A horse race is a contest in which participants compete to win by racing horses. It is one of the oldest organized sports in the world, with a rich history and cultural significance. It has also been an economic boon, creating jobs and generating betting revenues. It is also a popular spectator sport, with fans who watch and bet on the outcomes of races. There are many different kinds of horse race, ranging from local to international. The most common type of horse race is a flat race, in which horses are asked to run on level ground at an even pace. Some races, especially those with a longer distance, are conducted over jumps.
There are three types of people in horse racing. The first, the crooks, dangerously drug or otherwise abuse their horses, and countenance such conduct by their agents, daring anyone to catch them. The second, the dupes, labor under the illusion that the industry is broadly fair and honest. And then there are the masses in the middle, honorable souls who know that it is a crooked business and don’t do all they could to fix it.
In 2020 Congress decided that it was no longer willing to see animals die to entertain the fans, and passed legislation requiring all states to enforce basic standards of safety. The new authority, the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), started work in July 2022 and has made remarkable strides since then. Its equine injury database now has a record low rate of fatalities.
It’s still a long road, though, and every time a tragedy like the death of Eight Belles or the suspect case of five-year-old Creative Plan occurs, it sparks another reckoning in the theatre of public opinion. Then there are the continuing scandals about illegal drugs and race-day doping, or the grotesque practice of shipping horses across the country to be killed for slaughter.
Horse racing is a very old sport that originated in the British colonies. Its hallmark, until after the Civil War, was stamina. When speed became the goal, a whole new set of rules exploded. The advent of modern medications complicated the picture, as powerful painkillers and anti-inflammatories designed for humans bled over into race preparation. The rules were often vague, and the testing capacity was limited. Penalties were usually too small to deter cheating.
The sport has never been entirely clean, but the crooked element is now the majority. That is why, despite a decline in revenue and dwindling attendances, most racing owners are not rushing to dump the game and turn their attention to other gambling activities. They want to keep their share of the pie and believe that, with a little help from HISA, they can do so without risking the integrity of the entire enterprise. They are wrong. It will take a lot more than donations from people who do not bet on their horses to save the sport.
