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Memoirs of the British Turf BY THE HON. GEORGE LAMBTON. NINIH ARTICLE. One looks back with pleasure to those days when sjiort was the first thiiifr and money the second consideration, although it was not by any means despised. These old Norths-country trainers perhaps did things which would not quite have pleased the authorities in these days, but when they did have a good thing they wanted all their friends to lie "on." The rivalry between North and South-country jockeys and trainers was great. The year Barcaldine won the Northumberland Plate I won a selling race at Gosforth Park with a horse called Echo, ridden by Tom Bruckshaw and trained by Charles Lund. I had a dash on him and the chief danger to him. Chesterfield, was left. AKCIIKR AND CHESTEUlIKMl. Having brought him in. I entered him again the next day. Chesterfield was also entered and Archer was asked to ride h;in. Always keen on a winning ride, he came to me and said. "You had better let me ride Ebho ; otherwise, I shall ride Chesterfield and probably beat you." I would not take liruckshaw off. and in the race Echo started at G to t and Chesterfield at 2 to 1. They were a long time at the post, and eventually Echo, getting a flying start, scrambled home from Chesterfield. Everyone knew that Archer had wanted the mount and Bruckshaw mignt have won the Derby from the reception his north-country friends gave him when he rode in. In the weighing-room there was a lot of chaff, and Fred Archer said to Jim Snow-den, who had ridden in the race: "What was the matter with you and your horse at the post?" "Well," said .Mm. "youre a bit too quick at starting, and I didnt want you to beat Tom and Mr. George, so I shouted. No. no. until I saw Tom would go off better than you." Snowden was a great character, and when at his best a great jockey, but unfortunately he was rather too fond of the ladies and the bottle. He was a wonder at coming up with one long run and being up in the last stride, and he knew to an inch where the winning post was. I remember his winning, a selling race for Tom Green at Doncaster after apparently being out of Citi race he was up and won by a head. TOM G HE EX LOSES PLATER. Charlie. Merry, a shrewd man ind fond of a good plater, was determined to have the winner, and outbid old Tom Green, who was somewhat annoyed at losing his horse. When he was knocked down to Mr. Merry. Tom said. "Well, you have bought the horse, but you cant have his jockey, for he wont ride him for you." Merry replied, "Never mind about that; if Snowden hadnt waited so long he would have won in a canter." Ten days after, at the Newmarket first October meeting, the horse was entered in another selling race. To my surprise I found Tom Green at the races and on asking what he was there for he replied, "Why. to get my horse back again, for he will be beaten today ; no one but Snowden can ride him." The horse starts favorite, with Jack Watts up, was off well, looks all over a winner, and then fades out of the picture. Tom. who was a most popular man, found no difficulty in getting him claimed, and went back chuckling to Yorkshire. Once at Catterick Bridge Jim Snowden was riding a good old plater called Aragon. I also the property of Tom Green, who was not present at the meeting. By the time he came into the paddock to take his mount he had been doing himself pretty well. He looked at the horse walking round and said to the boy leading him, "Take those blinkers off." The boy said that the horse always ran in them. "I tell you," said Snowden. "take those blinkers off; its bad enough I to have a blind jockey without having a blind horse as well." But in spite of his i condition he won the race. Another time at Thirsk. early in the day. he had been engaged to ride a horse in the last race. The owner had said to him. , "Now, Jim, this is a real good thing, but I dont want you to show the horse up, so dont win more than a neck or half a length i you know how to do that." WINS HY TEX LENGTHS. When the race was run. being at the . autumn meeting, it was dark and foggy, and as the horses emerged from the gloom Snowden was seen to be out by himself and won by ten lengths. As he came back to scale the owner said I to him, "I think you might have remembered what I told you and not shown my - horse up like this." "You were d d lucky - to win at all," replied Snowden. who was j blind to the world, "for I never saw a post from start to finish." In spite of these failings he was a good I and loyal servant, and Jim in the white . and red spots of Lord Zetland was a favorite figure in the North. Quite a different character was dear old John Osborne, who is still, I am glad to , say. often to be seen on north-country race ; . courses. Like Archer in the South, Johnny was the idol of the North, and when these two jockeys opposed each other excitement I was great, and the North to a man would stick to Johnny. I can call to mind some - thrilling struggles. In short races I have no doubt that Archer was quicker, but in , a long race no one could beat "the old pusher," as he was called. He had not a t pretty seat and rode short for those days. He was a wonderful judge of pace, and I although his favorite race was a waiting one, he could fairly excel himself when he wanted to make running. I do not know whether these stories of I races ridden by old jockeys will weary my r leaders, but I must risk it. To me the riding of jockeys is almost as interesting as the running of horses. As an instance of how true horses will 1 run when ridden by two first-class jockeys. ". 1 will quote the case of Privateer and Passaic at Goodwood in 1881. In the Drawing , Room Stakes of a mile and a quarter on the Wednesday, Privateer, ridden -by John i I I i , i . I - - j I . , ; . I - , t I I r 1 ". , i Osborne, beat Passaic. Archer up, by a haul. The winner, an unknown quantity at that time, started at 100 to 7 and Passaii at 5 to 4. The following day the horsw met again at the same weights over the old milo in the Racing Stakes.- ; I have said before, that Archer, when ha was beaten a head always thought he ought to have won, and he thought so on this r occasion, with the result that Passai.- at their second meeting started at - to 1 a id Privateer at 5 to 2, but after another : pUn-did race Privateer won by exactly the same distance as before a head. Another time at Goodwood Johnny was riding Reveller for Sir Robert Jardino. f.ither of the present baronet, in the Goodwood Stakes. Fred Bates, who trained birr, told me that it was a good thing and advised mo to have a good bet. Having the greatest respect for Freds judgment I lack el the horse to win me ,000. After a very pretty race Reveller wis beaten a head by Fortissimo with Fordham up. Many people thought that Johnny .ad waited too long and Fred Bates said. "For once Johnny has made a mistake, but m can get your money buck as the two horses meet again in the Queens Plate on Friday and mine will win." I had a talk with Johnny about this; he would not -a e .t, and even said that he rather thought Ford-ham had a bit up his sleeve. The race came off. Fred Bates :t k to his guns and bet heavily again and, although Reveller was giving three pounds in spite of the head beating the ring bet even money about the pair, which showed that the public had the same opinion as Bates. Coming to the distance it looked like being a good nice, then Fordham produced that bit which Johnny had suspected of being up his sleeve and won in a cantor. After the race Fred Bates, in forcible I in-guage, declared he ought to be kicked from Sussex to Yorkshire for thinking tl.at he knew better than Johnny. Talking of riding with Johnny, he told me that he had often been greatly praised for winning a nice by a head or a neck when he had really ridden badly and ofbn when he had ridden a good race and been beaten a head he had been greatly blamed. I tiiink that some of the young and old critics if present-day jockeys might take these w irda to heart. JA KOINES POWERFUL STABLE. Sir Robert Jardine had a powerful stable and he and Fred Bates were always to be feared in long-distance races. Bates trained at Middleham. He was a most genial man who- did himself well. 5 He used to entertain some of the south-country trainers for nost.h-country meetings. They genenilly came back rather the worse for wear, declaring that a " week of Freds hospitality would kill my south-country man. Another north-country tniiner of the same type was William IAnson. who trained it Malton for J. B. Cookson and barbs Perkins and had a tine stable of horses, winning a number of big nices. He alsi was a great trainer of long-distance hors-s irtd one of his greatest feats was winning the Cesarewiteh with Mintagon. He bought the horse cheaply at Mr. T rd-lards sale and when he said that the Cesarewiteh was his objective we ah s.nded, ; ir Mintagon was a llashy chestnut with bid legs and back at the knee. He gave the horse a tremendous preparation, brought him to Newmarket fit to run for his life and told everyone that he wis a certainty anil so it proved, for be had his field beaten three-quarters of a mil from home. William is about the best judge of a yearling I ever came across. He has not an enemy in the world and there is no more popular man on the turf. He was if a sanguine temperament ami was nev.- so happy as when he brought off a gocd tiling with all his friends well on. TOM GREEN AT STOCKTON. These north-country tniiners mailt" U a custom to dine together every year at St ick- ton races. On one occasion, just as they were all going to sit down, Tom Grefn id-dressed the company, saying. "Gentlemen, there is one man here who is a damned thief, and I refuse to sit at the same tat 1 with him." He pointed to one of the guests, whom we will call Mr. X., and it was at once decided that the two must fight it out. so the rr otn was cleared and they set to. Both were very big men. but Tom hid a fist and an arm that would fell an ox and in the second round Mr. X. was knocked out. He bore the scar across his cheJk for the rest of his life. After this interlude they sat down to dinner. Tom Green was a remarkable man, a wizard with unsound horses and always krpt a lot of useful platers, betting on them as much as and more than he could afford. He trained for ray father, also for ail my brothers and myseir. He would have been a great trainer, but he had the same failings as his favoria jockey, Jim Snowden. He never had the l ik to train really good horses, but at the plat-: ing game he was hard to beat. I remember his bringing a horse called Binfield to Goodwood for the Stewards Cup. He told me how he had tried him and tne race looked a certainty. On the morni"g of the race the late Tom Corns, a well-I known commission agent and owner, asked me what I fancied, and I said Binfield. "Not a hundred to one chance," said Tom. "Ycu would not say that," I replied, "if you knew the trial." "I tell you the horse wont win." he repeated. "Tom Green and his party are all stone broke and that will stop him." 15INFIELO BOLTS TO OUTSIDE. In the race Binfield looked a certain win-l ner, four lengths in front two hundred yards from home, when suddenly he bolted straight across the course from the far side to the stands and was beaten a short head. Tom Green never said a word in answer to the many condolences he received, for everyone would have liked to have seen h win, till he had put the clothing oiV ti3 horse ; then, taking off his great broad- brimmed hat, he said. "Thank you, gentle-j men, I am now going back to England." He did not consider any country south of the Trent could be dignified by that name. Tom brought off many little gambles for me, and if I had stuck to him and followed his advice I should have done well, but, like all young men, I had to buy my experience, To Be Continued.
