In 1655 Cromwell banned horse racing for six months, fearing Royalist agents
On 24 February 1655 Cromwell banned horse racing for six months. This is generally put down to the Puritan course of the Lord Protector's government as a whole, though he himself feared that royalist agents were using race meetings as cover for their assemblies. But the ban remained in force for a very short time, since Cromwell himself was fond of the races.