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MORE OSBORNE ANECDOTES Old Friend of Late English Rider Tells Incidents of His Career The 1usher Showed Exceptional and Tin runny Judgment of Horses Abilities I When Doncastcr Won the Derby Tlieh in anecdote and romance was the career of John Osborne who died recently in England at an advanced age Osborne known as The Pusher to English racegoers enjoyed a longer career in the saddle than most jockeys OL the present day would dream of and was beating riders young enough to be his sons before he abandoned j the saddle William Allison the Special Commissioner of the London Sportsman printed in his column recently the following communication from an old friend of Os ¬ borne I had the pieasure of know him Jot n Osborne when 1 was quite a young man 1 remember meeting him once at Bromptonon Swale where ie was staying for a night or two with hia uncle and aunt It was Cai tcrick races and I was there for a couple of nights nightsIt It was cold April weather and we were sitting over a good warm fire only his aunt John and I were indoors other two friends had gone out with Mr Proctor to look at an old brood mare which Mr John had given him and she had just foaled He had been asking me several questions about my relations whom he knew and I thought it time I asked him a question So 1 ask l what he thought would win the Derby ana he seemed as if he did not care to tell me lUt for his aunt I do not think he would have done so The old lady said saidOSIIOllNES OSIIOllNES A SWEH SWEHCome Come John cant you tell him your fancy He only has a half crown on and that wont break the Bank of England EnglandHis His answer was wasWell Well aunt 1 never like to persuade young men to bet betTurning Turning to me he then said saidIf If you persist in having your halfcrown on have it on Mr Merrys colt Doncaster DoncasterOf Of course I thanked him but like a lot more young men 1 was clever in my own ideas and thought I knew more than John Osborne I thought Gang Forward could not get beaten but I was wrong Gang Forward ran a deadheat with Kaiser for second place and Doncaster won I then knew the value of the little mans opinion opinionWe We met at Lincoln in the morning that Roey Cross won the handicap and I asked him his opinion He said I have heard four horses cannot lose so its like a lottery Dont bet betI I shall have a hit on your horse Horizon said I INo No he answered we cannot win but he is in the Union Jack Stakes at Liverpool and if you see him safely arrived there you can bet of course courseHorizon Horizon ran fourth or fifth in the Lincoln Handicap went on to Liverpool and won at a nice price I met John in the paddock the day that II Gladiatore won the Ebor It was raining in torrents He was in the Jardine colors ready to ride a colt by Scottish Chief Hawthorne Bloom afterward named FitzJames One of his brothers I think it was Robert was holding an um ¬ brella over him I asked him what he thought would win the Ebor He looked up at the rain and said saidDont Dont try to find the winner in this The best thing you can do is to back our mare for a place She is sure to finish in the first three but I am afraid she wont quite get home homeThe The mares name was Mrs Pond and what a race She was only just beaten and Johns judgment was right again againHe He fancied Victor Emmanuel when with 12G pounds he won the Ebor from Baliol but it was a great race I asked him next morn ¬ ing if he thought he would win the Cup and he said Yes I think Victor will win but it will be a great race as Fortissimo is quite fresh and he was right again for it was a great race and he fairly outrode Archer shirernan but in my opinion John Osborne was everything that is good He was honest and honorable Look at his long career with ¬ out a stain or blemish He was a great jockey a born horseman no humping or boring with him None but a great jockey could have got Bothwell home for the Two Thousand Guineas in front of Sterling and it was his jockeyship that won the Derby for Pretender PretenderThose Those who saw the race at Ascot when on Chippendale he heat Silvio will never forget it or when on Agility he beat Chaloner on Albert Victor for the York Cup CupHe He was minding his business when on the morrow he beat that grand colt Blair Athol for the Great Yorkshire Stakes but there can be no doubt that Chaloner was watching Ely and eased Blair Athol Then like a hawk on his prey John was down on him and stole the race raceYes Yes John Osborne is dead and gone but buthis his name will live forever with all true Eng lish sportsmen especially in Yorkshire and andif if a whole hospital and church were built to tohis his memory it would not be too much
