THE THOROUGHBRED 15 



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

 hshed 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 1 724. 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. Tlie 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 1 5 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. 



