FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 5 



some of the King's own horses, such as Wood- 

 cock, beaten by Mr. ElHot's Flatfoot, ' owners 

 up,' in 1671 ; Blew Capp, or Blue Cap (unless 

 the description of the rider's cap have been 

 mistaken for the name of the horse), Shuffler, 

 Tankot(?), Corke, Mouse, and Dragon. It is 

 well known, however, that by importation of 

 foreign horses, especially mares, from Tangier, 

 which was a portion of Catherine of Braganza's 

 dowry, the King did great service to the cause of 

 horse-breeding. For, to take but a single case, 

 from one of those mares, called Royal Mares, 

 not only came the valuable sire Dodsworth (a 

 'natural' Barb), and the valuable mare Vixen 

 (Mr. Child's) ; but from her descend, among 

 other distinguished horses, the noted Barbarian, 

 and that prince among French thorough-bred 

 sires, Fitz-Gladiator. 



Charles II., then, not only took his pleasure, 

 and a great deal of it, on the turf, but he did his 

 duty by his country's breed of horses. He is 

 believed to have founded two Royal Plates to be 

 run for at Newmarket, one in the spring and the 

 other in the autumn ; and under his auspices was 

 founded, in 1666, the Town Plate, for which he 



