INVITATION TO ENGLAND 



done anything for him. I think his favourite track 

 was Saratoga and quite early in his racing days he 

 determined to build it up. He often told me he 

 intended to make a Newmarket of it and it was mainly 

 due to him that it became so successful. He built 

 up the Turf after his experiences in England ; he was 

 always talking of the English ways of doing things. 



The whole story about my first experiences in 

 England will be told later, but in 1897, before going 

 away from Liverpool, Lord William Beresford said he 

 wanted me to come over for the autumn of 1898. I 

 answered : "If you want me to come, cable to Mr 

 Whitney." They did not know each other. The 

 result was that one day at Saratoga, in 1898, Mr 

 Wliitney sent for me : " Sloan, I have just received 

 a letter from Lord William Beresford asking me if 

 I can let you go to England." He read me a sentence : 

 " ' The opportunity looks big for Sloan to come : we 

 have some good horses.' " 



Now I was carrying a cable from Lord William in 

 my pocket but I had felt backward about asking Mr 

 Whitney to release me and I told him so. " Well," he 

 replied, " Lord William is a fine fellow, and I would 

 like to oblige him, so if you want to go we will try and 

 get along without you. Stay for the Futurity and 

 after that you can go if you are still of the same mind 

 — ^that is, of course, if Mr Julius Fleischman gives 

 permission." 



I thanked him and he wished me good luck, saying 

 he might go to England himself. And he did, and I 

 introduced Lord William and Mr Whitney to each 

 other at Newmarket. He bought out Pierre Lorillard's 

 interest in the stable and he and Lord William went 

 into partnership and I rode for them. I am always 

 thinking of him, and everyone knows what racing lost 



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