38 The Post and tJie Paddock, 



rails), after not declaring so low for more than eleven 

 years, astonished the Richmond people in 1855 by 

 scaleing only /st. ^Ibs. for his winning mount on Skir- 

 misher. How Sam Day, after so many years of ease, 

 contrived to waste for nearly two seasons, and get so 

 low as 8st. 4lbs. in 1846, was a wonderful instance of 

 family loyalty and self-denial ; and he seemed to 

 suffer much less than his brother John, from such 

 " a pig-skin revival," though he had been far longer 

 estranged from the sweaters. If, as a general thing, 

 a jockey is asked to ride much below his weight, 

 he had better not ride at all, as a fair second-class 

 veteran, not so many years since, lost the last rem- 

 nant of his riding practice by trying too low a weight, 

 and being palpably beaten from sheer exhaustion when 

 he tried to finish, although he had declared some 3lbs. 

 over. 



The heavy punishment in which Clift and some of 

 the old school delighted, is very much gone out, and 

 if a foolish lad punishes his beaten horse unnecessarily, 

 he is pretty certain to hear of it in the newspapers. 

 Salaries and expenses are a matter of private arrange- 

 ment between a jockey and his masters, the former 

 varying according to the reputation of the receiver, 

 and the order in which each claims him. In other 

 cases 3/. for a mount and 5/. for a win are the regular 

 fees, though the latter is always the compliment for a 

 mount in the St. Leger, Derby, and Oaks, and ten 

 guineas was the Liverpool steeplechase tariff, when 

 that event was in its zenith. Robinson had a 100/. 

 special retainer for the Hyllus and Charles XII. 1000 

 guinea a side match, in which, as well as that for the 

 same amount between Teddington and Mountain 

 Deer, Job Marson's luck was in the ascendant. He 

 also generally received 100/. when he went down 

 special from Newmarket to ride in any of the three 

 great races, success in which usually insures a 300/. 

 or 500/. cheque from the owner, besides presents from 



