II THE ENGLISH THOROUGHBRED 23 
Restoration, the period commences to which the 
Thoroughbred is traced. Charles II. imported not 
only sires but a number of mares, Arab, Barb, and 
Turk, which went by the name of Royal Mares. 
From this time onward for a considerable period 
there was so great an importation of Eastern blood, 
that writers at a later period described the origin of 
the English Thoroughbred as entirely Oriental and 
as dating from this era. 
Under James II. the Lister Turk, and in the 
reign of William and Mary the Byerly Turk, the 
Selaby Turk, the Harpur Arabian, the Akaster Turk, 
and the Honeywood Arabian, left their inefface- 
able marks on the breed of racehorses. Under 
Queen Anne the Darley Arabian arrived in York- 
shire; the Leedes Arabian and 7 other Arabians, 
8 Barbs, and 6 Turks are known to have been 
brought over in 1728. The Godolphin Barb, known 
as the Godolphin Arabian, was imported from Paris, 
being the most celebrated Eastern sire ever intro- 
duced into this island. 
From this outline it will be gathered that Eastern 
and foreign blood played a great part in the produc- 
tion of the English Thoroughbred, and that the 
admixture had gone on through centuries previous 
to James I. There appear in the General Stud 
Book the names of go Arab, 46 Barb, 32 Turk, 4 
Persian, and 2 “foreign” stallions from the time of 
James I. 
But when all has been said that can be said of 
the Eastern blood, there remains a great quantity of 
“native” blood in the English Thoroughbred; the 
origin of which can never be traced, and which must 
