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The attempt to create a superior breed of horses for racing began in England
after the Stuart Restoration of 1660. King Charles II was instrumental in the
design and creation of the Thoroughbred. The aim was to develop a horse that
would combine size, speed, and type, and would continue to breed true to that
type.
For foundation stock, the English looked to the Arabian peninsula, the source of
the Oriental horse, considered to be the most genetically pure breed in the
world. In the hundred years between 1660 and 1760, approximately 200 such horses
were imported to England. Half of them were unquestionably Arabian horses. The
others were half-Arabians and breeds closely related to Arabians: Barbs and
Turks from North Africa. These were the foundations for the Thoroughbred.
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