Horse racing is a contest of speed and stamina between horses, either ridden by jockeys or pulling sulkies driven by drivers. It has a long history and has been practiced in civilizations around the world for over 3,000 years. It has evolved from a primitive contest into an elaborate entertainment spectacle featuring massive fields of runners and sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment, but its essentials remain unchanged.
The sport has a storied past of doping and cheating. For example, in the 1800s, the Jockey Club pushed for an end to “the reprehensible practice of juicing,” but its concern was less about damage to horses than about unfairness to bettors and owners. The organization’s efforts were largely unsuccessful, however. Nevertheless, it did result in an improvement in racing conditions for both the animals and bettors.
In modern times, many horses are drugged with cocktails of legal and illegal substances designed to mask injuries and boost performance. The most common drugs are a powerful painkiller, an anti-inflammatory, and a diuretic. In addition, many horses are bled to artificially improve their endurance and to reduce the risk of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, or bleeding in the lungs, which can be fatal.
The horse racing industry has been plagued by a culture of corruption and doping since its early days, with stewards sometimes taking sides with trainers or owners, rather than enforcing the rules. In the United States, race-fixing was especially widespread, particularly in the era leading up to the Civil War, when six-year-olds contested King’s Plate races with 168 pounds of weight in four-mile heats, and the winner had to win two of them to be declared the champion.
Despite these problems, betting on horse races is still popular. In the United Kingdom, the most common bets are each-way and place. Each-way bets pay out if the horse finishes first, second or third after a deduction of a percentage by the track (Take Out). Place bets pay out if the horse comes in fourth or fifth, but not if it comes in sixth or seventh.
The term horse race is also used to describe other sports events, such as football games and cricket matches. It is also commonly used in political discussions, referring to the contest between a candidate and his or her opponent. For example, the current Republican primary campaign has been compared to a horse race by pundits, with Rubio and Cruz competing to see who can finish behind Trump at the Nevada caucuses tomorrow.