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James Forman Sloan was an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey, popularly known as "Tod" Sloan.
Background
He was born on August 10, 1874 at Bunker Hill, Indiana, United States. His origin was humble and obscure, his father having been a barber. James was so small a child that his father called him "Toad, " a name which was transformed into "Tod" by his playmates. In later life he signed himself James Todhunter Sloan, in order more ornamentally to account for the nickname which was his universal designation.
He was the youngest of three children and his mother died when he was five; soon after, the father, a veteran of the Civil War and no longer able to support himself or keep his family together, was placed in a soldiers' home. The boy was adopted by a woman named Blauser, of Kokomo, where he lived until he was about fifteen.
Career
At fifteen he joined the troupe of a so-called "Professor" Talbot, who made balloon ascensions at county fairs. After varied adventures he finally joined fortunes with an elder brother, Cassius, who had become a professional jockey.
According to Sloan's own statement he was as a child much afraid of horses and did not overcome this fear entirely for a long while. Eventually, however, he was able to master powerful and rebellious horses and became celebrated for his ability to win the confidence and obedience of his mounts. For a number of years he knocked about in the lower circles of the turf, making little progress, until he obtained employment from John S. Campbell, of Kansas City, Missouri, one of the ablest trainers of his time, who encouraged him to persevere.
After several seasons of glittering success in America, he decided to go abroad, where he made his first appearances in the saddle in England in 1897. There, on account of his peculiar seat, he was the subject of unlimited ridicule, but after he had ridden twenty-one winners in his first season the ridicule ceased.
In England he was employed by the leading turf magnates and finally was selected to ride the horses of King Edward VII. He also became a spectacular figure upon the Parisian courses. Thereafter he was seen in America but seldom until his career came to a sudden and sensational end by the announcement in 1901 that he had been refused a license to ride in England by the Jockey Club, an action which led to his being banned by all other turf bodies of repute the world over.
Prior to his disgrace, Sloan had accumulated a fortune said to have approximated $300, 000, but it was dissipated in a few years of prodigal living and futile efforts to establish himself in various enterprises.
He returned to America and thereafter until his death led a hand-to-mouth existence, finally dying penniless after a long illness.
In 1915 he published, in London, Tod Sloan by Himself, an autobiography, written in collaboration with A. Dick Luckman. He died at Los Angeles, California.
Achievements
James Forman Sloan was the first, who popularized the forward seat style of riding, or the "monkey crouch" as the British called it. Initially laughed at, his style revolutionized the sport worldwide. Sloan's success on the racetrack, combined with a flamboyant lifestyle filled with beautiful women, made him one of the first to become a major international celebrity in the sport.
He was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1955.
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Personality
He was ambitious, daring, and of unlimited self-confidence and egoism.
Connections
He was twice married, in each case to an actress: first, in 1907 to Julia Sanderson, from whom he was divorced in 1913; second, in 1920, to Elizabeth Saxon Malone, from whom he was divorced in 1927. By his second wife he had one daughter.
