On coming into office with Lord North, in 1783, Mr Fox sold his
horses, and erased his name from several of the clubs of which he
was a member. It was not long, however, before he again
purchased a stud, and in October he attended the Newmarket
meeting. The king's messenger was obliged to appear on the
course, to seek one of the ministers of England among the
sportsmen on the heath, in order to deliver despatches upon which
perhaps the fate of the country might have depended. The
messenger on these occasions had his badge of office, the
greyhound, not liking that the world should know that the king's
adviser was amusing himself at Newmarket, when he should have
been serving him in the metropolis. But Charles Fox preferred
the betting rooms to Downing Street.

Again, in the year 1790, his horse Seagull won the Oatlands
stakes at Ascot, of 100 guineas (19 subscribers), beating the
Prince of Wales's Escape, Serpent, and several of the very best
horses of that year--to the great mortification of His Royal
Highness, who immediately matched Magpie against him, to run four
days afterwards, two miles, for 500 guineas. This match, on
which immense sums were depending, was won with ease by Seagull.
At this period Lord Foley and Mr Fox were confederates. In those
days the plates averaged from L50 to L100.

Lord Foley, who died in 1793, entered upon the turf with a clear
estate of L1800 a year, and L100,000 ready money, which was
considerably diminished by his losses at Newmarket, Ascot, and
Epsom.