Horse race is a sporting event in which competing horses are ridden by jockeys to win a prize money known as a purse. The races are usually held on a racetrack and have three main types: win, place and show. The most common way to bet on horse race is to place a bet on first, second or third, while betting’show’ means that you are placing a bet on a horse to come in first, second or third.
The sport is popular all over the world. For example, the Palio di Siena in Italy, where a horse and rider represent one of the seventeen Contrade, or city wards, is a spectacular pageant that draws visitors from around the world. The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in the United States, which consists of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, is a major horse-racing tradition.
Like all sports, horse racing can lead to injuries and even death. The sport is plagued by a number of issues that contribute to the high mortality rate among horses, including the aging of horses, large breeding fees and purses, and drug use to mask injuries and enhance performance. Many horses, especially older ones, suffer from chronic illnesses such as laminitis and colic that can be deadly if left untreated.
Another major issue is the high level of violence that takes place on and off the racetrack. Trainers and jockeys often use whips, tongue-ties and spurs to control their mounts, but these devices can cause serious injury or long-term distress if used incorrectly. For instance, the jigger, a battery-powered device that delivers an electric shock, is illegal in most jurisdictions but continues to be used by some trainers and jockeys.
In addition, many horses are injured or killed during training or in the course of racing. The majority of these deaths are caused by falls or collisions. Other causes include bone injuries, ligament or tendon damage and stress. A significant number of the injured horses are euthanized on humane grounds, but some suffer from pain and discomfort for the rest of their lives, whether they are racehorses or not.
Despite the prevalence of injuries and fatalities, the industry continues to grow. Currently, more than seventy-four million thoroughbreds are registered with the Jockey Club, and more are born each year. The industry has no system in place to track the life of a racehorse once it exits the business, so there is no way to know what happens to most of them.
Researchers have examined the ways in which news media frame horse races, comparing newspapers owned by corporate chains to independent papers. They found that more corporate-owned papers framed elections as competitive games, particularly when the race was close. They also found that they tended to report polling data in terms of percentage likelihood rather than absolute numbers, a practice that can distort readers’ understanding of the results and skew the way people perceive candidates.