was the way to overthrow British power in Ireland. Then, in 1889, he was caught up in a minor scandal when two friends of his fell out over dinner and one challenged the other to a duel. They kept that out of the papers, but Miles was exposed twelve years later when his son Thomas, Jayâs younger brother, was arrested for disorderlyconduct. The boy was released without charge the next day, but the matter was muddied when the arresting officer reported that Miles had threatened him outside the courthouse. âCan I do anything for you?â the policeman had asked. âNo,â OâBrien had replied. âBut I will do something for you. Iâll cause you to lose a good deal of sleep over this matter. Youâll not stay at the 100th Street station very long, youâll be transferred.â OâBrien insisted that the story was âmade out of cloth,â an âutter fabrication.â The precinctâs commanding officer agreed with Miles, but that didnât necessarily do much to dispel the idea that he had the local police in his pocket. OâBrien owned an entire block of the Bronx, and by the time he died in 1910, he was president of the Bank of New Amsterdam. No doubt he drew a lot of water.
Jay was raised in his fatherâs image. He had a quick temper and contempt for authority. He was used to getting his own way. Heâd first learned to ride during his summers in Long Branch, New Jersey, on a horse his father bought for him. He was strictly amateur. Did it for the fun and the glory. At first the courses he rode were all up in Long Island. The race that had so thrilled Virginia Vanderbilt took place at Gracefield, the private estate of the former mayor and an old friend of his fatherâs, William Grace. The news reports of the races in the papers paid more attention to the people than the horses and always included long lists of the luminaries who had been in attendance. Despite what happened that day at Gracefield, Jay was an excellent jockey. In November 1906 he won four races in a single afternoon at Huntington, two on the flat and two over the jumps. He would have won the fifth, too, if he hadnât fallen head over heels as he came over the first jump on the second lap; he leaped up, remounted, and made for the finish, but came in fourth. âA small but select groupâ was there to see him do it. In 1907 he moved up a notch: he started to enter races at the great tracks of Saratoga and Belmont, where crowds of more than ten thousand filled the grandstands. He didnât fare well. He took a bad fall at Saratoga while urging the nag he was saddled with over the steepest jump on the course, and was whisked away to hospital in an ambulance. He fell again while riding the favorite at Sheepshead later that summer, breaking a bone in his leg.
After that he began to get a reputation as an unlucky jockey. Truth was, he was taking too many risks. But that was more than half the fun. If there was nothing at stake, Jay lost interest. At Baltimore he gave up when well beaten. He was easing toward the finish when he was overtaken by a horse he had thought was far behind him. The stewards suspended him because of his âcarelessness,â suspecting he had thrown the race for second place. Characteristically, Jayprotested the decision to the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association, which not only upheld the decision but also stripped him of his license to ride as an amateur jockey. Piqued, he drifted away from racing. He gave it up altogether when a horse he owned, but wasnât riding, fell during a race at Saratoga. It landed on a rival jockey and crushed him to death.
Not for the first time, Jay left one passion behind him and pounced on another. He had studied law at Princeton, and he dabbled in stocks and bonds for H. L. Horton. But honest work didnât interest him much. All the time he had spent at the track had given him a taste for gambling. His game was
Jay was raised in his fatherâs image. He had a quick temper and contempt for authority. He was used to getting his own way. Heâd first learned to ride during his summers in Long Branch, New Jersey, on a horse his father bought for him. He was strictly amateur. Did it for the fun and the glory. At first the courses he rode were all up in Long Island. The race that had so thrilled Virginia Vanderbilt took place at Gracefield, the private estate of the former mayor and an old friend of his fatherâs, William Grace. The news reports of the races in the papers paid more attention to the people than the horses and always included long lists of the luminaries who had been in attendance. Despite what happened that day at Gracefield, Jay was an excellent jockey. In November 1906 he won four races in a single afternoon at Huntington, two on the flat and two over the jumps. He would have won the fifth, too, if he hadnât fallen head over heels as he came over the first jump on the second lap; he leaped up, remounted, and made for the finish, but came in fourth. âA small but select groupâ was there to see him do it. In 1907 he moved up a notch: he started to enter races at the great tracks of Saratoga and Belmont, where crowds of more than ten thousand filled the grandstands. He didnât fare well. He took a bad fall at Saratoga while urging the nag he was saddled with over the steepest jump on the course, and was whisked away to hospital in an ambulance. He fell again while riding the favorite at Sheepshead later that summer, breaking a bone in his leg.
After that he began to get a reputation as an unlucky jockey. Truth was, he was taking too many risks. But that was more than half the fun. If there was nothing at stake, Jay lost interest. At Baltimore he gave up when well beaten. He was easing toward the finish when he was overtaken by a horse he had thought was far behind him. The stewards suspended him because of his âcarelessness,â suspecting he had thrown the race for second place. Characteristically, Jayprotested the decision to the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association, which not only upheld the decision but also stripped him of his license to ride as an amateur jockey. Piqued, he drifted away from racing. He gave it up altogether when a horse he owned, but wasnât riding, fell during a race at Saratoga. It landed on a rival jockey and crushed him to death.
Not for the first time, Jay left one passion behind him and pounced on another. He had studied law at Princeton, and he dabbled in stocks and bonds for H. L. Horton. But honest work didnât interest him much. All the time he had spent at the track had given him a taste for gambling. His game was
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