The Many Reasons for Sports Enthusiasts to Like Horse Racing

March 10th, 2010 Posted in Travel and Leisure

Over the centuries, the allure of horse racing has always captured the interest of a great number of the populace. All through historical accounts from Norse Mythology down to the Circus Maximus in Rome and finally to today’s modern-day racetracks, horse racing enthusiasts have felt the exhilaration and excitement of watching live horse races enough to keep them coming back for more. All over the world today, horse racing is one of the best forms of entertainment around. Part of the fun is the wagering involved in most horse races today. However, even if you do not bet, live horse racing can be exciting.

The earliest race horses were held in Greece. In these races, mounted horses and chariots often participated. Horse breeding and racing in this part of the world died down with the fall of the Roman Empire. Eventually, horse racing was revived in the 1100s when English king Henry I took an interest in breeding and training horses from an Arabian stallion line. Soon, the first racetrack in existence after the fall of Rome – the Smithfield Track, was constructed in London to hold purebred mount horse races. Horse racing is also a popular feature in most English fairs. Due to its roots, horse racing has been accorded the label the “Sport of Kings.”

In the mid-1600s, the first American racetrack was built in Long Island, New York. The new racetrack, the Newmarket, was where the earliest North American horse races were held. Not long after, Americans started importing more purebred British horses for breeding, training, and horse racing. The horse racing enthusiasts soon organized themselves and formed clubs to standardize horse breeding, training, and racing practices. The sport of horse racing enjoyed great funding from various sources. Not a few people have also made money betting in the races. The need for ethical standards in horse racing to be standardized gave rise to the formation of the American Jockey Club in the late 19th century. The responsibility for maintaining the American Stud Book, the rule book for horse racing all over the United States, was soon taken over by the American Jockey Club. The Thoroughbred Racing Associations of the United States in Chicago was later on established.

Watching live horse races, fans claim, cannot be paralleled in entertainment value. Being one with other fellow horse racing fans standing along the racetracks’ sidelines to feel the horses rush by is a feeling that cannot be equaled. Add betting successfully and you have something that is even more enjoyable. Before you start placing your bets, you have to understand the sport of horseracing first so that you can plan your bets properly.

The types of races that you can bet on vary. Your choice of races and horses to bet on would differ depending on how much money you would like to bet and what kind of odds you are willing to risk. Horse race gambling rules are also varied from state to state. Wagering in horse races involves pari-mutuel betting. This basically entails pooling the bets together and then dividing the money among the winners after the appropriate taxes and racetrack expenses have been deducted from it. Parimutuel betting is believed to have been the reason why thoroughbred horse racing has become really popular. In the United States, horse racing enthusiasts get all fired up in betting in the Triple Crown races composed of the three top horse races – the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes, and the Preakness.