BRITISH STABLES AND FOREIGN METHODS. 539 



the only other horseman to pass the century being Odom, who won 108 out of 

 508 mounts. During the same season in England, W. Lane won 170 out of 807 

 races, an average of 2ro6 per cent., which was beaten by the 23-50 per cent, of 

 D. Maher, who was third with 106 wins out of 451 races. None of these figures 

 come up to what was accomplished when, in 1878, George Fordham won 58 in 

 247, or one in four ; or when (in the same year) the extraordinary proportion 

 of 229 in 619, or about four in eleven, was scored by Fred Archer. Between his 

 long riding and George Fordham's shorter stirrup, it has always been considered 

 that Tom Cannon's beautiful seat struck the happy medium ; and if rumour be 

 true, it will be a good deal through Tom Cannon's influence that we shall eventually 

 hit the mean between English " Lifeguardsmen " and the American forward crouch. 

 Certainly that brilliant horseman now provides an admirable example of what 

 may be done by the intelligent assimilation of new principles, and by the careful 

 training of his lads ; for his skill has been transmitted not only to four sons, 

 but to pupils like Sam Loates, W. Robinson, and the late John Watts, who 

 steered His Majesty's Persimmon to victory in a never-to-be-forgotten Derby. 



The chief difference between the season of 1902 and its predecessors as far 

 as riding was concerned, was provided by the rule (passed in 1901) which allowed 

 every apprentice 5lbs. in handicaps and selling races for one year after winning his 

 first race. This rule resulted from the appreciation of the fact I have already noticed, 

 the dearth of good English jockeys, a dearth which was made still more obvious by 

 the constant use made of Americans whatever their ability might be, though less than 

 half-a-dozen of them could really ride a race at all. We had lost, in fact, our best 

 talent, and we had not even quantity to make up for the quality that had disappeared. 

 It is certainly an argument in favour of what weight can do, even when it is only 

 5lbs., that the almost immediate result of the Apprentice Rule was to bring to the 

 front such riders as Griggs, Miller, the two Dillons, C. Escott, and Purkiss, with 

 others who had previously benefited, such as Childs, Gibson, the Aylins, C. Loates, 

 and Bray. 



In the winning list for 1902, already quoted, T. Dixon was one of these. With 

 only one winner to his credit previously, he rose to fifth place with 74 victories, the 

 same total scored by F. W. Hardy, who lost his allowance in mid-season, but put 

 Sceptre s Leger to his credit and also her St. James's Palace Stakes, besides winning 

 the Jubilee Stakes and the Gold Vase at Ascot. Charles Trigg, too, is a third 

 instance of the same thing, and he showed the advantage of making the running in 



