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In the time of Henry II. there used to be races in Smithfield ; but 

 only for the purpose of finding out which was the best horse to buy at 

 the fairs held there. It was not until the reign of James I. that horse- 

 racing, as a public sport, was introduced ; but the races were purely for 

 amusement. Croydon in the South and Garterly in the North seem 

 to have been the only important meetings. 



Charles II. was a warm supporter of the Turf, and we find him 

 attending meetings at Hyde Park, where he dispensed Royal bounty, 

 and at one time gave a 100-guinea silver bowl to be run for. It was 

 this monarch who, in 1667, started racing on Newmarket Heath. The 

 sport began to increase in favour at this time, and meetings were held 

 in many places during Easter ; but towards the end of the seventeenth 

 century these were prohibited as being " contrary to the holiness of the 

 season." 



Races were first started at Epsom in about 1717, Ascot followed in 

 1727. In 1719 George I. gave at Newmarket a "Royal Cup " value 

 100 guineas, for five-year-old mares, lOst. each ; four miles. Racing 

 at that time was confined, generally, to matches, which were run over 

 courses varying from four to twelve miles ! 



In 1740, racing had become so prevalent throughout the country, a 

 law was passed to restrain it, and it was enacted that after the 24th 

 June, 1740, no plate should be run for of less value than £50, under 

 penalty of £200. Parliament further settled the weights to be carried, 

 which were as follows: — Five-year-old, lOst. ; six-year-old, list.; seven- 

 year-old and aged, 12st. 



The ISt. Leger was first run for in 1776. It was called after the best 

 known and most popular man of the day, " handsome Jack !St. Leger." 

 Then followed the Oaks in 1779. Mr. Richard Tattersall, in 1782, 

 started at Hyde Park Corner " Tattersall's," but that establishment 

 was moved in 1865 to its present site at Albert Gate. The Duke of 

 Richmond, in 1802, established races in his Park at Goodwood. Long 

 before the Derby was brought to Epsom in 1780 Lord Derby had it 

 run for many years at Wallasey in Cheshire, near to where the golf 

 links are. 



Racing calendars go back to the early part of the seventeenth century, 

 when we find Ye Neiv-Markitt Kalendar. In 1709 another was published 

 in York by Reginald Heber, who ran it until 1768. In 1729 John Cheny 

 started one entitled "An Historical List of all Horse Matches Run," 

 and continued it till 1750. It was then taken up by a man named 

 Pond under the title of the Sporting Kalendar^ but that work seems to 

 have ceased in 1754, leaving Heber sole chronicler till 1768. Thomas 

 Falconer then carried it on until 1773, when Mr. James Weatherby 

 took it up, and from then till now the Racing Calendar has been 

 published by the "Weatherby s. 



The Jockey Club was started about 1750, but it was not until Mr. 

 James Weatherby was appointed keeper of the Match Book at New- 

 market in 1773 that racing came under ship-shape regime. He soon* 



