Horse racing is an intoxicating combination of glamour, mint juleps and brutal injuries with drug abuse and catastrophic breakdowns. Behind its romanticized facade lies a world of pain, bloodshed and fear where horses must run their hearts out for survival and often suffer horrific injuries or die under violent impact from whips or electrical shock devices.
Racetracks are complex machines that require skilled management and employees in order to function smoothly. From track crew members and veterinarians, to jockeys and jockeys themselves, each professional plays an essential role in ensuring race success.
Multiple factors play a part in the final results of horse races, such as horses’ abilities and track conditions/weather conditions; as well as training sessions conducted by their jockeys. Furthermore, racetrack owners/management can have an immense effect on how races pan out.
United States horse races generally fall into several categories based on each horse’s abilities, with top-rated horses typically participating in more prestigious events called conditions races (with larger purses). All such “condition books” provide information on races taking place that year.
Every morning before a race, a trainer will pore over her condition book to assess her horses and gain insight into their performances in different scenarios. This allows the trainer to devise training plans accordingly. Furthermore, she may enter particular horses based on current class standings; should their entry not meet enough entries, or circumstances force her into changing it further, her trainer may seek another race where her horse may run instead.
As soon as a trainer selects an alternate race, the race number on the official program is updated accordingly to eliminate confusion about where their horse should compete. This helps prevent confusion about what race the horse will compete in next.
One of the key aspects of horse races is fairness for all participants. To prevent cheating, stewards carefully scrutinise every aspect of each race including its finish time, start time of each horse and starting gate location. Stewards then compare their findings with photographs taken of the finish to identify a winner, often times only being possible when two or more horses cross together and cannot be clearly distinguished from each other. Most countries have an governing body for horseracing that sets rules and guides races accordingly – although individual countries’ rulebooks differ, many follow those laid out by British Horseracing Authority for ease of running races.