FAMOUS JOCKEYS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17220, 11 December 1923, Page 2

FAMOUS JOCKEYS.

CAREER OF TOMMY MORGAN. (Specially written for the “ Star ” by •an English correspondent.) There are many superstitions, firmly I rooted in the beliefs of seasoned followers of the turf. One of them is Novices’ Luck.” An instance of re- j cent years is that of the late Lord Man ton, who as Mr J. S. Watson gained many quite unexpected successes • during his early days as an owner, and when on his death most of his horses passed to Mr S. Tattersall, tho “Novices’ Luck” continued, for Mr Tattersall finished his first season (last year) third in the list of winning owners. The fivo horses that he leased from the executors of the late Lord Man ton won sixteen races and £22,257. But perhaps the greatest of all these meteoric rises to fame on the turf is that of Tommy Morgan. Here, again, the race-going fraternity shouted “Novices’ Luck again.” A nephew of those fine cross-country jockeys, Frank and Dick Morgan, he was. as an apprentice, asked to, ride Viaduct | in the Great Metropolitan Handicap at ! Epsom in 1920. Apprenticed to his I uncle Dick, who then had a small stable 1 at Epsom, young Tom, a nipper of fourteen years of ago", was attending a day school at the time when arrangements were made by that astute trainer, Mr Percy Whittaker, with Uncle Dick for the boy to ride Commander Ward’s horse, Viaduct. who was being trained for the big race at the famous St Giles’ estalishment. It is true that young Tom had ridden in public before, but only on a few occasions, and then only in minor events and without doing anything to call for any special notice, certainly not to call for his being engaged to steer a candidate in the 7>letropolitan. Tt can well be appreciated, therefore, that while Viaduct as a candidate called for notice in the “ market,” even less : \vqs thought of his chance -when it was. found that .an “ unknown boy ” had

been given the mount. And so it can be taken for granted that the bookmakers, as is sometimes their -wont, took liberties, and the horse stood at “ any old price ” right up to the start of the race. Now the Great Metropolitan. run over the winding Epsom course for two miles and a quarter, is a race that calls not only for great riding skill, but for every other attribute—strength, judgment and nerve—that go to the making of a successful horseman. At this time young Tom did not turn the scale at six stone, and coupled with this was tho fact that although an apprentice, he was -only a schoolboy in more senses than one. Yet, here he was pitted against older and experienced jockeys, some of whom had been riding for more years than he had been born, ill perhaps the hardest of all races connected with the English turf. Is it little wonder then, that except for the usual little “fancy” support by the connections, that both horse and boy were friendless amongst the great crowd gathered on tho classic Downs. No one had a thought for them. But less than five minutes after the fifteen horses had. been dispatched on their long and tiring journey, tho names of both horse and jockey were in everybody’s mouth. They, more especially young Tom, had leapt into fame at a bound. It was a great triumph, and only equalled from a jockey’s point of view by the performance of another young apprentice. Jack Beasley, who won the same event this season on another long-priced and unfancied candidate in Glass Idol. But whereas Beasley had had twenty-five mounts in public last year, and had also gained confidence in himself by winning the ' Lincolnshire Handicap in the opening week of the season, young Morgan, when lie gained his victory, was just as a novice in comparison. a The natural consequence of this success was obvious. It followed, as it does in all cases where a young apprentice shows ability in a big race, that, his services were in , demand by other larger and more influential stables than his "Uncle Dick’s, and he had mounts in many big races, hut.

however, without being too succeesful. In fact, it was not until the Great Metropolitan came round two _ years later—the race was abandoned in 1921 owing to the coal dispute-—that Morgan gained a success that once more brought him into the limelight. His mount was again a rank outsider. But. again, the public made a. mistake, for Sangrail, who was Morgan’s mount, romped home an easy winner by four lengths from that genuine old performer, Flint Jack. Another apprentice’s mount, Le Roi, ridden by Elliott, was favourite, but even had this one not fallen, it is not likely that Jack Jarvis’s horse would have won, for Sangrail and Morgan made the pace so hot right from the start that nothing could live with the pair- Sangrail finished second again in the race this year, and good judges arc of opinion that he would again have won the event but for an error of judgment on the part of his jockey, J. Brennan, in allowing the winner to come through on the rails.

So far Morgan’s fame rests with his two Metropolitan victories. During his three years of public riding he has not maintained that- average of success that is associated with some of his fellow apprentices. He failed by a few to lose his apprenticeship allowance through not riding the prescribed forty winners, but he is only a boy yet, anil with the gi'eater experience and chances that should come his wav now that he is attached to a good stable like Pratt’a

3-t Lambourn, he may yet figure high in the list of winning jockeys. A good story is told of him soon after his first Metropolitan success. Naturally a boy of fourteen would feel a little more than pleased with himself after winning, such a great race, and it followed that Tommy in His own mind grew very important. He was ifc a railway carriage, off to keep a riding engagement, when a newsboy passed. We call them newsboys, but sometimes the boys are men, and this was a man in point of years. Tommy, in all the glory of a new perky little bowler, drew himself up to his full height of five feet nothingness, leaned through the window as the man passed, and with the air and commanding tone of a brigadier-general called out, “ Here, boy, giro me a paper.” There have been no heartier laughs at the brightest of London revues than that which followed Tommy’s “ command.” Coming of the stock that he does, it maybe that he will follow in the footsteps of his uncles in later life. He has grown a lot during the last year, and is shaping for the build of an ideal hurdle and steeplechase rider. Crosscountry riding is born in „the blood of the Morgan family, and ■who knows but that Tommy will, be shouted home to victory on another historic course, and in an equally historic race—the Grand National at Ain tree.