In a horse race, a group of horses run on a track and the first two or three finishers receive money. The race may be a handicap race in which the horses are assigned weights according to their ability, or it may be a stakes race that has a minimum winning amount. The race may also feature hurdles that must be jumped. In horse racing, a jockey rides each horse in the race and is responsible for guiding the horse over the obstacles and across the finish line.
The earliest races were match races between two or three horses, with the owners providing the purse—a simple wager. Eventually the agreements were recorded by disinterested third parties, known as keepers of the match book. Those agreements were then published as an amalgamation of matches from all over the country, becoming the first true horse race book.
Before the start of a race, bettors examine each horse in the walking ring. If a horse’s coat looks bright, rippling with just the right mixture of sweat and muscled excitement, it’s believed to be ready to race. If a horse balks-turns its head to one side or another, it is assumed to be frightened or angry and not to be ready for the race.
During the 18th century, demands for more public racing led to open events with bigger fields of runners and eligibility rules based on age, sex, birthplace, and past performance. Races with more than one turn became common, and the number of horses a horse could carry increased, as well. In addition, the use of medications such as powerful painkillers and anti-inflammatories designed for humans bled over into horse racing, with trainers using them to boost a horse’s stamina or to mask poor performances.
Today, horse racing attracts old money, new money, and dynastic wealth, but it has become a creaky pastime that feels like something left behind by an earlier America, and it’s soaked in all the grift and sorrow that comes with gambling. That, along with scandals such as the Bob Baffert bribery and horse doping, has diminished its popularity among many Americans.
The Horse Race Game is a board game where players roll dice and place bets on which horse will cross the finish line first. Each player begins the game by paying a $1 entry fee, and then is dealt cards with racehorses on them. When a player rolls a number that corresponds with a scratched horse, they must pay money to the pot. The objective of the game is to be the first player to make a profit by holding a Horse Card that crosses the finish line first in every race. A player can make up to six bets per round, and wins the game by making the most money. Each race has a set jackpot, and each time the Horse Card is held it advances the player a position. The game includes a deluxe edition and an economy version.