Horse races are events where horsemen compete to win an established distance, typically one or two miles, over which prize money will be distributed to the victor. Horse racing has long been popular with horse enthusiasts and bettors; its ancient origins date back centuries; modern forms include high-stakes competitions featured at Olympics or other international sports events.
Organized horse racing first surfaced as part of ancient Greek Olympics between 700-40 BCE. Since then, however, other ancient civilizations and mythologies also practiced it – for instance in Norse mythology between Odin’s steed Hrungnir and Odin’s own mount Odin!
Officials set rules to ensure a fair race experience by setting rules about which horses may enter, who can bet on them and any health and safety guidelines horses must abide by in order to uphold its integrity, such as wearing special protective clothing and having regular veterinary exams.
Before any race begins, horses must be weighed and prepared. Jockeys or drivers have an opportunity to warm up on their mount and test their skills; to ensure optimal results for both horses and jockeys or drivers alike. It is crucial that there be an excellent relationship between horse and rider/driver in order for optimal performance to occur.
After each race is complete, the winner receives a substantial sum as prized horses are sold off to breeding farms or other races. One of the most well-known horse races in America is the Kentucky Derby; an international Group 1 flat race for three-year-olds and up held annually at Churchill Downs near Louisville in Kentucky that attracts some of the best horses from around the globe. It attracts intense competition.
The horse racing industry is a multimillion-dollar business that thrives by exploiting animal suffering. Many horses die in accidents on tracks or training sessions, with serious injuries necessitating euthanization. When horses stop winning races or become no longer profitable to owners, many end up at slaughterhouses for cheap meat consumption.
Studies demonstrate that when journalists focus only on reporting the top poll-takers — known as “horse race journalism” — voters, candidates and the news media all suffer as a result. A shift toward covering underdogs could improve coverage of political elections as well as general elections more comprehensively. This collection of research on horse race journalism has been updated with studies about third-party political candidates, probabilistic forecasting techniques and television news coverage.