Miscellanies. XXXIX. Vol IV. No. 40. 



HORSE - RAGES IN ENGLAND. 



o ne of the molt favourite and frequent diver- 

 Hons in England is Letting upon chances or mat- 

 ches, and in London proper offices are efiablished 

 where all forts of betts are concluded and regifte- 

 red ; the moft alluring and remarkable occaßons 

 for wagers are the Horfe - Races , a diverfion 

 anxiously purfued throughout the kingdom. 



Ey various improvements the breed of horfes 

 in England arrived to a high degree of perfection, 

 and by uniting English mares with Arabian rial- 

 lions a particular breed iflued which is known by 

 the name of Race - Horfes r and which in regard 

 to swiftnefs has never as yet been equalled by 

 any other race of horfes.. 



In Fig. l. fuch an English Race • Horfe is re- 

 prefented; the fire of his eyes and the large open 

 noftrils prove his Arabian origin, his slender legs 

 show at the firft light the racer. Thefe horfes are 

 of different colours, but their discriminating cha- 

 racter is swiftnefs, fpirit, boldnefs and ftrength. 

 The moft famous are engraved and their virtues 

 celebrated in publick papers. Their pedigrees 

 are as regularly kept as thofe of the horfes in Ara- 

 bia. They fell veiy often at an enormous price 

 and there are inftances of iooo pound Sterling 

 (more than 6000 Dollars) and more being paid 

 for a racer. Their extreme swiftnefs is fuppofed 

 to equal the wind. The famons Childers (ufually 

 called fiying Childers) which died about 40 Years 

 ago, leaped in one second QQ. § feet, and ran the 

 race - ground of Newmarket, famous for the great 

 races which are held there in Aprii and October, 



in 6 minutes 40 féconds , though .the ground mea- 

 fures £ of a German mile or 4 English miles. 



Fis:. 2. The Horfe -Race. 



D 



Horfe -Races are held in funi mer in 50 diffe- 

 rent places of the kingdom where the foft and 

 fand y race- grounds are carefully kept in order. 

 On the fpot where the horfes fet out, is the Ste~ 

 wards hox which is occupied by thefe officers du- 

 ring the whole tace. Here the horfes are registe- 

 red and the hefts which arefometimes very high, 

 regularly laid down. The grounds are circular or 

 oval and the racers return to the fpot where they 

 fet out. The horfe which paffes the firft the 

 Harting poft, gains the firft heat, or courfe, where- 

 upon the faddles are taken o.ff and the horfes clea- 

 ned; an hour after they fet out for the fécond 

 heat ; if the horfe which gained the fhfi heat , ar- 

 rives again before the others at the ftarting poft, 

 he wins, and the race is finished; if not, a third 

 heat or run enfues. 



The riders are called Jocheys and are gene- 

 rally of a very light weight. Thofe that ride to- 

 gether, are weighed with the faddles and bridles 

 of their horfes , which they buckle round their 

 waift, and thofe which are too light, put fo much 

 of small shot in their pockets, till their weight 

 equals that of the others. 



The races laß generally two or three days, 

 and very often 40 or 50000 fpectators meet on 

 thefe occaßons. 



