The sight of a herd of thundering hooves barreling down the stretch of a horse race is one of life’s quintessential experiences. The sound of the track shaking and the thunder of those hooves pounding on the ground as they go past is a uniquely visceral sensation. Feeling the power and majesty of those giant animals is an unmatched experience, but that doesn’t mean that horse racing is without its dark sides.
For years, racing officials struggled to deal with doping and steroid use in the sport. The industry’s testing capacity was poor and penalties were ineffective. Even worse, the drugs being used were powerful painkillers and anti-inflammatories designed for humans that easily crossed over into race preparation. The result was that many horses were running because they couldn’t feel the soreness warning them not to run. Powerful legal steroids, growth hormones, and blood doping were also in widespread use. The result was that the sport’s reputation as a clean, honest form of entertainment was shattered.
Despite these problems, there are positive trends in the racing industry. Growing awareness of the dark side of racing has fueled improvements. But the fight is far from over. You can learn more about the issues surrounding horse racing by reading PETA’s groundbreaking investigations into abusive training practices for young horses, drug use by trainers and jockeys, the transport of American horses to foreign slaughterhouses, and much more.
The sport of horse racing evolved from a simple wager between two horses or teams of owners in the 1600s, and by the end of Louis XIV’s reign (1715-49) there was organized racing based on rules governing the eligibility of horses and their trainers and riders. A central tenet of these rules was that the horses would be in classes with others of similar ability and performance. This was to help prevent a single horse becoming a “bad apple,” winning all the races and crushing any competition that came in its way.
Horse races are usually held over a set distance and the participants compete by placing bets. To participate, a horse must meet a set of requirements, which include being purebred and having both a sire and dam that are also purebred. In addition to these basic requirements, a horse must be at least three years old and be licensed by the state to race.
When it comes to putting together the best possible race card, trainers often have to be creative and think outside of the box. A lot can change in a few weeks or a few months, and so trainers must adapt their plans to fit the circumstances. This is particularly important when a race does not fill or a substitute race must be added to the schedule. This is why you will sometimes see a substitution race listed on the condition book. This means that the race will be a different distance than the original scheduled event or the horse may need to be moved up in class.