Horse races are a fascinating sport that has evolved from a primitive contest of speed and endurance into a spectacle involving large fields of runners, sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment, and enormous sums of money. But the basic idea remains the same: The first horse to cross the finish line is the winner. As the popularity of horse racing grew, rules for the sport developed and diversified, reflecting social and political issues of the day. Some races were based on sectional differences, pitting horses from the North against those from the South. Others were influenced by the needs of the military, with cavalrymen needing fast horses. During the Civil War, Union officials encouraged breeding of Thoroughbreds and began importing English bloodstock.
In the earliest days of horse racing, match races were run between two or at most three horses. Each owner provided the purse and made a wager with another owner. A stewards’ agreement or “match book” recorded the agreements. These records, which became consolidated into a single volume known as the Racing Calendar, were kept by third parties called keepers of the match books. One such keeper at Newmarket, England, published An Historical List of All Matches Run (1729).
During the 1700s, as the public demand for racing increased, the number of matches expanded, and eligibility rules were established to determine who could compete in a race. These rules included the age, sex, and birthplace of a horse and its riders, and the horses’ previous performance in similar events. In addition, match races were established in which the owners were the riders (gentlemen riders) or a monopoly on the field was held by a local club.
The rules of a horse race vary by country and are enforced by the governing body. In most cases, a horse must start from a starting stall or from a gate (although flag starts are permitted in extraordinary or emergency circumstances). The rider is required to control the animal and keep it moving forward until it crosses the finish line. In the event of a tie, a photo finish is used, in which a photograph of the finishing line is examined by stewards to determine who won.
The sport of horse racing is a dangerous affair for both the horses and the jockeys, who are known as riders. While the sport is romanticized in a world of fancy suits and mint juleps, behind the facade lies a gruesome world of drug abuse, whipped horses, broken bones, and even death. The animal-rights group Animal Welfare Institute estimates that ten thousand thoroughbreds are slaughtered each year for the sport of racing. The decline in horse race attendance has been a concern for the industry, but it has not deterred investors from putting their money into the industry. Nonetheless, the sport’s survival is uncertain. Its future will depend largely on the willingness of Congress to regulate it in light of recent fatal accidents, such as the 30 deaths at Santa Anita in 2022.