the colonists long be- fore Independence.
Regional differences soon became apparent. Opposition to horse rac-ing, primarily because it promoted gan~bling, was strong in Puritan- minded New England. The sport thrived in the South. Diomed, the first American racing steed to gain wide renown, was brought from Eng- land in 1798, and the American Turf Register, launched in Baltimore in 1829, was America's first sporting magazine.
In the splendidly illustrated 200 Years of Sport in America: A Pageant...