THE THOROUGHBRED 



*5 



racing stock. Charles I (i 625-1649), the son of James I, estab- 

 lished racing at Newmarket and Hyde Park, while his son, 

 Charles II, whom British authors credit with first creating 

 the Thoroughbred, brought many horses from the Orient and 

 was a great promoter of the race course. Two Barb mares which 

 Charles II imported took very high rank among the brood mares 

 of England and were named the " Royal Mares." 



From the time of James I up to the present day each British 

 ruler has patronized the race course and has promoted horse 

 breeding. Since the time of this monarch about one hundred 

 and sixty -four Eastern sires have been imported into England. 

 From this desire for the running horse and the race has been 

 developed the Thoroughbred, which for a hundred years or more 

 has been bred with reasonable purity. 



Three foreign horses introduced into England during the for- 

 mation period of the Thoroughbred exercised an important 

 influence worthy of special mention. These were the following : 



1 . The Godolphin Barb, also known as the Godolphin Arabian, 

 was probably foaled in Barbary about 1724. Later he found his 

 way to France, and for a time was used to haul a water cart. About 

 1728 he was taken to England and presented to Lord Godolphin. 

 He was used in the stud with great success. His blood contrib- 

 uted in a most important degree to founding the Thoroughbred. 



2. The Byerly Turk, the saddle horse of Captain Byerly, used 

 later in the seventeenth century in the wars of William in Ire- 

 land, was probably brought to England in 1689. He was very 

 famous as a sire and horses descended from him are known as 

 Byerly Turk horses. 



3. The Darley Arabian, supposed to be a pure Arabian, was 

 bought at Aleppo, Syria, by a Mr. Darley. He was brought 

 to England in 1706, late in Queen Anne's reign, as a gift to 

 Mr. John B. Darley, of Aldby Park, near York. He was bay in 

 color with blaze on face and white on three feet, and stood 

 about 15 hands high. To this horse can be traced the choicest 

 Thoroughbred blood. 



These three Oriental horses preceded the development of the 

 Thoroughbred, yet their blood had a potent fundamental influence 

 in establishing the breed which followed. 



