Horse races have been a mainstay of human culture for thousands of years, with the earliest records dating back to ancient civilizations. The sport is not only a test of speed, but also the skill and strategy of the rider.
The sport is a multi-billion dollar industry, and the stakes are high. The winner of the Kentucky Derby or the Dubai World Cup wins millions of dollars in prize money. The runner-up, however, receives a fraction of the winnings.
In reality, the sport is much more grim than the romanticized images of racehorses prancing around the track, gleaming in their shiny outfits as they are whipped by their jockeys to breakneck speeds. Behind the scenes, horses endure injuries, drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns and slaughter. They are forced to sprint in close quarters, often resulting in broken bones, severed spines and pulmonary hemorrhage (bleeding out of the lungs). In nature, horses understand self-preservation, but they are not taught this at the track.
Most of the horses who run in horse races cost less than a decent used car, and most purses are jacked up with taxpayer subsidies in the form of casino cash that allow many tracks to pay first through last. This creates an incentive for owners to enter horses who are not ready to race, and a horseman has an incentive to push his horse past its limits. This is especially true in claiming races, where the horse may be worth only a fraction of what it has earned.
When a horse is unable to perform at its best, it can suffer from a range of ailments including laminitis, an inflammation of the hoof, and colic, which is a painful stomach condition characterized by bloating and diarrhea. The injuries that result from these maladies are not only expensive to care for, but can lead to death.
Despite its illustrious history, horse racing is a dangerous sport, with some estimates suggesting that as many as 100 horses die each day from racing-related causes. In addition to physical injuries, the industry is plagued with a variety of illegal practices including the use of whips that can be incredibly dangerous to horses.
Although many fans, especially casual visitors to the track, cheer a particular horse by its name, bettors in general tend to root for a number. For example, Seabiscuit was so popular that bettors would shout out its number as it rounded the final turn before the finish line, “Seabiscuit, three!” This tradition continues today at many tracks, though most bettors still cheer by the horse’s name or color, and not by its number. For more information about betting, see the article Bet on a Horse.