A horse race is a contest between thoroughbreds. The horses are pushed beyond their limits-often by whips and electric shockers-and run at speeds that can cause severe injuries and hemorrhage in the lungs. They’re also subjected to cocktails of legal and illegal drugs meant to mask injury and enhance performance. Behind the romanticized facade of Thoroughbred racing lies a world of drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns and slaughter.
In a horse race, a jockey (rider) steers his or her mount around the track while attempting to win the most money by placing bets on various outcomes of the event. A race may take place over a variety of distances, but is most commonly over six furlongs (three-quarters of a mile).
The horses drew closer together as they reached the clubhouse turn, their strides long and hypnotic. War of Will, that year’s Preakness champion, held the lead around the turn, but on the far side of the track McKinzie and Mongolian Groom pressed him hard. He fought back with the help of his jockey, but on the final stretch it was clear he was exhausted.
Despite their size and the power of their gallop, horses are prey animals that instinctively prefer to avoid danger. Being in the middle of this pack would have been miserable for both horse and rider. They’d be covered in dirt, kicked in the face, and unable to see anything but other horse butts.
But these eleven runners were not ordinary horses; they were the most prestigious racehorses in America, and each was backed by millions of dollars in wagers. They were attempting to become the first to win the Triple Crown, the series of elite races that includes the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes.
Each race is sanctioned by a national racing association, and its participants must meet age, sex, gender, birthplace and previous performance requirements. Most horse races are open to all horses, but there are also state-bred and graded stakes, which are limited in number of entries, as well as ‘limited-field’ events that require qualifying ownership, breeder and trainer information.
As the horses headed toward the auxiliary starting gate at the backstretch, the grandstand swelled with the sound of people cheering and shrieking. Adding to the noise was the whirring of dozens of television cameras, and the flash of the klieg lights.
The auxiliary gate was used because the number of horses in the main starting gate exceeded capacity. At the start of a race, a horse’s assigned weight is announced to the crowd and betting public. The horse with the most money bet on it is called the ‘favorite,’ and the one with the lowest odds is known as the ‘longshot.’ Odds change every 30-60 seconds as money is bet on individual horses.
In addition to traditional wagers on the winner of a race, horse players can make ‘pick three’ or ‘pick four’ bets, which combine multiple horses in different races into a single multi-race parlay, much like a sports bet.