well as in London and elsewhere a place of their 

 own, to which not every blackguard who could pay 

 a certain sum of money would have as much right as 

 they to claim entrance." 



The conjecture is a most plausible one ; 

 but it was not long before the Club showed 

 that it intended to support racing in practical 

 fashion, for at the Newmarket meeting in 

 May, 1753, two Jockey Club Plates were 

 given for horses belonging to members of 

 the Club. 



It is stated that, in the year 1752, sixty 

 throughbred stallions, of which only eight 

 were reputed imported Arabs, were standing 

 for service in various parts of England ; 

 fees, as may be supposed, were low. A 

 horse named Oronooka headed the list at a 

 fee of 20 guineas ; another, Bolton Starling, 

 covered at 8J guineas ; but the usual charge 

 was one, two or three guineas. Flying 

 Childers in the earlier part of the century 

 stood at 50 guineas, then at 100 guineas, 

 and one season at 200 guineas. 



There is little to note concerning the 

 " Road " or other spheres of equine work 

 during this reign. The roads were as bad as 

 ever, and travel was so slow that in 1740 

 Metcalf, the blind road-maker, walked the 

 200 miles from London to H arrogate more 



