Random Poker Thoughts

Racing horses has probably been around since man first started to watch horses as they ran from one place to another. The first civilization to domesticate horses where in Central Asia about 4500 BC and racing horses was a favorite sport in which upper class and kings were able to participate. During the first Olympics in Greece horses were raced. This began the history of horse racing all over the world.

Racing as it is today began after the knights brought the Arabian Horse back with them from the crusades during the twelfth century. These horses were nothing like the old work horses they had before and they were fast and graceful. Stallions of Arabian linage where brought over to breed with English horses and would breed a horse with speed and have the endurance of a work horse. Nobles would bet wagers on which horse would win and thus began modern horse racing.

A very important race to the history of racing happened in 1752 in a little town of Doneraile in County Cork, Ireland. Here a race was organized from the steeple Buttevant Church to the steeple of St. Marys. This is where the term of steeple chasing began. The first formal steeplechase was in 1839 called the Grand National taking place in Liverpool. Another great steeplechase takes place annually during the weekend of Ester in County Meath, Ireland and is called the Irish Grand National.

Professional horse racing began in the nineteenth century. Owners started to train their horses in hopes of making them run faster and smoother. If you won a race you received money from the bets made on the horse. Owners who trained their horse made more money than those that did not train and those well paid owners met in Newmarket to form the Jockey Club in 1750. This club controlled all functions of horse racing in Britain and still does today.

The Jockey Club was instrumental in writing down all the rules to which racing adheres to today. It took into consideration the type of tracks horses could race on. It sanctioned five races for three year old horses, three for male and female horses all of which is the English Triple Crown. They also were instrumental in breeding horses for racing purposes. They began to write down the pedigree of all horses born and organized breeding practices.

Horses with this pedigree are called Thoroughbreds and they all can be linked back to three stallions called the foundation sires. Racing thoroughbreds was brought to America in 1665 and Long Island was the site of the first track. Organization of American racing began right after the Civil War and the sport and betting on horses grew by leaps and bounds. Over 300 tracks were running in America by 1890.

This was a problem because America did not have the Jockey Club to regulate the tracks and therefore they were run by crooked individuals only interested in getting rich without care of the sport. In 1894 the American Jockey Club was formed. They had their hands full because horse racing in America had become something deplorable instead of a grand day out for the wealthy as it was in England. Those that frequented American race tracks were considered to be undesirables.

During this era of corrupt activity in American tracks the 1908 Kentucky Derby introduced pari-mutuel wagering. This type of wagering was legalized and it began to turn the tide for American horse racing. Tracks soon began to open under the new rules and regulations and grew from the 35 tracks that were still in operation. By the nineteen seventies racing once again began to be a decent sporting activity.

Horse racing occurs all over the world today and there are many types of racing to be enjoyed. The Steeplechase is still popular mostly in England but also in America. A type of racing that started in America called Harness Racing has many tracks devoted to only that type of racing. The popular Thoroughbred racing is currently held on small tracks of about three quarters of a mile up to tracks that can accommodate two miles in length. Horse racing in both Britain and America is strictly regulated so you can place wagers at the track legally and know that the horse you are betting on is an acceptable horse.

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