Trainers and Jockeys. 43 



may continue to give him a retainer, he seems to think 

 nothing of taking him off entirely, or superseding 

 him suddenly in all the good mounts in the middle 

 of a season, with as little justice, and as little regard 

 to his feelings, as if he were a mere silken puppet. 

 Oddly enough, vicars always tell you that if there is 

 one thing more difficult of attainment than another, it 

 is the getting rid of a curate they don't like. Jockeys 

 are just in the opposite difficulty, as whatever sort of 

 treatment they may experience, Jockey Club law does 

 not acknowledge such a process as " sending in a 

 jacket." Its argument is, that masters bring forward 

 jockeys from boyhood, and that therefore it would be 

 hard that the latter should be able to give them up 

 just when their services become most valuable, or 

 make masters bid against each other for a priority of 

 call. This may be true as regards boys up to a cer- 

 tain age ; but it falls very hard upon the elder jockeys 

 in two ways : If a master unhandsomely persists in 

 retaining his call, and yet refuses to let them have 

 mounts for his stable, the fact of their not riding for 

 the stable naturally becomes noticed to their detri- 

 ment ; and they are also in a great measure hindered 

 from making engagements with other stables, who 

 can never feel sure that they will be able to get them, 

 seeing that this dormant prior claim is pretty certain 

 to be interposed for a single race or so, just when they 

 most want them. The principle on which the Jockey 

 Club goes is no doubt correct, as jockeys would have 

 sore secret temptations to give up masters perpetually, 

 if a rival stable did not care what it paid to have a 

 Derby crack ridden ; but if masters are of necessity 

 allowed this power over jockeys, they have no right 

 to abuse it. If they force a senior jockey to retain 

 their jacket, they are bound to give him their mounts, 

 and not to indirectly cast a slur on him, and prevent 

 him from seeking for more considerate masters else- 



