathers bul Sloan was the limit and more than one of the men of observation compared his riding to a monkeyonastick and expressed wonderment that his expenses should have been paid for the long journey from the United States We forget who introduced us to him but well remember his volubility and were astonished at much that he had to say sayMost Most remarkable of all was the informa ¬ tion he imparted to us that though he was riding St Cloud II in the Cesarewitch it was the Cambridgeshire they were going for and he guessed they would be there The horse was nowhere in the long race but afterward there was plenty of money for him for the short race On the Monday of the Houghton week there was an extra days racing with a program of four races for the purpose of giving the starting gate a trial Meeting Sloan in the Birdcage he ex ¬ pressed a wish that he could have a ride de ¬ claring this game is just right for me We advised him to ask his fellow countryman Huggins who was standing a few yards off to get him a mount Take me to him asked Sloan and we did Huggins said that if Lord William Beresford would consent he should ride a plater called Quibble II for the second race His lordship at once agreed and we went down to the Rowley Mile start ¬ ingpost to see the fun funIt It was evident that the little Yankee was quite at home at the to us new business and when the tapes flew up he at once sneaked several lengths advantage Nor was he caught and he won by six lengths Brad ¬ ford and Rickaby being on the second and third He had one other mount that after ¬ noon and Jack Watts beat him by a head Before the end of the fastclosing season he had proved that no matter how comical the monkeycrouch may appear he was not a dummy jockey and many who had been the loudest in their derision were among the first to recognize his capabilities In all he rode twenty winners and wound up the season l y carrying off the final plate by no less than ten lengths lengthsThe The next year his services were in great demand and the scoffers were completely silenced If imitation is the sincerest flat ¬ tery then he had more than his full share for our jockeys began to cultivate the crouching style in the hope of emulating the success of the invader It was not the style only that conduced to Sloans success how ¬ ever and his imitators were unable to rival him The fact had to be acknowledged that he had something more than style in spite of his characteristics he possessed brains and so far as concerns raceriding lie might with perfect justice be described as a genius Unfortunately he had a marked weakness flashiness which kept from him many who might have been good friends and he got into company that no jockey should associate with He was too fond of talking too and if he had kept his own counsel about the thousands he stood to win over Codoinan for the Cambridgeshire the stewards of the Jockey Club would not have refused to re ¬ new his licinse to ride after the 1300 season
