The first state-bred restricted races in the U.S.
excerpt from Virginia Horse Racing: Triumphs of the Turf by Virginia C. Johnson and Barbara Crookshanks
Selima ran her first American race in Annapolis, Maryland, in May of 1752. She won and was soon after sent 150 miles away for an encounter at Gloucester, Virginia, with William Byrd III's Tryal and several other racers. The Maryland versus Virginia rivalry was a hot one, and Selima's defeat of the champion Tryal was overwhelming. Virginians thought it a cheat that an unknown import could so thoroughly best them and so for a while thereafter "imports" were banned from Virginia tracks. They took it a step further and banned all Maryland horses from competing in their colony. Marylanders got around this rule by shipping their mares that were in foal to Virginia for delivery, thus qualifying them to race as technically being Virginia born.
So anti-competitive protectionist policies led to state-bred restricted racing for a short time in mid-18th century Virginia. Looks like state-bred racing today creates the same inefficient movement of mares in foal as it did 250 years ago.
Selima ran her first American race in Annapolis, Maryland, in May of 1752. She won and was soon after sent 150 miles away for an encounter at Gloucester, Virginia, with William Byrd III's Tryal and several other racers. The Maryland versus Virginia rivalry was a hot one, and Selima's defeat of the champion Tryal was overwhelming. Virginians thought it a cheat that an unknown import could so thoroughly best them and so for a while thereafter "imports" were banned from Virginia tracks. They took it a step further and banned all Maryland horses from competing in their colony. Marylanders got around this rule by shipping their mares that were in foal to Virginia for delivery, thus qualifying them to race as technically being Virginia born.
So anti-competitive protectionist policies led to state-bred restricted racing for a short time in mid-18th century Virginia. Looks like state-bred racing today creates the same inefficient movement of mares in foal as it did 250 years ago.
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