A horse race is an event in which a group of horses are ridden and driven by jockeys. The races are contested by members of the public who place bets on the outcome of the race. The race is usually held at a thoroughbred racetrack, where spectators watch the event. The winner of the race receives a large amount of money. The sport of horse racing is a popular activity for people of all ages, and is also a source of entertainment.
Horse races are run by the Thoroughbred breed of horse, whose bloodlines trace back to early English stock. These horses are large, mature and powerful. They are bred and trained to run fast and to jump fences. They must have both speed and stamina to be competitive in horse races. They are normally trained and ridden by professional jockeys, who must be skilled at controlling their mounts.
The sport is often criticized for the cruelty to its horses. The horses are forced to sprint—often under the threat of whips or illegal electric shock devices—at speeds that, in nature, would kill them. Many of these horses suffer injuries such as bruising and a deadly form of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, in which the blood vessels in their lungs are damaged by high-intensity exertion. Many horses are injected with cocktails of legal and illegal drugs intended to mask their injuries and enhance their performance.
Despite these problems, horse races remain popular among the general public. In the United States, the Kentucky Derby is one of the most famous horse races in the world. It is held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May. The Preakness Stakes is another important American horse race.
Some experts have compared the current presidential election to a horse race, noting that the precision needed for a close result makes it a much more difficult undertaking than previous elections. They also note that polls have become increasingly expensive and that news organizations are spending more time in key swing states.
Although the term is used mostly in the United States, horse races are held in many other countries around the world. They are a significant part of the culture in countries such as Ireland and England, where they are called steeplechases. The steeplechase is a long-distance obstacle course that includes hurdles and fences over which the horses must jump. The earliest horse races were chariot and bareback (mounted) horse races. These types of races were popular in the ancient world, with full descriptions of chariot and bareback horse races appearing in Homer’s Iliad, which dates to the 9th or 8th century bc. Mounted horse races were part of the Olympic Games in Greece from 740 to 700 bc.
Horse race jargon includes terms such as “point(s) of call,” which refer to points on the track at measured distances from the finish line that designate a horse’s running position, and “polls,” which are markers placed in the ground to mark various distances from the finish line. A horse’s position at each of the poles is noted in a race’s chart.