JOCKE YS. 341 



forget himself, as many a jockey before him has 

 done. " The evolution of the jockey " has, in 

 one instance, been described by " Borderer," a 

 well-known contributor to the literature of the 

 turf. 



It was " Borderer's" lot to see a little dark-eyed 

 boy amongst a lot riding at exercise for an 

 Epsom trainer some thirty years ago, and to ask 

 the trainer about him. 



" Yes, sir," replied the trainer, *' that little 

 chap has not been with me long ; he is the son 

 of a man who drives a mail-cart about London 

 for the General Post Office. He gets kicked off 

 twice a week, but is a nice boy." 



" Let him ride in that trial to-morrow," replied 

 I, " that we are arranging to have." 



" He's hardly strong enough, sir ; he only 

 scales 4 St. 7 lb. That boy next him is much 

 better." 



Like a wilful fellow, however, " Borderer " 

 would have his way, and the little dark-eyed boy, 

 that looked as keen as a hawk, rode in and won 

 the trial cleverly. " From this circumstance 

 began my acquaintance with Constable, the 

 jockey, for he was no other than my dark-eyed 

 protdgd. For me he won his first races, and in 

 his earlier years I taught him to have money in 

 the Savings Bank, and he seldom failed to come 

 to me for advice, some of which, I trust, was for 

 his good. A straighter lad than Constable never 

 strode a horse. He promised me when he was 

 free from his articles not to ride for a book- 

 maker and never to pull a horse, and I believe 

 he religiously kept his promises. It sounds 

 egotistical to tell these stories, where the author 



