1 6 The American Thoroughbred 



eral Washington as a judge at one of these New- 

 market meetings before the Revolutionary War. 

 At the same time there was in operation a course 

 at Annapolis. The Church had even given rec- 

 ognition to racing as one of the harmless social 

 delights of the higher class of Annapolis people. 

 Outside Baltimore, also, existed another race- 

 course which had no name, but was known gen- 

 erally as the Maryland Course. 



There do not exist more than fragmentary 

 records of the doings upon any of these tracks ; 

 and one may not, with any degree of certainty, 

 write of any incident upon them until after the 

 period of the Revolution. By the time the first 

 difficulty with England occurred, the scientific 

 breeding of the race-horse had progressed so far 

 that in all of the wealthy communities, from 

 Carolina to Long Island, there were breeding 

 studs where the very best type of animal for cav- 

 alry purposes existed. Much of the activity of 

 the British during the winter months was given 

 to the raiding of the farms in an effort to capture 

 this much-desired property. It may be said with 

 truth, however, that the production of the Ameri- 

 can race-horse had become a fact and his success- 

 ful racing a public entertainment before the first 



