A horse race is a sport in which a human controls a horse on a leash and leads it around a course. It is the most popular form of racing in the United States and in many other countries, and it has a long history. The first recorded horse race took place in Ireland in 1752, when Cornelius O’Callaghan challenged Edmund Blake to a race for the prize of a hogshead of wine.
The sport is based on the premise that horses are prey animals who enjoy competition. The jockey, who is attached to the horse with a bit and saddle, must coax the animal to stretch forward and run faster than the other competing horses. A jockey who has the most skill and judgment will win.
In addition to physical exertion, horse races require extensive training and medical care. A jockey’s job involves constant contact with the animal and must be handled carefully, as even a minor scuffle can cause serious injury or death. As a result, jockeys are subject to frequent and repetitive injuries, including back injuries, leg injuries, and twisted knees and ankles.
Another significant threat to the industry is the growing awareness of racing’s dark side. As the public becomes more aware of the industry’s abusive training and drug use, the number of horses euthanized after breaking down or getting injured is decreasing, as are entries and betting revenue. In 2011, a study found that the sport was losing money and fans due to declining interest in the game.
To counteract this trend, the industry has begun improving conditions for the horses, though there is much more to be done. Despite this progress, PETA’s investigation of the breeding and racing industry shows that horses continue to be drugged and abused, pushed to their limits and beyond, and often killed. Patrick Battuello, who runs the advocacy group Horseracing Wrongs, says that a large number of American thoroughbreds end up in foreign slaughterhouses each year.
As the game evolved, so did its terminology. Here are some of the most commonly used terms:
a bet on a horse to win. Also called an overlay. Overlays are good if the odds on the winning horse are higher than expected; underlays are bad.
b bet on a horse to finish in the top three places. The top two winners earn money, but the third place finisher receives a lesser amount, known as the pay-off. The place payouts vary depending on the number of runners in a race.
c bet on a horse to win or finish second in the race. d bet on a horse to win or place and be a mutuel. e bet on a horse to win or come in first or second in a race with at least seven runners and pay-out the winnings, after a deduction of a percentage by the track. Also called a parimutuel and sometimes abbreviated as a pick 3 or a multi-race wager.
