HORSE-RACING (ante). The racing of one horse against another is probably coeval with their subjection to the use of man, but racing as understood at the present time is of comparatively recent date. Something like jockeyship, however, was prae ticed in very early times, the Greeks having introduced it at their celebrated games. In the 33d Olympiad they had their race of full-aged horses, and in the 71st Olympiad a race for mares called the Calpe was instituted. In the 131st Olympiad a race for under aged horses was established, but we are left in doubt as to the weight the horses carried, or the distance they ran. Alexander the great is said to have been ambitious of obtain ing the Olympic crown, and although Macedonians were excluded, the Ele.an jockey club allowed him to start; but he did not win. Themistocles objected to Hiero, king of Syracuse, as a tyrant, and proposed that the magnificent pavilion containing his race horses should be pulled down, but the objection was overruled, and he became a whiner. Horse-races were known in England in very early times. An old black-letter pamphlet, containing the poetical legend of sir Bevis of Hampton, mentions Whitsuntide as a season of the year at which races took place, and goes on Whiche horse that best may ren Three myles the course was then, Who that might ryde hint shoulde Have forty pounds of reds gold.
That horse-racing was commonly practiced at Easter is proved by the fact that, in the 17th c., it was prohibited " as being contrary to the holiness of the season." Fitz Stephen, in the days of Henry II., mentions the delight taken by the citizens of Lon don in the diversion. James I. made the sport a royal amusement, and set the example of paying large prices for foreign horses of supposed superior breed. Craydon in the south and Garterly in the north were celebrated courses. In the reign of Charles I. races continued to be held, the most noteworthy being the meetings in Hyde park and at Newmarket. The precedent was established of giving as priAts silver cups, instead of coin. Charles II. encouraged the sports of the turf, and under his reign they became national in England. The Godolphin Arabian, the progenitor of the best blood, appeared in the reign of George II. In the commencement of that of George III., Eclipse was foaled, and at that time racing, as now understood, was really established. The first racing calendar is said to have been by John Cheney in 1727. The most eminent races in England are those at Newmarket, established in 1667, and at Epsom, inaugurated about 1711 by Mr. Parkhurst, and which were made annual after 1730.
The earl of Derby began the " Oaks" in 1779, it being so called after his seat in the neighborhood. The Derby. which was first won by Diomed in 1780, generally takes place on the Wednesday in the week preceding Whitsunday. The winners from 1876-79 were Kisber, Silvio, Sefton, and Sir Bevys. In 1880 it was won by Bend Or in 2 minutes 46 seconds, the course being a mile and a half in length. The Ascot meeting is the next great racing festival after the Derby, and was begun in 1727 by the duke of Cumberland, uncle to George III. The St. Leger stakes were founded at Doncaster in 1776. The races at Goodwood were first held in 1802. The Jockey Club, which now chiefly regulates races and the betting connected with them, was founded in 1750. Flying Childers, bred in 1715 by the duke of Devonshire. was the fleetest horse that ever ran at Newmarket. He ran 4 m. in 6 minutes and 48 seconds. Eclipse, the fleet est horse in England since the time of Childers, was never beaten, and died in 1789, aged 25 years. The grand prize of Paris, for which the best English and continental three year-olds compete, was established by Napoleon III. Since 1856 there has been a race course at Longchamps, within an easy drive of the capital.
It will be some time before horse-racing in America attracts the attention or assumes the importance that it has done in England. Nevertheless, racing is fast becoming a national sport. Jerome park, in 'Westchester co., N. Y., is the American Epsom downs. The arrangements are complete, and may challenge comparison with any of the great race-courses of Europe. It was opened in 1866, and under Mr. Jerome's leadership the club in connection with it have made racing agreeable and respectable, and the presence of ladies from New York assures for it the character of a popular and reputable recreation. The Brighton Beach fair-grounds at Coney island, an enterprise which was started a few years ago at a cost of $300,000, furnishes one of the best courses in the country, and is certain to obtain popularity. There are also excellent races at Monmouth park near Long Branch, Sheepshead bay and Saratoga Springs, N. Y., Point Breeze park of Philadelphia, Lexington, Ky., Baltimore, Louisville, New Orleans, Rochester, Buffalo, Chicago, Boston, Springfield, Hartford, and at many other places.