HELMSLEY TURK AND MOROCCO BARB 225 



this race was run probably a year or two before 

 that date. The report is said to be the first 

 detailed account of a horse race ever published 

 in a newspaper. 



" I made a present to the King," Sully writes, 

 "of six beautiful horses richly caparisoned, and 

 the Sieur of St Antoine as their keeper." The 

 Sieur of St Antoine, who after being equerry to 

 Prince Henry became equerry to Charles I., is 

 represented in the famous Vandyck picture of 

 King Charles in armour, in the picture now in 

 the National Gallery. 



It was about the year 1641 that the Duke of 

 Buckingham greatly helped to improve the breed 

 of horses by importing the famous Helmsley Turk 

 and the almost equally famous Morocco Barb. 

 It is curious to read that the importation of these 

 horses was at first looked upon with grave sus- 

 picion by a great body of the principal horse 

 breeders in this country, and by others interested 

 in the horse and its development. 



To what the antagonism was owing one can 

 hardly say for certain. One report has it that 

 some among the duke's personal enemies he 

 had many enemies were determined to do all in 

 their power to injure him by wrecking any scheme 

 in which he presumably was interested. The 



