Facts About Horse Racing

10 July 2021

By John Marchel

When we talk about racing and gambling, we mean horse and dog racing, (dog racing is a subject
for another article). Horse racing goes back thousands of years and is known as the "Sport of
Kings."

The Greeks turned horses into racing animals around 2500 BC. They began with chariots, and moved on to horse races with riders. But it wasn't until the 17th century that James I of England established a racetrack the type we are familiar with today.

He built stables at Newmarket and laid out a racecourse, including a special area for spectators. He set up prizes for owners and jockeys, and basically set the standards for horse racing as it is practiced currently.

There are basically three kinds of horse races that you can bet on: thoroughbred, steeple chasing,
and harness. Thoroughbred racing is popular in many countries around the world. There are
about 81 racetracks currently in the US, spread out over 34 states, plus Puerto Rico. You will
find plenty of thoroughbred and harness racing, but only a limited number of steeple-chasing
tracks in the US.

Although the environment surrounding horse racing is fun and exciting, the race itself is very
short. But everything that leads up to the actual running can be a long and very interesting
process. Hardcore horse bettors spend a lot of time analyzing the before part of a race.

• Bettors want to know what lines, or parentage. the horse came from.


• Details about the races the horse has run in the past.


• From what post position at the gate the horse will start.


• What jockey will be riding and what his record is.


• What time the race will be run.


• How the weather is; warm, hot, cool, rainy.


• Whether the track is "slow," "fast," or "muddy."


• Who is owner, trainer, and what are the odds for the race.


• Misc. information as needed.

This data is known collectively as handicapping. By definition handicapping is the technique of
collecting the most pertinent information about an upcoming race and using that information to
predict the outcome.

Horse racing is a game at which many players can and do make a living. It's difficult, but
remember it's a game of skill, not one of chance. Experience will give you the edge when it
comes to picking winners.

There are those who say that studying all these factors will only give you a hunch as to which horse might finish in the money. If all that studying leads only to a hunch, some argue, why not just bet based on the color the jockey is wearing or on the name of a horse? Regardless of how you choose to bet, though, betting on the horses can be fun – both before and during a race.

Note:

At 10 to 12 races a day, expert players might only bet on 2-3 races, after analyzing the data. The
7-10 other races will be too close to call or for other reasons they will be discarded.

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW

• The favorite, at horse racing tracks, wins fewer than 30 percent of the time.


• A thoroughbred horse might race in a half-dozen races in a year. A greyhound will average

65 races in a year.

• In 1666 by order of colonel Nicolls, the first English governor of New York, a permanent

oval horse track is laid out on the Salisbury Plains on Long Island, New York. This is the
beginning of the commercial racing establishment in North America.

• Champion Racehorse Secretariat was featured on the covers of “Time,” “Newsweek”, and

“Sports Illustrated” in the same week in 1973.

• During the reign of Augustus, (27 BC to 14 AD) Roman held 12 horse races every day. In

69AD, Emperor Vespasian raised the number to 100 a day.

• In 1938 Lonnie Grey was a parimutuel clerk at Santa Anita racetrack in California. Grey

punched the wrong number for five $10 tickets and was required to buy them himself when
the customer refused to take them. The horse he punched on the tickets won and he earned
$2,810.

• In February 2000 at a horse race track in Nagoya, Japan, the record for the biggest return on a

bet was $10,600 on a bet of only 82 cents. There was only one individual who made that
specific wager.

• North America Indians didn’t see horses until Columbus brought them on his second voyage

to the new world in 1495.

• The word “upset” has been applied many times to victories by underdogs in the sporting

world. The word itself originated from the horse race that Man O’ War lost, ending up
second to a decided underdog in 1919 during the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga Race track in
New York. The horse that beat him was named “Upset.”

• In the state of Nevada in 1938, saddled horses were banned from inside all casinos.