Horse racing is a spectator sport in which horses are raced for prize money over a set distance. A jockey, or rider, is mounted on a horse to guide it through the course and over any obstacles, such as jumps. The winner receives the largest share of prize money. Other places get smaller prizes, or none at all. In addition, there are a variety of other rules and regulations that must be followed. For example, participants must obey stewards’ instructions and leap over every hoop (if present) without knocking it down. In the event of a disqualification, the rider must be stripped of his or her riding rights and may face other penalties.
The most famous race is the Triple Crown, in which a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes within a few weeks of each other. Other major races include the Dubai World Cup, the Hong Kong International Racecourse, and the Melbourne Cup. The sport’s earliest roots are obscure, but it developed sometime before 1000 B.C.E.
A horse’s ability to perform during a race is based on many factors, including its age, training, and past performances. A horse’s performance can also be influenced by the number of other competitors, which are called rivals. A rival’s speed, acceleration, and stamina are all factors that can affect a horse’s chance of winning a race.
There are essentially three types of people in the horse racing industry: crooks who dangerously drug or otherwise abuse their horses; dupes who labor under the fantasy that the sport is broadly fair and honest; and honorable souls who know the truth but don’t do all they can to fix it. Donations by industry folks and gamblers are essential on behalf of the horses, but they do not cancel out participation in ongoing, often deadly exploitation of younger running horses who will one day rely on those donations to survive.
If the horse racing industry really wants to help its equine citizens, it must begin by acknowledging reality. Then it must commit to a transformation of its business model that puts the best interests of the animals at its heart.
When journalists report on elections primarily in terms of who’s winning or losing – what’s known as horse race coverage – voters, candidates, and the news industry itself suffer, research suggests. When the focus is on policy issues, however, it’s more likely that voters will find a candidate more suited to their own values and more capable of solving the problems they see as most pressing. This collection of research is designed to illuminate the ways that horse-race coverage hurts democracy and our country’s future.
