14 THE TURF 



Arabian, appeared in this reign. The 

 Queen also added several plates. George i. 

 was no racer, but he discontinued silver 

 plates as prizes, and instituted the King's 

 Plates, as they have been since termed, 

 being one hundred guineas, paid in cash. 

 George n. cared as little for racing as his 

 father, but, to encourage the breed of 

 horses, as well as to suppress low gambling, 

 he made some good regulations for the 

 suppression of pony races, and running 

 for any sum under fifty pounds. In his 

 reign the Godolphin Arabian appeared, the 

 founder of our best blood the property of 

 the then Earl of Godolphin. 1 George in., 

 though not much a lover of the turf, gave 

 it some encouragement as a national pas- 



i The reigns of King William, Queen Anne, and 

 Georges I. and n. f are remarkable in the annals of 

 the turf as having been the days of the noted Tregon- 

 well Frampton, Esq., a gentleman of family and fortune 

 in the west of England, Master of the Horse during all 

 the above-mentioned reigns ; who had a house at New- 

 market ; was a heavy bettor ; and, if not belied, a great 

 rogue. The horrible charge against him, however, re- 

 specting his qualifying his horse Dragon for the race 

 by a violent outrage upon humanity, and alluded to 

 by Dr. Hawksworth in the Elysium of Beast s^ is sup- 

 posed to be unfounded. 



