Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-07-25
IN G. lL0NIAL DAYS.
HORSES AND OWNERS THAT F'"-
uRED IN "spORT OF KINGS"
IMPORTATION OF NOTED SlRES.
Tho Uacing stock OF the Early Dn's
Iu.tIy Famous-some of the meet
ings Held and Matches Run-hitis"
,t,p which Sometimes Ensued.

| was Justly famous luI hti h"'"-~'
the racing stock Of the Colony and me
infant State was second only to tha'
If the mother country. The reason Is
not far 10 seek.
AZ far back as the twelfth century
horse-raclng was a recognized sport IN
England. and when James l. assembled
the throne it had grown in popular
favor TO such an extent that annual race
meetings were held in different parts
Of the kingdom. 1t is not to be won
dered at. therefore, that when the tide
Of emlgrat ion set in towards the New
World. the love Of this and Of the other
outdoor sports Of the mother country
should have been introduced.
Horses increased rapidly after their
introduction, and the settlers became a
race Of unsurpassed riders, TIE owner
ship OF a good horse being not only
matter Of necessity, but a mat
Ter of pleasure and pride, and all
the early writer's dwell upon the quality
Of the horses TO be found in Virginia,
and the fondness Of the people for rdlnS
and for racing.
In an interesting article by MIR. w.
G. Stannard. contributed TO the columns
Of the Virginia Historical Magazine. he
result Of an exhaustive search among
the available records is given, contain
ing much valuable Information along
these lines.
How soon regular racing began in the
Colony Is not known, but IL Is believed
that no horses were kept exclusively for
that purpose until about the year 1870.
THE EARLIEST RECORD.
The earliest record OF racing is CON
tanned IN a quaint order made by the
court Of York county on September
- 1914:
James Bulloeke. a Taylor, haveins
made race for his mare 10 RUM with
| a horse belonging to Nh. Matthew Siader
| FOR twoe thousand pounds Vi tobacco and
/ caske it being contrary 10 Law for a
! Labourer to make n race being sport
/ only for gentlemen, is fined for the same
one hundred pounds Of tobacco and caske.
Whereas. Mr.. Matthew Slader aH~
/ James Bulloeke by condition under Tic
| hand and seal OF the said Slaler. that
| his horse should rum out Of the way mat
BullOcks mare might VIII. en- u an
| apparent Cheate Is ord'ed to be putt IN
| The stocks and Their slit the space OF one
! houre."
with the exception Of a suit about
| race in the latter part Of the century,
all Of the early notices Of racing are IN
| Henrico county. which then lncluded
| Chesterfield and an indefinite tract OF
/ country 10 the west.
AN ENGLISH VIEW.
J. F. D. Smyth. Of London, England,
writing I'D 1877 Of li- tour IN America,
undertaken in 17I2 says: There are
| races at WILLIAMSBURG twice year
] tfrrrr ND Coll
| i joining 10 the town is "a very excellent
/ course, Tor either two, three. or four
/ mile heats. Their purses az generally
| raised by subscription, and are gained by
! the horse that wins two four-mi.e heats
| out Of three, they amount % an hundred
/ pounds each for The Arst days running.
/ and fifty pounds each every day after
/ the races commonly continuing Tor
/ week There are also matches ana
/ sweepstakes very often for considerable
| sums. Besides these at Williamsburg.
/ there are races established annually q J.
most at every town ana coIs.octaDie
| place i'm Virginia and frequent matches
on which large sums Of money DEPEND,
/ the inhabitants. almost 20 q man. being
/ quite devoted to the diversion Of horse
| rdcin-.
VERY capital horses are started here,
/ such as would make no desDi'ahle figure
! al Newmarket. nor is their speed. bot
/ tom. or blood inferior o their appearance,
/ the gentlemen Of virginia sparng no
| pains trouble. or expense IN importing
| the best stock and improving the excel
! leuce OF the breed by popular and judi
| ciOus crossing. Their stock Ia from Old
! Cads. Old Crab. old Partner Regulus
! Babraham. BOsphOrus IeNOns hirc. Chld-
! ers the Cullen Arabian. etc. I'm England,
! and a horse from Arabia. which was i'm
! ported into America. and is now in eX-
! istence."
| IMPORTATION OF RACING STOCK.
About this time began the Importation
/ of horses of the English racing stock,
/ which came 10 be led blooied OF mo
rOughbred. and about this time, also,
/ were probably commenced tie breeding
/ ana keeping OF horses especially lOI
| racing. Between I140 and ll'5 are record
/ ed the names Of at least htty horses anu
thirty mares imported into Virginia ana
! there were probably many Otnefsl, many
| of them being ancestors of hOrscN on tLe
| turf at The present Gay. Among the
/ noted names are Aristotle. babiantm,
Bolton, Chiiders DabsteT, Doltreii fstl
| naught. Jolly Roger, Jumper, justice
| Merry Tom. Sober John, vampire, Nh.t-
| tngton, James. Sterling and Valiant.
SOME or THE OWNERS.
Among the gentlemen who thus laid the
| foundations OF Ole breed Of thorouS"DtSi
| horses or who were interested IN breed
| ing and the turf. were William SIla-ley'
| Mr. Maclin, Captain william Evans
| James Gibson, William LgntoOL or
| Sandy Point; Colonel John Iayioe. OF NJ
] Allyt General AltAdLlti sp1l1N'''4l 49,
| mel John Baylor. OF eWmarketi CylOtet
/ John Syme, Of Hanover county; Nathanlei
! Harrison. OF Brandon. SIR Matmaduhc
| Beckwith. Of Richmond county ColoHei
| Francis Thornton. of society I'M, MING
! George; Colonel William BYRD OF west
over: Mordecai Booth, OF Gloucester
| Daniel McCarty, Of Pope's creek; " IL
| liam FitZhugh, OF Cnal nam imam
/ Brent Of Richland Lewis BurreA' 81
/ Gloucester: Ralph WOrmley Of ROsegIl'
/ Richard Lee James BaltOur, captain
| Littleberry Hardyman. Armistead l. gn,-
foot, Roger Gregory, William CnIrchlI;
/ y ward amber Of Jamesiowni Colottl
! Thomas y. Randolph, Of Tuckdhoe, 1 no
ne! John Willis; Captain Henry Harrison,
Samuel Du Val, ColOnei John Mercer.
/ Francis Whiting, George Nicho as fhllp
/ L. Lee George Baylor. LandOn carter,
/ John Banlster, Mann Page. on Wei
/ Moore Fauntleroy. MiX.mlian Room or
/ william Hardyman, James farke Fariey,
/ Robert GOJde Benjamin Grymes, amer
TaliafeIro Robert ausnteF, ColOg i
/ Presley Thornton, Peter conway Jol'
Baird. Thomas Minor, George q. PoindeN-
ter. William O. Winston, and, many
! George Washington, VINO IS stated by the
Turf Register TO have been steward
Of the Alexandria Jockey 1lub. ana 10
| have run his own horses there ana az
! Annapolis. About 1765 Co.onel Tayloa
| Yorick and Traveller were among the
leading horses Of the day.
AN EARLY RECORD.
For many years a purse OF 200 Tor
mile heats was run for al Williamsburg
! R.ce-tracl,s had now become nun l9l1
/ ana a notice which appeared H. he y lr-
ginia GaZ tie Of May "A, 1860, contains the
| Information that in race for purse OF
| 900 run at Pride's Race-Ground when
was probably the Newmarket ~ ltter
! days, Mr.. Thomas RandOiph's blacA
/ horse covered the course ln a shorter time
than mad ever before been the case.
/ On October eth CT The same year a
| purse OF I'D was offered FOR any morse
which had no mixture OF English or FOR
eign blood that should prove The winner
| OF a two,mile race This was evidently
! intended TO encourage the breeding or the
I native horse, which is described by ola
writer's as small active, feet. ana en-
i during In III the advertisements give
an idea Of the number OF thorougnbfed
/ horses IN Virginia. There are notices OF