Horse racing is a sport where people bet on animals that are forced to sprint so quickly that they often break down and vomit. Behind the romanticized facade, however, is a world of illegal drug abuse, gruesome injuries, and slaughter.
The first documented horse race took place in England in 1651 as the result of a wager between two noblemen. The earliest races were winner-take-all events, but by the time Charles II (reigned 1660-1685) was on the throne, there were many different types of racing. Some were restricted to specific townships or counties, others were based on the age, sex, or birthplace of horses, while other rules were developed to promote fair play.
By the mid-18th century, racing had evolved into open events with prize money determined by the number of horses that entered each event. The rules were also standardized: horses were permitted to carry weights of up to 168 pounds in four-mile heats, and a race had to be won twice to be declared the champion.
To help increase the amount of money that could be placed on a single race, a system called pari-mutuel was introduced. This involves combining the money that customers put on each horse in one pool and calculating the odds based on the total interest of bettors. The winnings are then paid out to the bettors. The success of this betting system was largely responsible for the popularity of thoroughbred racing worldwide.
In the beginning, most of the race winners were bred by private owners, but as the industry expanded, more public ownership became common. In the nineteenth century, the number of horse races increased dramatically and the field sizes grew, too. To make up for this growth, race organizers established a series of elite events called Triple Crowns, consisting of the Belmont Stakes, Preakness Stakes, and Kentucky Derby. These races have become the most popular in the United States and are held annually at three of the most prestigious racetracks in the country.
As horse racing grew in popularity, more and more legal and illegal drugs were used to improve the performance of horses. Powerful painkillers, anti-inflammatories, blood doping, and growth hormones were all a part of horse racing, and the racing officials often didn’t have the testing capacity to detect them. Penalties for breaking the rules were often weak, and trainers who were banned from one race could simply move to another jurisdiction.
Today, horses that run in horse races are pushed beyond their physical limits and are forced to sprint—often under the threat of whips—at speeds that can cause them to vomit or even hemorrhage from their lungs. This is a sport where bettors wear fancy clothes and sip mint juleps while cheering for their favorite animal. In reality, horse racing is a cruel and dangerous sport that should be abolished. But, until then, people will continue to enjoy the spectacle of a million animals running for their lives.