212 CHASING AND RACING 



form. As late as 1921 a leading sporting paper 

 published a par in words to the following effect : 



" An old race-goer says ' that Harding Cox had the 

 worst seat and the best hands of any jockey he ever saw. 

 Cox was "crouching" before Sloan, or even Simms, 

 was ever heard of.' " And this is a fact. When hunt- 

 ing, I rode very short, and leant well forward in my 

 seat. When racing, I found that by so doing I avoided, 

 to a certain extent, wind pressure, which even in a two- 

 mile hunters' flat race is very obvious to the rider. 

 By accentuating this position, I discovered that my 

 mount had the advantage of freer hind leverage. Per- 

 haps that is why I managed to win on animals that had 

 been looked upon as " impossibles," " back numbers," 

 rogues, and jades. My theory was endorsed by Tod 

 Sloan himself. I had been brought into touch with 

 the little man soon after his arrival in England, and, 

 being greatly interested in his methods, I cultivated 

 his acquaintance. 



One day, when we were seated on the Terrace 

 at Monte Carlo, we discussed the merits of " the 

 crouch." Tod not only discoursed sweetly on the 

 topic, but drew a spirited sketch of a race horse and 

 its anatomy, explaining how the distribution of weight 

 under his system helped the general action of the 

 animal. He went on : 



" Say, I figure that this seat has considerable 

 advantage ; but it's no cinch for any guy or dud jockey 

 that takes a hand. Believe me, sir, there's nothing to 



