426 UNGULATA. 



THE RACE-HORSE. 



The first improvement in the breed of the original English horse was 

 effected by William the Conqueror, who imported some Spanish horses, 

 thus introducing Barb blood; and down to the time of Henry VIII, 

 Spanish and Italian horses were frequently imported. While the use 

 of heavy armor in war prevailed, heavy, stout animals were necessary, 

 and the real amelioration of the English horse commenced when the 

 musket superseded the battle-axe and lance. 



Ever since men possessed horses, they have been fond of trying the 

 speed of their favorites ; but it was not till the reign of James I, that 

 regular race-courses were laid out, and rules for the sport laid down. 

 James did his best to improve the stock by purchasing an Arab for the 

 enormous sum, in those days, of five hundred pounds. But, strangely, 

 this Arab was disapproved of by the celebrated writer on horsemanship, 

 the Duke of Newcastle, who described it as a little, bony horse, of ordi- 

 nary shape. James bought another Eastern horse, the White Turk, and 

 the Helmsley Turk, and Fairfax's Morocco Barb were imported about 

 the same time. No attention was paid to the genuine Arabian till Mr. 

 Darley, in Queen Anne's time, purchased the famous " Darley Arabian," 

 whose figure contained every point that could be desired in a turf-horse. 

 This horse was the sire of ''Flying Childers " and " Bartlett's Childers," 

 and through them his blood has passed into most of our racers. Twenty 

 years after Darley had established the value of Arabian blood. Lord 

 Godolphin bought, out of the shafts of a cart in Paris, the celebrated 

 " Godolphin Arabian," which in all probability, however, was a Barb. 

 The most illustrious of the English racers of the last century was 

 " Eclipse," a grandson of Bartlett's Childers, which never was beaten, 

 nor ever paid forfeit. 



Races originally were merely meetings at which men could test the 

 speed of horses which were on ordinary occasions used for other pur- 

 poses, such as war, or the chase. But the establishment of regular race- 

 meetings with valuable prizes to be won by the victors, soon introduced 

 great changes. It was at once seen that the ordinary hunter or roadster 

 or charger had no chance in a competition with horses bred for the sole 

 purpose ot racing, and therefore men ambitious of distinction or desirous 

 of making money on the turf, turned their attention to producing a 

 breed of animals which were racers and nothing else. The racers, 



