A horse race is a contest of speed and stamina in which one or more horses attempt to get across an artificially constructed finish line first. The sport is steeped in tradition and continues to captivate spectators around the world, who thrill to witness a fusion of strategy, athleticism, and high stakes. From prestigious international races to crowded local events, horse racing offers an array of betting options and wagering types for fans of all skill levels.
The earliest horse races were simple affairs in which nobility wagered privately on matches between swift Arab horses and English mares bred for speed and endurance. In the 12th century, European knights returning from the Crusades brought back swift Arabian stallions to breed with their English mares. This resulted in the development of a new breed of horse with both speed and endurance, and it was these horses that became the basis for modern thoroughbred racing.
As the sport developed from a diversion for the leisure class into a global public entertainment business, more elaborate rules were established to regulate the sport. Runners were required to meet conditions such as age, sex, birthplace and previous performances. The sport was also standardized to create open events in which all eligible runners competed against each other. The most prestigious of these were the five Classics, or championship races for three-year-olds: the 2,000 Guineas, the 1,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the Derby in Britain, and the Preakness Stakes and St Leger in most European countries.
A jockey is the person on a horse that controls its movements and helps it to carry its weight while racing. The job is a difficult and dangerous one that requires training, fitness, and physical strength. Jockeys are usually professional and earn a substantial salary. In some races, amateurs are allowed to ride alongside professionals.
In a parimutuel system of wagering, winning bettors receive all the money placed on a winner (minus a percentage of the total amount wagered by track management), while losing bettors lose their original bet plus any additional money they had added to their initial investment. The money wagered on a single winner is known as the carryover.
During the early days of horse racing, many horses ran on fields in rural settings, over gravel and dirt rather than today’s manicured park tracks. Some of these horses were hand timed, while others were run on electric timing equipment. When the timers were not reliable, it was necessary to rate the horses by comparing their times in several different runs. Man of War was rated ahead of such legendary horses as Secretariat, Citation and Seattle Slew, although those who graded him had never seen them race.
A jockey’s whip is a long, flexible piece of metal with a curved end that extends over the front of a horse’s head and can be used to control their speed. A jockey can also use it to apply pressure to a horse’s heels to encourage him or her to slow down.