'weeds' his stud 135 



With the commencement of 1770, the Earl of 

 March and Ruglen began racing with a vengeance. 

 From May to November/ twenty-eight engagements 

 were incurred; of these he carried off eight, value 

 some fifteen hundred pounds, which, no doubt, was 

 much increased by judicious bets. 



From this period, and for many years after, his 

 lordship raced in earnest, if his engagements are to 

 be considered as the measure of his desire to excel 

 in a sport he had already won laurels in. But Lord 

 March never prided himself on the extent of his 

 racing stable (which was small compared in quantity 

 to some of his contemporaries), but its excellence 

 in quality. So, if an animal did not come up to his 

 expectations, after a few trials, out it went to make 

 room for another that could at least earn its keep, if 

 not ' pocket-money ' for its owner. 



The year 1771 is interesting, as it shows that 

 Lord March looked upon wagering with a true 

 commercial spirit. Then the subtle chicanery of the 

 law had not arrived at the nice discrimination it 

 has since, nor the subterfuge which until recently 

 existed. A bet or wager, though considered an illegal 

 debt, was, if made and paid by an agent, recover- 

 able as money paid to the use of the loser. At the 



^ Vide Racing Analysis. 



