The Basics of Horse Racing
Horse racing is a popular sport in which horses compete to win by jumping over obstacles. The sport is rooted in ancient contests over natural terrain, and the Greek author Xenophon referred to jump races with church steeples as early as the 5th century BCE. While modern Thoroughbreds are bred for speed, the sport’s roots are in endurance, which is exemplified by the grueling steeplechase race—arguably the most arduous of all horse races, and certainly the most dangerous. A jockey is a human who rides a racehorse and directs it through the course of a race by using his whip. The sport is immensely popular, and in the United States in 1823 a match between two rival racehorses roused more interest than a presidential election did that year.
The sport is regulated by various national horseracing organizations, and rules differ slightly from country to country. However, most rulebooks are based on those of the British Horseracing Authority.
Wagering on horse races dates back to the earliest days of the sport, with early bets made on the winners (win, place, or show). In modern times, betting is managed on a pari-mutuel basis—an industry-wide system in which all bettors share equally in the pool’s winnings, minus a statutory percentage for track management. The bets can be placed on individual horses or on a group of horses (a multi-bet), and the betting public’s share in winnings is calculated according to the odds on each horse.
In addition to the high-profile betting races, there are hundreds of lesser known but important events throughout the world that involve Thoroughbreds. These include stakes races, handicaps, and other special categories such as turf, sprint, and jump races.
There is growing awareness of the dark side of horse racing, which includes abusive training practices for young horses, drug abuse, and gruesome breakdowns. Furthermore, the majority of racehorses that are not successful in the sport are discarded to pastures or sent to slaughterhouses where they end up as glue and dog food.
In order to run in a horse race, a horse must have a pedigree that meets certain criteria. For example, in Flat races (those not over hurdles), a horse must have a sire and dam that are purebred individuals of the same breed. In steeplechases, a horse must be a purebred and a member of the breed’s recognized stud book. In both types of races, the horse must also meet a minimum age requirement, which is usually set at three years old. A few major races, such as the Derby and Preakness Stakes in the United States, and the Gold Cup at Cheltenham over jumps in England, allow two-year-olds to compete. However, escalating purses and breeding fees have led to fewer races with horses younger than three. In many cases, these young horses are not ready to compete at that stage and are often injured or killed during their early careers. This has led to a growing demand for reform in the industry, and a number of countries are now adopting protocol to catalog equine injuries and deaths.
Horse racing is a popular sport in which horses compete to win by jumping over obstacles. The sport is rooted in ancient contests over natural terrain, and the Greek author Xenophon referred to jump races with church steeples as early as the 5th century BCE. While modern Thoroughbreds are bred for speed, the sport’s roots are in endurance, which is exemplified by the grueling steeplechase race—arguably the most arduous of all horse races, and certainly the most dangerous. A jockey is a human who rides a racehorse and directs it through the course of a race by using his whip. The sport is immensely popular, and in the United States in 1823 a match between two rival racehorses roused more interest than a presidential election did that year. The sport is regulated by various national horseracing organizations, and rules differ slightly from country to country. However, most rulebooks are based on those of the British Horseracing Authority. Wagering on horse races dates back to the earliest days of the sport, with early bets made on the winners (win, place, or show). In modern times, betting is managed on a pari-mutuel basis—an industry-wide system in which all bettors share equally in the pool’s winnings, minus a statutory percentage for track management. The bets can be placed on individual horses or on a group of horses (a multi-bet), and the betting public’s share in winnings is calculated according to the odds on each horse. In addition to the high-profile betting races, there are hundreds of lesser known but important events throughout the world that involve Thoroughbreds. These include stakes races, handicaps, and other special categories such as turf, sprint, and jump races. There is growing awareness of the dark side of horse racing, which includes abusive training practices for young horses, drug abuse, and gruesome breakdowns. Furthermore, the majority of racehorses that are not successful in the sport are discarded to pastures or sent to slaughterhouses where they end up as glue and dog food. In order to run in a horse race, a horse must have a pedigree that meets certain criteria. For example, in Flat races (those not over hurdles), a horse must have a sire and dam that are purebred individuals of the same breed. In steeplechases, a horse must be a purebred and a member of the breed’s recognized stud book. In both types of races, the horse must also meet a minimum age requirement, which is usually set at three years old. A few major races, such as the Derby and Preakness Stakes in the United States, and the Gold Cup at Cheltenham over jumps in England, allow two-year-olds to compete. However, escalating purses and breeding fees have led to fewer races with horses younger than three. In many cases, these young horses are not ready to compete at that stage and are often injured or killed during their early careers. This has led to a growing demand for reform in the industry, and a number of countries are now adopting protocol to catalog equine injuries and deaths.