A horse race is a contest of speed among horses that are either ridden by jockeys or pulled by sulkies and their drivers. The term can also refer to any formidable contest or competition, such as a political election.
The earliest recorded horse races were held in Greece from 700 to 40 B.C. During that time, riders competed in four-hitched chariots and on bareback horses. The sport soon spread to neighboring countries and eventually became popular in Europe.
Today, horse racing is a worldwide industry with dozens of tracks. It is regulated by several national and international organizations. The governing body sets rules for the sport, which are designed to protect the health and safety of both horses and jockeys.
Most horse races are run over distances ranging from five to twelve furlongs (1.0 and 2.4 km). Shorter distances, called sprints in the United States and routes in Europe, are seen as tests of speed, while longer races are viewed as tests of stamina. In addition to the distance of a race, other factors that determine its difficulty include the track’s surface and the number of competitors.
In the United States, horse races are graded according to a point system, with each level of race requiring the winning horse to pass through certain requirements. The simplest level is a maiden, which is open to horses that have never won an allowance or claiming race. Once a horse has won a maiden or two claiming races, it can move up to the “two other than” class. Horses must win one “other than” race and be rated higher than the last winner of a graded stakes.
Once a horse has won the “other than” class and is higher in the rating system, it can enter a graded race such as the Kentucky Derby. These races are more challenging and carry greater prize money than the “other than” classes. If a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, it will advance to the Breeders’ Cup.
The sport of horse racing is plagued by tragedy and heartbreak, with horses dying from the exorbitant physical stress of their training and racing. The deaths of Eight Belles and Medina Spirit, both in the Kentucky Derby, have prompted calls for a reassessment of racing’s ethics and integrity.
Despite the high cost, many racetracks have a horse race schedule that allows for the addition of new races each year. Often, these new races are a result of the elimination of old ones that have not met minimum revenue requirements. These eliminations have been a major factor in the decline of the American horse racing industry in recent decades.
While some executives and governance observers object to the use of a horse race approach in choosing a company’s next chief executive officer, proponents say it is an effective tool for identifying a highly qualified candidate from within a wide pool of potential candidates. It shows that the board is confident in the organization’s talent development processes, and that it is willing to allow its top performers to vie for the top position.