RACING LADIES, AND A FOUNDER OF THE JOCKEf CLUB. 



209 



did Lord Lonsdale's Ugly give three pounds to the Duke of Bridgewater's Beauty 

 simply from a desire to win His Grace's money? 



But I must not be led by these pleasant considerations to omit mentioning a 

 few more of the most famous of the horses of this period, whose splendid records 

 would have preserved them from oblivion, whatever they had been called. Among 

 the first and the best bred was Lord Portmore's Crab, whose fine performances 

 began almost at the same time as the new reign of George II. His sire was the 

 Alcock Arabian, who was first the property of the Yorkshireman whose name he 

 bears, and is also known as Mr. Pelham's Grey Arab. He belonged subsequently 

 to the Duke of Ancaster, 

 and his name is worth 

 remembering for he is 

 almost the only Eastern 

 stallion before 1750, apart 

 from the three famous 

 sires, to whom a classic 

 winner can be traced back 

 in direct male descent. 

 Aimwell (Derby, 1785) 

 was by Marc Antony, by 

 Spectator, by Crab, by the 

 A /cock Arabian. Crab 

 took after his sire in 

 colour, for he was grey, as 

 was the Arab stallion kept 



by George II. at Hampton Court, whose services were available for mares at a 

 stated fee ; and it may be noticed that until after the St. Leger had been founded we 

 can find grey, white, dun, sorrel, mouse-coloured, skewbald, and piebald, among the 

 colours of thoroughbred stock, besides the more ordinary bay, black, chestnut, and 

 brown. The Godolphin Arabian " got 'em of all colours " ; but by the time that 

 Matchcm, Herod and Eclipse began to influence blood, the colours of the best 

 horses began also to run in less numerous and more accustomed shades. The 

 great preponderance of bays and chestnuts in the twentieth century is no doubt 

 one result of constant, careful, and prolonged in-breeding to a few favourite families. 

 Crab was bred by Mr. Pelham, of Lincolnshire, and his dam was got by Basto. She 



By pcrmiuion of Leopold de RothtchiU, Etq. 



" Tartar." 



from the original fainting by T. Butler. 



