What is a Horse Race?
A horse race is a competition in which horses, usually ridden by jockeys, compete for a prize awarded to the winner. There are many types of horse races, including standardbred racing and thoroughbred racing. The most famous are the Triple Crown races, a series of three elite races held in the United States and Canada: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. These races are considered the most prestigious in horse racing and have attracted countless celebrities over the years.
The sport is often associated with gambling, and horse races have long been the largest legal gaming monopoly in most of the United States. Today, however, the industry is in decline. A recent report found that horse races are losing fans, revenue, and race days. In addition, new would-be fans are turned off by scandals related to safety and drug use.
Until the Civil War, American Thoroughbreds were bred for stamina rather than speed. In the 1820s, Union Course on Long Island promoted North-South races that pitted Northern champions Eclipse and Sir Henry against Southern runners like McKinzie. This helped fuel the popularity of crossbreeding, in which a purebred horse has some foreign blood.
Modern horse racing is a dangerous sport. Its pounding, oval tracks give horses’ lower legs an intense workout that strains ligaments and tendons. In addition, horses are often whipped to keep them from slowing down or stopping, and some are even run while tied to a rail. Many horses have died from these injuries. Consequently, racehorses are injected with cocktails of legal and illegal drugs that mask injuries and enhance performance.
While running fast, many horses bleed from their lungs. This condition is called exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, or EIPH, and it’s a major cause of racehorse deaths. To prevent the bleeding, horses are injected with Lasix on race day. The drug’s diuretic function causes them to unload epic amounts of urine.
A horse finishing in third place in a horse race is sometimes referred to as a show finish. This is an indication of a good effort even though the horse did not win the race. In politics, a candidate who does not win but comes close is sometimes referred to as making a strong showing.
In the US, the most famous horse race is the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and the American Championship (known as the Triple Crown). Other famous races include the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France, the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup in Australia, and the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini in Argentina. In addition, many countries have their own versions of these elite events. The King’s Plate in England, for example, began in 1751 and standardized the rules of elite races, which now feature six-year-olds competing against each other over four-mile heats. Each of these races awards a silver cup to the winner.