A horse race is a form of equestrian competition in which horses are guided by jockeys to a finish line. It is a sport that has been enjoyed for thousands of years. Some of the oldest records of horse races come from the ancient Greek Olympic Games in 700 to 40 B.C.
The sport of horse racing has become a national pastime for many people. The popularity of horse races has led to the development of a number of wagers, including exotic wagers. These wagers involve placing a bet on multiple winners of the same race. Often these bets require the selection of more than one horse, such as the popular trifecta and superfecta wagers. In addition to exotic wagers, horse races are also often featured on television, allowing more people to enjoy the sport.
In the days leading up to a major race in Siena, a gritty mixture of clay and dirt is packed onto the city’s golden cobblestones, creating a compact and level track for the horses and protecting the ancient tiles beneath. The area that hosts the race, the Piazza del Campo, is transformed beyond recognition. Where lively restaurants and cafés usually spill out over the square, bleachers are erected to accommodate thousands of fans. Barriers mark off the course.
Horses are injected with a drug called Lasix on race day. The medication, which is noted on the racing form with a boldface “L,” prevents pulmonary bleeding that occurs in some hard-running thoroughbreds and can be fatal. In the past, a number of illegal performance enhancers have been used on horses to improve their speed and stamina, including cocaine, heroin, strychnine, and caffeine.
Before a race begins, bettors look at a horse’s coat in the walking ring to see whether it is bright and rippling with the right amount of sweat and muscled excitement. When a horse is well prepared, it is expected to run a good race. In sprint races, horses must be fast and accelerate quickly. In longer races, known as routes in the United States and stays in Europe, the horses are tested for their stamina.
In America, organized racing began in 1664 when British troops laid out a 2-mile (3.2-km) course on Long Island and offered a silver cup to the winner of each spring and fall race. From the start, the hallmark of excellence for American Thoroughbreds was stamina rather than speed. Speed became more important after the Civil War.
A growing awareness of the cruelty inherent in the sport is helping to change the image of the sport. Some racing enthusiasts have begun to donate money and supplies to a number of organizations that help the animals. While these efforts are essential, they do not cancel out participation in the ongoing, deadly exploitation of younger running horses. Until the sport changes, the horses will continue to be drugged and whipped, trained and raced too young, and pushed to their limits of endurance and even beyond. A great many of them will not survive these conditions, and PETA estimates that ten thousand American thoroughbreds are slaughtered every year.
