HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN TURF. 



CHAPTER L 



The Story of Godolphin, the Arabian. 



While America is not the birthplace of racing and is not 

 the country that first saw the merits of the thoroughbred 

 horse, she now has the proud distinction of having been the 

 country that encouraged the sport and brought it up to its 

 present high standing. 



From the insignificant beginning, when the Dutch 

 traders and burghers first raced their Flemish ponies about 

 New Amsterdam, racing has grown to almost colossal pro- 

 portions. The whole country is honeycombed with race 

 tracks of the very grandest character, and there is not a 

 state in the Union but has some kind of a course. If running 

 is not promoted, the trotting interests are appreciated. 



Probably the first racing ever held was on the broad 

 deserts of Arabia, where the turbaned disciple of Mahomet 

 scampered about on his steed and challenged his neighbors 

 to a contest of speed. If there were any regular races, how- 

 ever, there is no record of them, but the fame of the Arabian 

 steed was known as early as the beginning of the Christian 

 era. 



It remained for France and England to introduce racing 

 and the features that have grown about it. Of course, there 

 were races during the time the Romans were ruled by the 

 Ccesars and even previous to that, but there was nothing of 

 an organized nature and horses were not trained especially 

 for the purpose. France seems to have had the first blooded 

 horse of which there is any record. The Byerly Turk was 

 taken there from Turkey in 1620, but it was long years after 

 that before there was what could be termed racing. 



There were some men in England who made pretensions 

 to scientific breeding, yet they knew but little compared 

 with what is known now. Several Arabian horses were im- 

 ported and they begat a sterling race when bred to the 



