Yankee Doodle Dandee: The Life and Times of Tod Sloan Book

It might seem like a long way from the elite ambiance of the opera house to the gritty atmosphere of the track, but in his biography of one of racing's most famous early jockeys, John Dizikes displays the same shrewd understanding of how culture operates in society that distinguished his Opera in America (winner of the 1993 National Book Critics Circle Award). Tod Sloan (1874-1933) launched his career in California, became a favorite with fans, and emerged as the sport's dominant rider on the East Coast. Dandified clothes and a reputation as a ladies' man were part of his appeal, but Sloan's main claim to fame was technical: he popularized the forward seat, in which a jockey crouched on the neck of the horse, an innovation that revolutionized racing and within a few years obliterated the old upright style. It was derisively called the "monkey seat" in England, where Sloan triumphed in 1899 but made enemies with his Yankee brashness and flamboyance. The English were also apprehensive about American gamblers corrupting their races. Sloan, like many riders in the more freewheeling tracks back home, was inappropriately intimate with gamblers and may well have thrown races. In any case, he certainly wagered on them. In late 1900, England's all-powerful Jockey Club informed Sloan "he need not apply for a license to ride" in 1901. His days as a jockey were over. Dizikes uses Sloan's short but meteoric career to explore horse racing's evolution from aristocratic pastime to popular entertainment, casting Sloan as the forerunner of such 20th-century sports celebrities as Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan. --Wendy Smith Read More