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most ardent supporter it ever boasted among 

 our sovereigns, though the unfortunate 

 Escape affair caused him to renounce the 

 sport altogether for many years (1791-1810): 

 The King was passionately fond of horses, 

 and never wearied of trying hacks and 

 hunters ; he got together a splendid breeding 

 stud at Hampton Court. In the last year of 

 his reign he increased the number of Royal 

 Plates to 43, of which 27 were run for in 

 England, Scotland and Wales, and 16 

 in Ireland : he was also instrumental in 

 bringing about vast improvements in the 

 royal buckhounds. The legislative measures 

 of George IV. were a bill to entirely relieve 

 agricultural horses from taxation, the duties 

 thereon having been reduced by George III. 

 in the last year of his reign ; and a bill to 

 relieve horses let for travelling of the duties 

 that had been imposed upon them by his 

 father. 



WILLIAM IV. (1830-1837). 



William IV. had no great love of racing, 

 and his personal attitude towards the sport 

 is well reflected in his oft-quoted order to 

 "start the whole fleet" for the Goodwood 

 Cup of 1830. He was, however, fully alive 

 to the national importance of racing, and did 



