53 



last century, George II. s Act directed against 

 small racehorses notwithstanding. A 12- 

 hand pony carried 5 stone, and the scale of 

 weight for inches prescribed 14 oz. for each 

 additional quarter of an inch ; whereby 1 3 

 hands carried 7 stone, 14 hands 9 stone, 15 

 hands i r stone. Hunter races were run 

 at Ascot in 1722, and after that date the 

 Calendar of 1762, however, is the first of 

 the series that contains the form of u Quali- 

 fication for a Hunter." 



The Royal Plates were still among the 

 most important events of the Turf; in 1760 

 there were 18 of these in England and Scot- 

 land, and 6 in Ireland, 5 of the latter in 

 Kildare. The " King's Plate Articles," 

 which appear in every annual issue of the 

 Racing Calendars for very many years, were 

 retained in their original form. " Six-year- 

 olds shall carry 12 stone, 14 Ibs. to the stone ; 

 three heats " ; but in the Calendar of 1773 a 

 footnote occurs, " By a late order altered to 

 one heat." Nevertheless, very cursory inspec- 

 tion of the books shows that much latitude 

 was allowed in weights, distances, and num- 

 bers of heats both before 1773 an d after. 

 In 1799 another footnote appears under the 

 " King's Plate Articles," to effect that the 

 conditions " By a late order are altered to 



