Vanity Fair Jockey Print - Tod Sloan

Title: 'An American Jockey'

Date: May 25th 1899

Description: Horse racing chromolithograph print by G.D.G - Godfrey Douglas Giles.

Born in Indiana, the son of a Union Army soldier, was a tiny and frail child, at 5 years old when his mother died, his father sent him to live with a nearby family. He took jobs in the nearby gas and oil fields. Worked at a horse racing stable in St. Louis and later in Kansas City, where he was employed by a thoroughbred horse trainer who encouraged him to take advantage of his diminutive stature and become a jockey.

In 1893 he raced North California. In 1896 he moved to New York City after being hired by "Pittsburgh Phil", where he became the dominant rider in the thoroughbred racing circuit on the East Coast. Sloan won the Lawrence Realization on Hamburg, easily defeating Kentucky Derby winner Plaudit and went on to win the American Brighton Cup.

On coming to the UK, he raced at Newmarket in 1898, riding five consecutive winners.

Returning to England in 1899 he won 1,000 Guineas riding Sibola and in 1900 the Ascot Gold Cup riding Merman for owner, Lily Langtry. In 1900, Edward, Prince of Wales offered Sloan the job to ride for his stable in the 1901 racing season.

Due to the large number of his winners, his christian name was absorbed into Cockney rhyming slang, to mean 'own' as in 'on his own' = from Tod Sl'oan' = someone 'on his tod' is alone.

Condition: Good image, old tape marks to corners of margins. Nice copy.

Image size: 370 x 210mm
14.5 x 8.25" approx.

£155.00

Order No. 11004

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Original Vanity Fair Jockey caricature print by G.D.G - Godfrey Douglas Giles - Tod Sloan