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IIORSE-RA CING. 7 3
crisp, frosty morning, when the scent could be followed breast high, and
every echo even was doubly repeated by wood and hill. The Maryland fox-hound had such hard work to do that he needed both size and
toughness, and these were obtained by crossing the English fox-hound
with the Irish stag-hound and sometimes by an alliance with the beagle, for
the sake of his wiry qualities and the ease with which he manoeuvres through
bramble and undergrowth. The product was not a handsome beast, by any
means; but a bow-legged creature, dew-lapped and dull-eyed, roguish and
cringing, but cunning as the animal he was trained to chase, and of immense
endurance, with a voice of volume and real melody and a nose rarely fallible,
unless indeed the boys and negroes on the plantation had spoiled him by
surreptitious rabbit-chasing or coon-hunting. The huntsman's horse was apt
to be scrubby and sun-burnt, for he was seldom curried and not often stabled,
but, in spite of the burrs in his tail and mane, he was sure to have good
blood in his veins, and it was not always safe to challenge him for a scrub
race. The common country horse was undersized, but he was at the same
time tough and swift. His hoofs, seldom shod, were solid as iron, and his
thick hide had become impervious to the assaults of horse-flies and
mosquitoes. He had no gait but the walk or the gallop, but he could canter on
untiringly for the whole day long, and in a way that was as little as possible
fatiguing to the rider. Crossed with thoroughbreds, the mares of this country
stock produced excellent hunters and racers, and horse racing was ever a
favorite amusement of the province. So common in fact were scrub and
quarter races at every gathering of the people that they had to be prohibited,
by special acts of the legislature, on Sundays, on Saturday afternoons and at
Quaker meetings. Regular matched races between pedigreed horses, in the
English style, are said to have been introduced at Annapolis by Governor
Ogle about 1745, and it was then that the Maryland jockey club was
first founded. After this, purse-racing and racing for cups became a
regular amusement at every county town during court. Every fall
and spring there were races at Marlborough and Chestertown, at Joppa
and Elkridge, quite as much as at Annapolis and Williamstadt. The
purses varied from thirty to one hundred pistoles, and the best horses
in the country were entered for the match. The Chestertown races were
particularly celebrated, and on this course Maryland and Virginia often
contended together, as also did the gentlemen breeders of Kent and Queen
Anne's and Talbot Counties. On the 24th of November, 1766, for instance,
a race was run at Chestertown for a purse of one hundred pistoles, expressly
offered by the gentlemen of the place, in order to bring together " the two
most famous horses on this continent." These were Yorick, of Virginia, and
Selim, of Maryland. Yorick had started for and won. seven matches and
plates, whilst Selim had never been beaten. The race was for four mile heats;
it was witnessed by an immense crowd from every part of the country, and
was won by the Maryland horse. Governor Ogle was one of the earliest to
| Title | History of Maryland - 2 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000098 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | IIORSE-RA CING. 7 3 crisp, frosty morning, when the scent could be followed breast high, and every echo even was doubly repeated by wood and hill. The Maryland fox-hound had such hard work to do that he needed both size and toughness, and these were obtained by crossing the English fox-hound with the Irish stag-hound and sometimes by an alliance with the beagle, for the sake of his wiry qualities and the ease with which he manoeuvres through bramble and undergrowth. The product was not a handsome beast, by any means; but a bow-legged creature, dew-lapped and dull-eyed, roguish and cringing, but cunning as the animal he was trained to chase, and of immense endurance, with a voice of volume and real melody and a nose rarely fallible, unless indeed the boys and negroes on the plantation had spoiled him by surreptitious rabbit-chasing or coon-hunting. The huntsman's horse was apt to be scrubby and sun-burnt, for he was seldom curried and not often stabled, but, in spite of the burrs in his tail and mane, he was sure to have good blood in his veins, and it was not always safe to challenge him for a scrub race. The common country horse was undersized, but he was at the same time tough and swift. His hoofs, seldom shod, were solid as iron, and his thick hide had become impervious to the assaults of horse-flies and mosquitoes. He had no gait but the walk or the gallop, but he could canter on untiringly for the whole day long, and in a way that was as little as possible fatiguing to the rider. Crossed with thoroughbreds, the mares of this country stock produced excellent hunters and racers, and horse racing was ever a favorite amusement of the province. So common in fact were scrub and quarter races at every gathering of the people that they had to be prohibited, by special acts of the legislature, on Sundays, on Saturday afternoons and at Quaker meetings. Regular matched races between pedigreed horses, in the English style, are said to have been introduced at Annapolis by Governor Ogle about 1745, and it was then that the Maryland jockey club was first founded. After this, purse-racing and racing for cups became a regular amusement at every county town during court. Every fall and spring there were races at Marlborough and Chestertown, at Joppa and Elkridge, quite as much as at Annapolis and Williamstadt. The purses varied from thirty to one hundred pistoles, and the best horses in the country were entered for the match. The Chestertown races were particularly celebrated, and on this course Maryland and Virginia often contended together, as also did the gentlemen breeders of Kent and Queen Anne's and Talbot Counties. On the 24th of November, 1766, for instance, a race was run at Chestertown for a purse of one hundred pistoles, expressly offered by the gentlemen of the place, in order to bring together " the two most famous horses on this continent." These were Yorick, of Virginia, and Selim, of Maryland. Yorick had started for and won. seven matches and plates, whilst Selim had never been beaten. The race was for four mile heats; it was witnessed by an immense crowd from every part of the country, and was won by the Maryland horse. Governor Ogle was one of the earliest to |
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