Horse Racing

I

Introduction

Horse Racing, contest of speed between two or more horses, usually Thoroughbreds, which are driven or ridden over a special course. One of the oldest known sports, and still popular in most countries, horse racing is also one of the most highly organized and commercialized sports. It encompasses what is technically termed flat racing (with which this article is primarily concerned), harness racing, and steeplechasing.

Flat races are contests of speed between two or more saddle horses, generally Thoroughbreds, ridden by jockeys on specially built tracks over distances ranging from 440 yd (402 m) to 1 š mi (2.6 km). The sport is called flat racing to differentiate it from the steeplechase, which involves jumping over obstacles. To equalize the competition between horses of a given class, each animal is assigned a weight handicap based on such factors as its age, sex, and past record, and the jockey’s experience. Lead bars are carried in a pad under the saddle to make up the difference between the assigned weight and the jockey’s weight.

II

Thoroughbred Racehorses

All modern Thoroughbreds have as common ancestors one or more of three stallions, the Byerly Turk, the Darley Arabian, and the Godolphin Barb, which were imported into Great Britain from the Middle East and North Africa between 1689 and 1724. Mated with strong English mares, they produced offspring with both speed and endurance. Thoroughbreds that compete in organized racing are registered in the official national stud books, or pedigree registers, of their country of birth. The British stud book was begun in 1791. Stud records in the United States date from 1873.

When horses destined for racing careers are two years old, they begin training that includes accepting a rider’s weight and commands (see Horsemanship). Although many two-year-olds race, Thoroughbreds are usually in their prime between the ages of three and five, and horses up to ten years of age have competed successfully. Some races are for horses of one sex only, but most races are open to entries of either sex. A female horse is known as a filly until its fifth birthday and as a mare thereafter. A castrated male horse of any age is called a gelding. A male horse that has not been castrated is known as a colt until its fifth birthday, when it is thereafter referred to simply as a horse or a stallion, regardless of its age.

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Champion stallions are of great value to their owners, not only because of their race winnings but also because other horse owners and breeders pay substantial sums (called stud fees) for the privilege of mating their own brood mares with these stallions. The hope is that the offspring (called get) will become champions as well.

The purchase price of a Thoroughbred suitable for racing or breeding purposes ranges from several thousand to several million dollars. The earning power, however, of successful Thoroughbreds during and after their active racing careers is high. In 1996 a horse named Cigar broke Alysheba’s career-earnings record of almost $6.7 million and retired at the end of that year with just under $10 million in total winnings. Another leading money earner, John Henry, a gelding, raced through 1984 and retired at the age of nine with earnings of $6,597,947.

In the 1960s the buying of Thoroughbreds through syndicates became a widespread practice. Each member of such a syndicate buys an interest in a horse, usually between a one-quarter and one-tenth share but sometimes less. One of the highest prices paid for a Thoroughbred was about $60 million for 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, purchased by a syndicate of breeders at the end of his racing career.

III

Tracks

Unlike the courts or playing fields used in many other sports, racetracks are not uniform in construction or size. Major tracks in the United States, which number more than 100, are generally ovals ranging from 1 mi to 1y mi (1.6 to 2.4 km) in circumference, composed of an outer loam and sand racing strip. Most tracks also have parallel inner grass, or turf, courses. Tracks in the United Kingdom, which number about 70, are turf courses, generally irregular in shape. Horses on U.S. and Canadian tracks always race in a counterclockwise direction; in the United Kingdom and elsewhere some races are counterclockwise, others are clockwise.

Some tracks are famous as the sites of specific races. Especially well known are the three classic races for three-year-olds in the United States, known collectively as the Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky; the Preakness Stakes, at Pimlico, near Baltimore, Maryland; and the Belmont Stakes, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, near New York City. Only 11 horses have been Triple Crown winners, capturing all three races in a single year: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), and Affirmed (1978). Other noted races in North America include the eight Breeders’ Cup races, all with purses at or above $1 million, and all run on one day at a different racetrack each year; the Travers, run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York; the Jockey Club Gold Cup, at Belmont Park; and the Santa Anita Derby, at Santa Anita Park racetrack in Arcadia, California. The oldest continuously held race in North America is the Queen’s Plate, run at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Britain’s Triple Crown, also for three-year-olds, consists of the Epsom Derby, the Saint Leger Stakes, and the Two Thousand Guineas. Thoroughbred racing is a popular sport in Europe, especially in France (notably at Longchamps, outside Paris) and Italy. It is also popular in Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, United Arab Emirates, and the countries of South America.

IV

Types of Races

Most Thoroughbred races in the United States are held at distances ranging from • mi, or 6 furlongs (1.2 km), to 1y mi, or 9 furlongs (2.4 km). Races are classified as stakes, handicap, allowance, or claiming events. To equalize competition, two-year-old horses race only against each other, not against older horses, and many races are open only to three-year-olds. In addition, races limited to female horses are frequently held.

Stakes races usually involve horses of the same age and sex, all of which are initially assigned the same weight. Certain deductions may be made later—for example, three-year-olds are often allowed to carry less weight than older horses. Stakes races derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay. These fees, to which the track adds a purse, or contribution, constitute the total amount from which prize money is paid to the first, second, third, and (usually) fourth finishers.

Handicap races are events in which horses are assigned specific weights based upon their race records. The horse considered superior is assigned the highest weight, with the less-acclaimed horses receiving proportionately lighter handicaps.

Entries in allowance races are judged on their past performances; a track official called the racing secretary takes into account the number of races won and money earned. Horses of about the same ability are matched against one another.

Claiming races are devices to sell horses. The selling price of the entered horses (for example, between $5,000 and $6,000) is stipulated before the race, whereupon a buyer may make a claim for that amount. The buyer takes possession of the horse at the completion of the race, regardless of its performance. If two or more interested parties claim the same horse at the same price, lots are drawn to determine the winning offer. Knowledgeable owners and trainers may use claiming races to obtain, at bargain prices, horses whose former owners underestimated the potential of their animals.

Two other types of contests are match races and walkovers. A match race pits only two horses, almost always that season’s most successful racers, in a head-to-head duel. A walkover occurs when only one horse has not been scratched (withdrawn) from a race. Horses may be scratched up to several hours before post, or starting, time. In order to win the purse in a walkover, the remaining horse must simply run the distance. The last such “race” of importance involved Spectacular Bid in the Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park in 1980.