a contest of speed between horses that are ridden by jockeys or pull sulkies driven by drivers. Horse races have been held since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but organized racing in America began when British colonists in New Amsterdam laid out a 2-mile course and offered prizes for the winners. Initially, the goal was stamina, but speed quickly became the preferred attribute of a champion racehorse.
Today’s equine athletes are trained using techniques that have been developed over centuries, and their performances are analyzed by computer algorithms to determine which are the fastest. The finalists are then paired with a jockey or driver who will try to coax the maximum speed from them. The winner is the one who comes closest to a predetermined target, called a handicapped time. A close finish is often decided by fractions of a second, so the precise skill and judgment of the rider is crucial.
A horse’s pedigree is a key determinant of its eligibility to run in a race. To be eligible for most flat horse races, a thoroughbred’s sire and dam must both be pure individuals of the breed in which they are racing. In most cases, the horses must also be of the appropriate age and sex to compete in each race.
In addition, many races are structured to allow horses of similar abilities to compete against each other, a process known as class relief. This is designed to ensure a level playing field and is accomplished by imposing a specific amount of weight that must be carried by each runner for the race to be fair. In order to qualify for a particular race, horses must run in certain “conditions” races first.
Most horse races are grouped into categories based on their level of difficulty, distance, sex and season. The most difficult and lucrative races are the top-level stakes, where a horse can win tens of thousands of dollars. To qualify for a stakes race, a horse must have won a designated number of races at a lower level in the previous year.
If a horse is not successful in a higher-level race, it can be entered in a “claiming” race, which offers an opportunity to earn a profit by running against more talented rivals. But the claiming system is not foolproof and some horses in a race are “claimed” away, leaving them without any chance of competing for a prize.
Increasing awareness of horse racing’s darker side is helping to drive improvements in the sport, including safer breeding practices, mandatory necropsies after each death on the track and efforts to limit drug use. However, the exploitation of younger horses must cease. These animals are desperately begging for an alternative to their lives on the racetrack, and unless there is a change in industry culture and a justice system that recognizes that animals have basic rights, they will continue to hemorrhage into the slaughter pipeline. The deaths of Eight Belles, Medina Spirit and Keepthename are a reminder of that.
