TRAINERS AND JOCKEYS 257 



gifted with very fine hands. Indeed, I have seen him win on 

 all sorts of rogues, and no doubt it was delicate handling 

 and mouth-touching on the part of the jockey that caused 

 such as Sea Fog and Galashiels to come out as reformed 

 characters when the American had the leg-up. 



Since John Osborne ceased riding we have no jockey of 

 more than early middle-age, and just now Charles Wood 

 is probably the doyen of the profession. Wood was an 

 absentee for several seasons, but when he reappeared in 

 1897 he showed at once that his hand had not forgotten 

 its cunning, and in spite of his long retirement he was third 

 on the winning list of the year, with a total of one hundred 

 and twenty-two wins. In the following season he was first 

 past the post on ninety occasions, but now that he has 

 become Lord Rosebery's trainer he has almost ceased to take 

 chance mounts, and seldom rides except for his own stable. 

 Wood was never quite first-rate, either during his early or 

 his later career ; he could hold his own with the front rank, 

 and that was all, though under certain conditions and on 

 courses that he liked he was often seen to the greatest 

 advantage. In old days he used to have a wonderful follow- 

 ing at Alexandra Park, and on this particular course I used 

 to think him a pound or two in front of anyone else. 



Perhaps the finest jockey now before the public is John 

 Watts,* who learnt his riding from Tom Cannon at Dane- 

 bury, and who has been well to the front since he won the 

 St. Leger on Ossian for the late Duke of Hamilton in 1883. 

 When this took place Watts was practically unknown ; he 

 had tried his luck as a jockey some time before, but had 

 not met with any great amount of success, and but for 

 getting the mount on Ossian he might never have made 

 the name he has. Watts followed up his Ossian success 

 on The Lambkin for the St. Leger of 1884, and he has 

 since won the race on Memoir, La Fleche, and Persimmon. 

 The Derby he has won four times, on Merry Hampton, 

 Sainfoin, Ladas, and Persimmon ; the Oaks four times, on 



* Since this was in type the retirement of Watts from riding in public has 

 been announced, but we understand from him that he might ride again if his 

 weight kept right. — Ed. 

 S 



