A little history of Racing Day 14

I thought perhaps I should spend a little time to cover some history of racing today -anything to warm up to what I might paint today!  I will briefly touch on origins in the USA as I need to read more:

The first race to be held in North America was in Long Island in 1665. But informal races were held on busy roads and although racing waned during the Revolutionary period by 1823 it had regained popularity. Over 60,000 people came to the Union Course New York for a North-South Challenge
for a contest of three four mile heats with only two horses.

 

The Royal Procession, Royal Ascot

Traditionally Thoroughbreds have always been ridden by a rider  and Standardbreds have always pulled a conveyance with a driver.   Horse racing began earlier which is another chapter altogether..but I believe the first annual fixture for a horse race was in Chester, England in 1540.  Racing was supported by the Monarchs, James I established a hunting stable in Newmarket but it was Charles II (1660-1685) who made it fashionable.   Courses were created around England:  Doncaster (1595, York (1709)   Ascot (1711)  Epsom (1730) Goodwood (1801) and Aintree (1827) and each has its owned historical traditions kept alive...for example Royal Ascot has the daily Royal Procession over five days (bets are waged on what color the Queen will wear each day!), and Donaster's St Ledger has the old fashioned cap given to the jockey.   In 1750 The Jockey Club was established to regulate the sport and it was Lord Bentinck (a politician under Disraeli..who I've just read about is said to have died of a heart attack, but there are stories that he had a horse wager with another politician lord who was obviously a bitter loser!) who established the flag start (still used by the starter on his rostrum if you watch the National Hunt Racing (over the obstacles or jump racing) even though there is now a tape stretched across the track.   National Hunt racing is also referred to as a Steeplechase.  This was because the horses raced cross country to the nearest church steeple, and the start of the use of artifical fences began at the Newmarket Craven Meeting in 1794...today the Craven meeting is still in existence but it is for flat racehorses only.  There is no longer any jump racing at Newmarket.  The Grand Annual Steeplechase began in Cheltenham in 1815...which now is called the Cheltenham Festival in March, the prize is the Cheltenham Gold Cup!  Early races in England were run in heats with only two or three horses and only after the horse had won both heats was it declared the winner.  Larger fields of horses only started to race together in the mid-18th century.

I will be not be posting any image today or tomorrow, I have to take care of my 16 year old dog..
but will post what I do retrospectively on Saturday..