35^ A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



races in succession, without one single intervening" 

 defeat, a triumph that we are not aware has been 

 attained by any other jockey. 



The word jockey is in itself significant. One 

 of the meanings of it, which Dr. Johnson gives, 

 is, " a cheat, a trickish fellow." Another meaning 

 given is, " to jostle by riding against one." To a 

 great many the word is indicative of some phase 

 of knavery, " He was jockeyed out of his money,'^ 

 is a phrase which denotes this. There is more 

 in these meanings than is generally supposed. 

 Those who are not behind the scenes of turf 

 life have in general no idea of how races are run 

 and won. They see the horses gallop from end 

 to end of the course, but they may not be aware 

 that each jockey has received from his master or 

 his master's trainer particular instructions as to 

 how he must comport himself in the race. The 

 rider is not allowed to ride as he pleases, but must 

 guide his horse at the will of his master. The 

 directions given to a jockey are sometimes 

 exceedingly simple. " Get home first," Lord 

 George Bentinck used to say, " and to do that 

 make every post a winning - post." Another 

 owner will tell his jockey to "get to the front, 

 and keep there till you are past the judge's 

 chair." Some masters, again, delight in com- 

 plex and garrulous instructions that would 

 puzzle the wit of an old man to understand 

 and obey, far less a jockey-boy of probably 

 tender years. Any lad, if the horse he rides 

 be only good enough, may win an important 

 race, but in the end superior jockeyship gene- 

 rally gains the day ; and it sometimes happens 

 that the fastest horse in the strggule is beaten 



