1 8 The American Tborougbbred 



the year 1815, and the records of running which 

 took place prior to that date are not always 

 authentic. The people of New York, like those 

 of the Southern states, indulged in the sport of 

 racing before they even dreamed of going to war 

 with Great Britain. But there was little or no 

 organization, and the result of each contest was 

 not officially recorded. 



" Frank Forrester," the first American author 

 to attempt to give a continued history of the 

 American turf, says: "To draw a parallel, as 

 nearly as I can draw one, I regard the old Vir- 

 ginia turf prior to the fifteenth year, at least, of 

 the nineteenth century as neither more nor less 

 authentic than that of England up to the time of 

 English Eclipse. From the day when the sons 

 and daughters of imported Diomed and imported 

 Messenger began to run upon the turfs of Eng- 

 land and the tracks of America, all is plain and 

 on record, so that who runs may read." 



" Frank Forrester," however, had not at the 

 time of his writing all the facilities for following 

 the tale which are now preserved, and there is a 

 great deal of the history from the Revolution 

 on that is reasonably straight and true. 



For instance, this Newmarket Course at 



