A horse race is a competition in which horses are ridden and driven by jockeys (horsemen) to win money. While many people oppose the practice of horse racing, others feel that it is an exciting and legitimate sport. Some believe that the sport has become corrupted as a result of doping and overbreeding, but others argue that it remains a sport worthy of its name, “the Sport of Kings.”
The history of horse racing dates back to the Middle Ages in Europe, where it began as a form of gambling. The earliest races were match races between two horses, usually over several four-mile heats. As racing became more popular, it evolved into a sport of skill and judgement, with a few yards making a huge difference in the outcome.
Today, there are many different types of horse races. Some are sprint races that take place over a short distance, while others are longer races and test the horse’s speed and stamina. Some races are handicapped, meaning that each horse is assigned a weight to carry for fairness and certain allowances are made for younger horses or female horses competing against male horses. The best-known horse race is the Kentucky Derby, which takes place over a length of one and a half miles.
Although some critics are critical of the sport’s reliance on gambling, most of the spectators at a horse race are not gamblers. Most of the attendees are working-class men who gather in crowded bowels of the grandstand to stare at banks of TVs broadcasting races from all over the world. The crowd erupts with cheers and curses as the horses thunder past the finish line. Often, the curses are in Spanish or Chinese, but they have the rhythm and ring of universal imprecations.
Despite the jovial atmosphere, behind the romanticized facade of horse racing is a world of drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns and slaughter. According to animal rights group PETA, ten thousand American Thoroughbreds are killed each year. Those who aren’t killed on the track are often kept in solitary confinement in a stall for most of their lives. Those that do survive are drugged, whipped, and trained to the breaking point. Many are then sold for slaughter in Canada or Mexico.
Although some governance observers criticize the horse race approach to selecting a new chief executive officer, it is an effective and efficient method of choosing top performers. It has worked well at such admired companies as General Electric, Procter & Gamble and GlaxoSmithKline.