A horse race is a contest of speed between horses that are either ridden by jockeys or pulled by sulkies and their drivers. It is one of the oldest sports, and its basic concept has not changed over centuries. The horse that crosses the finish line first is declared the winner. The sport has become a multibillion-dollar industry, and it has developed into a global spectacle that includes electronic monitoring equipment, enormous crowds, and massive prize money. But despite these improvements, the racing industry is plagued by scandals and criticism of animal cruelty. The cruelty of the horse racing industry is often ignored by the mainstream media, but PETA has led the way in investigating abusive training practices for young horses, drug use in the sport, and the slaughter of countless American horses in foreign slaughterhouses.
In the racetrack’s bowels, far from the private suites and the VIP seating upstairs, working-class men sit and stare at banks of TVs, their faces pressed to the glass like squinting race fans. Their curses, uttered in Spanish and Chinese and in the rhythmic imprecations of a chorus, rise with the stretch runs and end in triumphant hoots, a cacophony that resembles the rhythmic pounding of a thousand horses running down the backstretch.
When a horse races, it must have a pedigree that shows that its parents are purebred members of the breed in which it competes. The horse must also be eligible to compete based on its age, sex, birthplace, and previous performance. Horses can be entered in flat races, steeplechases, or handicap races.
Most horse races feature a large field of runners, and the winner is determined by which horse crosses the finish line first. This is possible because the race organizers can offer bigger purses, which encourage more horse owners to enter their horses. The higher the number of horses in a race, the more wagers can be placed, and the greater the chance that someone will be able to win big.
In some countries, such as the United States, horse racing is regulated by law. For example, in order to race a horse in the United States, it must have an appropriate racing license and pass a physical examination by a veterinarian. The regulations are intended to protect the safety of riders and spectators and to prevent horse abuse.
When journalists cover elections by focusing on who is winning and losing instead of addressing policy issues—what’s known as horse race coverage—voters, candidates and the news industry suffer, research suggests. In the upcoming election, that’s especially true for voters in swing states. Our updated roundup of new research explores how this type of reporting elevates cynicism about politics and raises expectations that the next president will do little to solve the nation’s most pressing problems.