THE EARNINGS OF AN ENGLISH JOCKEY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1917, 17 August 1888, Page 26

THE EARNINGS OF AN ENGLISH JOCKEY.

Referring to the action of Wood the jockey against The Licensed Victuallers Gazette for suggesting that he " pulled " the horse Success en two occasions, making him lose when he could have won, and which resulted in Wood being awarded one farthing damages, the London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald writes : — " I was in court during Wood's cross-examination, and I confess he impressed me as a truthful witness. I do not know much about racing, but it strikes me as rather inconsistent that a jockey should be expected to be immaculate, brought up and trained as he is in the midst of a system of gambling of the most pernicious character. When we find noble earls and eminent men falling out over racing, and charging each other with the kind of dishonesty which is alleged against Wood, it seems a little highfalutin' for counsel to be talking so much about the duty a jockey owes to his employer, and the sense of honour which should" guide him. The whole business of the turf seems to me to be more or less a gigantic syl^eni of licensed robbery. Ido not charge our leading men with conniving at it ; but the greed of gain is so tremendous in these days'that it is impossible without some new, open, and legal system of checks, that racing should be an honest sport. This is by the way. I met Cox, the defendant, in court. 'He looked, ill, and said he was ill; that the libel, if.it was one, had been committed in - his.; absence and was the work of one of his most dangerous contributors. This is one of the disabilities of newspaper proprietorship.' The trial is a costly one. The greatest of lawyers and the most famous of counsel are engaged in' it. Wood, in the box, *looked a very modest self-possessed young, man, slightly below the medium height, not of a robust figure, bnt compact and well-built ; his hair thin and brown, with an inclination to baldness ; his face clean shaven, and his manner more or less deierential and pleasing. He spoke -in an undertone, which is evidently natural to him; and now and then his replies to Sir Charles Russell gave evidence of a real sense of humour. A point against him — at least one which will be made much of — is the income he makes, and the property he, possesses. He said his Tiding fees amounted to £1900 a year, and thai the presents be received from

owners ran up to £4000 a. year— probabyl altogether, with bets, he made £5000 or £6000 a year out, of racing. He could not say exactly what his income was a year ; but he acknowledged to owning several public, houses, an esiate of 35 acres at Newmarket, several private houses, some training stables, £12,000 in the funds, £4000 in a cooper's business ; and it is said that he is, in fact, worth not less than £200,000*. The. point of counsel will be that a jockey cannot come honestly by such a fortune. On the other hand, it will be shown that Wood is a great horsedealer; that he buys and sells for several distinguished breeders, and does a large business in this r way on his own account. In a prominent seat in court sat the famous horsebreeding, racing Duchess of Montrose, one of Wood's employers. She looked her character for manly sports, a strong woman, of a masculine cast of face, but with a genial expression ; her appearance generally wasfull of an aristocratic egotism. If she had worn a wig and gown she might have been mistaken for a judge ; she recalled to my recollection Mr Justice Mellor. She took great interest in the case, and when she smiled there was in the expression of her face a pleasant femininity which it lacked in repose.