Horse races are competitions between horses to see which one crosses the finish line first. Horse racing has a long and rich history dating back to ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Roman, Syrian and Greek civilizations and still enjoys massive popularity today despite allegations of corruption; popular pastime for millions around the globe as well as featured prominently in various myths and legends.
Horse racing consists of three primary groups of individuals. There are the crooks who utilize drugs or otherwise abuse their horses, dupes who believe the sport to be honest and fair and those in between; neither naive nor cheaters but rather honorable souls who know that certain areas are more corrupt than should be but do nothing about it.
On an ideal, cloudless morning at Santa Anita, a cool but deep and slow dirt track was bathed in pinkish light from the grandstand grandstand, bathing horses and riders in it. Preakness winner War of Will was nearing the lead as they entered the backstretch, eventually holding a lead over Mongolian Groom and McKinzie on the far turn.
Before the race began, bettors would study each horse’s coat in the walking ring to gauge its health and readiness – bright with just enough sweat? Was its muscled neck taut with tension or was it muscled with excitement or fear? They then watched the race which usually lasted about one mile; racers needed to maneuver their horses around the course as quickly as possible while jumping any required fences or hurdles before crossing the finish line as fast as possible before any other horses do so.
Horse racing rules vary by country and state. In the US, for instance, there are different categories of races horses can run in depending on their age, sex and career achievements; with higher-tier categories offering greater purses. Most races also mandate that each horse carry an allocated weight limit in order to ensure fairness amongst contestants.
Condition books provide a race schedule for each track and indicate what races must take place within certain time periods, such as weeks or months, as well as any alternate options that could be used if needed. Condition books serve to assist trainers in planning training programs for forthcoming races. This enables trainers to effectively prepare their horses for various types of races they may participate in. Condition books are published several days prior to each race and allow trainers time to adapt their training plans accordingly. A good trainer will always have his or her horse’s best interest at heart and should treat race horses with great care and respect.