OLD AND NEW JOCKEYS REVIEWED

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 June 1927, Page 9

OLD AND NEW JOCKEYS REVIEWED

TOM HALES RECALLED

It Is scarcely possible to compare the leading modern jockeys with the famous horsemen of the past and decide with any certainty that the new school—the Tod Sloaners—is ■ inferior or superior to the old. But 1 think a large majority of the racing men who have seen all or most of the crack riders of the last fifty years will declare that Tom Hales was the greatest of all Australian jockeys (writes “Touchstone” in “The Australasian”). Now. hold on! Before any of you throw ve'rbal bricks at me. let me explain. I am not decrying the merits of the many fine riders we have seen since Tom Hales’s time, such as Frank Bullock, "Brownie” Carslake, Frank Dempsey, J. Barden, J. E. Pike, R Lewis. A. Wood, W H. McLachlan. H Cairns —to mention only a few at random —though probably the two firstnamed were seen at their . best in England. LtTTLE INFERIOR Furthermore, 1 am willing to admit that when at the zenith of their powers, several of his contemporaries—M. O’Brien. E. Power, P. Pigott, and A Robertson, and one or two others—for a brief period may have been equal 'or little inferior to Tom Hales. £n the late ’eighties we had far more firstclass jockeys than we have to-day. for in addition to those I have named. “Bricky” Colley, Ernest Huxley. E. Gorry. C. Quinn, C Moore. McGrade. R. Ramage, T. Nerriker, J. Campbell, W Kelso, T. Sanders, R. Ellis, "Mo” Trahan, J. Fielder, J. Galnsford. Mat Harris, were riding at the same time, and no doubt 1 have overlooked a few other accomplished horsemen. CARBINE AND HALES But just as Carbine, in the opinion of most of the old-timers, is tine greatest of all Australian racehorses, so Tom Hales stands above ail other jockeys. He was no flash in the pan; he retained his form in a wonderful way for a quarter of a century, and apart •from his ability In the saddle his conduct on and off the racecourse was must exemplary. H o was seldom seen

in the city, and carefully avoided doubtful company. No other rider in this country possessed anything approaching the popularity of Hales at the height of his fame. His employers and the public had absolute confidence in him, and never once during his long career was it even hinted that he did hot try to win a race, or had been concerned tn any “fishy” business. He had a graceful seat in the saddle, perfect hands, and was one of the finest judges of pace at a time when judgment of that kind was a valuable asset. THE REVOLUTION The advent of the St. Simon blood, and the Tod Sloan seat, revolutionised race riding. The majority of the horses to-day travel at top speed with their jockeys crouched on their withers. consequently little finesse Is required. and most races—one might say all run at a mile and under —are little better than headlong scrambles, the jockeys going “hell for leather" from barrier rise, some of them giving little thought of whom they might knock over in their "off to the fire” rush. There are now remarkably few artists of the Tom Hales type; the most reckless and unscrupulous jockey wins races as long as he can escape the notice of the stewards. FAIR TO OTHERS On the other hand’ Hales always was scrupulously fair toward other riders, and in this respect was superior to his great English contemporary Fred Archer, who was not above taking an' unfair advantage of his opponents, and occasionally bullied the younger jockeys, particularly when he had backed his own mount for a large stake. In passing I may say that a good judge of racing who frequently saw Fred Archer ride once told me that, in his opinion. Tom Hales was the butter jockey of the two. And this Is not hard to believe when we remem bet the marked success achieved in late* years, in England, and on the Contir ent, by Carslake, Bullock, Fergusot and other Australian jockeys-