Horse Racing.

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 ?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. 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. V RACE PROCEDURES Most tracks offer nine or ten races per day, usually in the afternoon. Meetings, or consecutive days of racing at a track, continue for one month or longer in the United States. British meetings are usually only several days in length. Horse races follow a strictly organized procedure. Horses are saddled and jockeys mount in the paddock area in full view of the spectators. Often escorted by outriders and riders on lead ponies, the horses are positioned in individual stalls within the starting gate, located at the starting line. When the field, as the entrants are collectively called, is evenly aligned, the starter presses a button to open the stall gates. Strategy is an important part of racing, particularly in contests of a mile or longer. Those horses that possess "early speed" are sent to the lead as soon as the race begins, while jockeys on "come from behind" horses gallop more slowly at first to save energy for a stronger effort in the homestretch (the last section of the race). Whether the "speed" horses will maintain their early lead or yield to fast-closing competitors depends on the animals' quality and condition, and on other variables known as "racing luck"--which include such factors as whether the jockeys make the right moves at the right time. Races are scrutinized by the track stewards and recorded on videotape. In addition, photoelectric timers measure the leading horse's time at specific places around the track and at the finish line. Results are reported by times and also by margin of victory, expressed in lengths (one length is about eight and a half feet, or the length of a horse's body). The record for the fastest mile on a dirt course--1 minute 32?seconds--was set by the American horse Dr. Fager in 1968. VI JOCKEYS AND TRAINERS Most jockeys first learn to handle horses as exercise boys or girls, riding in morning workouts. Jockeys are usually about 5 ft (1.5 m) tall and weigh about 110 lb (about 50 kg). They begin their jockey careers as apprentices, receiving weight allowances until they have won a stipulated number of races. Jockeys wear distinctive colored and patterned shirts and caps, called silks, that identify their horse's owner. They may ride for a particular owner or accept whatever mounts trainers offer. Jockeys are paid a fee for each horse they ride as well as a percentage of the purses their mounts win. The most successful American jockeys of the 20th and early 21st centuries included Eddie Arcaro, Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Pat Day, and Russell Baze. Pincay retired in 2003 with 9,530 victories, a record for jockeys; Baze surpassed Pincay's record in 2006. Notable British jockeys include Sir Lester Keith Piggott and Dick Francis; the latter became a popular author of mystery stories with racetrack settings. Although women were not granted jockey licenses until the 1970s, the Americans Robyn Smith and Julie Krone achieved considerable recognition. Trainers prepare horses for races and maintain the animals' condition over the course of their racing careers. Trainers also select which races their horses will enter, taking into account such factors as the race's distance and the quality of the competition. Like jockeys, trainers may be under contract to a particular owner or they may supervise horses belonging to several owners. Also like riders, they receive a percentage of purses earned. VII OFFICIALS Racing is a very carefully supervised sport. The parent body of British racing is the Jockey Club of Great Britain. In the United States, the Jockey Club (which, through its office in Lexington, Kentucky, handles the registration of all North American Thoroughbreds), the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, and the Racing Commissioners International are important racing bodies. In addition to Jockey Club registration procedures, racetrack officials identify each horse before every race and conduct tests to detect the presence of medication or drugs that might affect the race's outcome. Videotape records the race's progress, while a high-speed camera at the finish line determines close outcomes. Stewards representing the Jockey Club and the state racing commissions can disqualify horses and penalize jockeys for such infractions as interference and dangerous riding. VIII BETTING Betting is an important element in the popularity of horse racing. At different times in history four main types of betting have been popular: simple betting between individuals; sweepstakes betting, in which large entry fees, or stakes, are pooled and awarded to the winners; bookmaking, in which speculators offer odds against each horse and accept bets against their predictions; and pari-mutuel betting, which is the most widespread system and that used at the major American tracks. The designation pari-mutuel is a French phrase translated as "betting among ourselves." Under the pari-mutuel system, which was developed in France during the 1860s, the betting odds on a given horse are derived from a comparison between the total amount wagered on the horse and the total wagered on all the horses in the race. The odds are automatically computed by a device called a totalizator, which posts them on a lighted tote board clearly visible to spectators. Odds are recomputed at approximately one-minute intervals until post time, when all bets must be placed and the pari-mutuel machines are locked. Winning tickets are cashed after the race's results have been declared official, by which time computers have determined the payoffs. Pari-mutuel bettors can wager that a horse will win (finish first), place (finish first or second), or show (finish first, second, or third). In the event that two or more horses are entered by the same owner or trainer, they are coupled in the wagering as an entry. In this situation a bet on one of these horses is a bet on all of them. In some races with many competitors, horses with less chance of winning are sometimes grouped into single betting interests known as fields. Combination wagering involves more than one horse. Such combinations include the daily double, in which the bettor must predict the winners of two consecutive races (usually the first two of the day), purchasing the ticket in advance of both. A variation of the daily double is the pick-6 (or pick-3), in which bettors must select the winners of 6 (or 3) consecutive races. To win a quinella, the bettor must predict the first two finishers in a single race without regard to the order in which they finish. To win an exacta (also called perfecta), the bettor must specify the exact order in which the first two horses in a race will finish. Such involved wagering almost always yields higher payoffs than straight win-place-show betting. Off-track betting (OTB) is growing in popularity throughout the United States. OTB facilities offer an alternative to wagering at racetracks. As with betting done at tracks, states receive a portion of the pari-mutuel handle, or take. Off-track wagering has long been legal in the United Kingdom through private bookmaker shops. Simulcasting, in which live races are televised at various racetracks around the country via satellite, is becoming very important in U.S. racing. It allows bettors to wager on stakes-quality horses, since simulcasts generally are reserved for the best races available. At many U.S. racetracks, whole cards of races from other locations are simulcast, both when the racetrack is also running live racing and when there is no live racing scheduled. Some tracks simulcast the races from up to eight different racetracks at the same time. Beginning in the 1970s, off-track betting and simulcasting became increasingly prevalent in the United States. By 1993 wagering via simulcasting accounted for more than 40 percent of all wagering conducted at racetracks in the United States. IX HISTORY The history of racing on mounted horses dates from the first millennium BC. Previously, no breed of horse hardy enough to carry human riders for significant distances had been developed, although horse-drawn chariots were in common use. The first known formal, mounted horse races took place in ancient Greece. In ancient Rome, horse races occasionally were held, although chariot races were much more frequent. After the fall of Rome in the 5th century AD, horse breeding and racing declined in the West. In the 6th century horseback riding was introduced throughout the Middle East by Muslim missionaries, who traveled on horseback as they sought converts. When the Arabs conquered Spain in the 8th century, they rode strong, swift horses of a breed previously unknown in Europe; these horses were also used to pull vehicles. The fame of the Arabian steeds spread throughout Europe in subsequent centuries. In 1110, Henry I, king of England, imported an Arabian stallion from Spain. The stallion and other Arabian horses were later mated with strong but slow English mares to breed swift, hardy horses suitable for warfare. Informal races between purebred mounts over straight 4-mi (6.4 km) courses became popular. In 1174, Smithfield Track, the first public racecourse built since Roman times, was constructed in London. Saddle racing subsequently became a featured sport at most English fairs, and it continues to be a favorite pastime of English royalty and nobility. Horse racing is still popularly referred to as "the sport of kings." King Charles II, who patronized racing at Newmarket in the mid-1600s, was known as "the father of the British turf." X RACING IN THE UNITED STATES In 1665 the first racetrack in North America was built on Long Island. About 1730, a descendant of the Darley Arabian (see above) arrived in the colony of Virginia. Subsequently, scores of purebred British mares and stallions were imported to the American colonies, and raced and bred, primarily in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas. Interest in horse racing continued unabated in the 19th century, and in 1894 the Jockey Club, an American organization modeled on the British Jockey Club, was incorporated in New York City. The club was formed to encourage the breeding of Thoroughbred horses and the maintenance of high ethical standards in horse racing. Although it did not wield authority comparable to that of the British club, the American Jockey Club exerted a strong, constructive influence on racing and breeding standards throughout the United States. It drew up a code that became the basis of American racing procedure and conduct; it took over the American Stud Book in 1896; and it subsequently maintained the bureau of registry for all American Thoroughbreds. During the 20th century the popularity of horse racing increased in most parts of the world. In the United States in the years before World War I (1914-1918), a wave of reformist sentiment caused authorities to outlaw bookmaking in many states, resulting in the closure of all but 25 of the nation's more than 300 tracks. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, however, most of the same states legalized pari-mutuel betting, partly because large revenues were easily obtainable through state taxes on the system. Most states with legal pari-mutuel systems also assumed control of local racing activity by creating racing commissions. The existence of these commissions slowly diminished the influence of the Jockey Club. The American racing scene was dominated in 1919 and 1920 by the sensational performance of the American colt Man o' War. He set several American track records, won by as much as 100 lengths, and lost only once in 21 starts (races). Man o' War was retired to stud in 1920 after amassing $249,465 in winnings. Other outstanding Thoroughbreds of the 20th century include Seabiscuit, Count Fleet, Whirlaway, Citation, Bold Ruler, Native Dancer, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, and Cigar. Notable fillies include Regret, Ruffian, Genuine Risk, and Lady's Secret. During the 1930s winter racing, particularly in Florida and California, emerged as a major industry, and horse racing became a year-round activity in the United States. The industry continued to expand during the 1930s and 1940s, creating a need for a centralized national authority. In March 1942 the Thoroughbred Racing Associations was founded in Chicago; its headquarters is now in Elkton, Maryland. The organization's code of standards is aimed at encouraging a high level of ethics in racing. XI QUARTER-HORSE AND OTHER RACES Especially popular in the southwestern United States, quarter-horse racing takes place at tracks, county fairs, and rodeos. As the name implies, quarter horses compete at distances of generally ?mi, or 440 yd (0.4 km), in sprints that last approximately 20 seconds. The most lucrative of these is the All-American Futurity, held each year in September at Ruidoso Downs in Ruidoso, New Mexico. The Futurity is worth more than $2 million, the total purse distributed among top-place finishers in the preliminary heats and final competition. Racing involving Arabian and Appaloosa horses is held primarily in the western United States. Reviewed By: Laura Hillenbrand Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.