American And British History Of Horse Racing

The very first human that saw horses racing across the plain probably decided which one would get there first and made a mental bet on it. Horse racing is an ancient sport and can be traced to Central Asia in 4500 BC with those that first started to ride and domesticate the wild horses in the area. Kings and upper class were the first to race their own horses and make wagers on who would win. The first Olympics in Greece had several horse racing events from mounted horses to chariot races. This was the very beginning of the history of horse racing.

Racing as it is today began after the knights brought the Arabian Horse back with them from the crusades during the twelfth century. These horses were nothing like the old work horses they had before and they were fast and graceful. Stallions of Arabian linage where brought over to breed with English horses and would breed a horse with speed and have the endurance of a work horse. Nobles would bet wagers on which horse would win and thus began modern horse racing.

Races prior to 1752 were undocumented and the first to be recorded was a race in County Cork in Ireland starting from Buttevant Church to St. Marys Church in Doneraile. The raced from steeple to steeple coining the word steeple chase as a form of racing. The best known steeplechases are the Grand National in Liverpool that began in 1839 and the Irish Grand National in County Meath always during Easter weekend.

Professional horse racing began in the nineteenth century. Owners started to train their horses in hopes of making them run faster and smoother. If you won a race you received money from the bets made on the horse. Owners who trained their horse made more money than those that did not train and those well paid owners met in Newmarket to form the Jockey Club in 1750. This club controlled all functions of horse racing in Britain and still does today.

The Jockey Club was instrumental in writing down all the rules to which racing adheres to today. It took into consideration the type of tracks horses could race on. It sanctioned five races for three year old horses, three for male and female horses all of which is the English Triple Crown. They also were instrumental in breeding horses for racing purposes. They began to write down the pedigree of all horses born and organized breeding practices.

Pedigreed horses are also called Thoroughbreds can have its lineage traced back to one of 3 Arabian stallions who are called the foundation sires. Thoroughbred racing came over to America on Long Island in 1665. Racing practices were not organized until well after the Civil war when it was considered to be a sport and wagering started to get out of hand. In 1890 over 300 tracks were being run in the United States.

Because there was no real governing authority in America most tracks were run by unscrupulous characters and something had to be done about that. The American Jockey Club was formed in 1894 in order to curb criminal activity in many horse tracks. The damage was already done and unlike horse racing and wagering in England where it was acceptable and done with grace and dignity, American racing and a connotation of being corrupt. Racing in the US was nearly banished by 1900 because of it.

During this era of corrupt activity in American tracks the 1908 Kentucky Derby introduced pari-mutuel wagering. This type of wagering was legalized and it began to turn the tide for American horse racing. Tracks soon began to open under the new rules and regulations and grew from the 35 tracks that were still in operation. By the nineteen seventies racing once again began to be a decent sporting activity.

Today there is a variety of horse racing types all over the world. Steeplechases are still run in both Britain and America. Harness racing, that originated in America, has several tracks dedicated to just that style or racing. Thoroughbred racing on a flat track that runs from three fourths of a mile to about two miles is what is most common in both countries. All horse racing is governed under an authority that makes everything legal from the horses that are racing to the betting and wagering on the horses.

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