AN INTRODUCTION

History of Horse Racing

Early Origins of Racing With Horses

Chariot races in Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome

Jockey-ridden horse races through village streets in medieval times

Beginnings in England

Brought to popularity by Stuart King Charles II who developed Newmarket as the official center of horse racing

The Thoroughbred

Between 1690 and 1730, stallions from Arabia and Turkey were imported to breeding farms in England which produced the three lines of Thoroughbreds that exist today

Thoroughbreds were eventually imported to the American colonies where owners began breeding an American version of the Thoroughbred

Byerley Turk

Godolphin Arabian

Darley Arabian 2

Great Museums Video “Horse Power: The National Museum of Racing”

“Narragansett Park: The History of a Great Racetrack”