The Fascinating History Of Horse Racing

Horse racing is one of the most ancient sports known to mankind. The history of horse racing shows that domesticated horses were raced by primeval inhabitants of Central Asia as long ago as 4500BC. Today, the ‘sport of kings’ is avidly supported because it is basically a legalized form of gambling.

Horse racing is the next most popular spectator sport in the US after baseball. It is also has a huge following Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, South America, Australia, South Africa and Europe. Modern day horse races are competed over various distances with jockeys riding superb thoroughbreds.

When early man learnt how to keep records, horse racing became prominent in all main cultures spanning Asia across to the Mediterranean. Chariot racing and mounted horse races formed part of the Greek Olympics way back in 638BC, and during the Roman Empire, the public became obsessed with horse racing.

The modern format of the sport was first evident during the 12th Century. On their return from the Crusades, English knights brought home a number of fine Arab horses. During the next 400 years stallions were imported to England for stud purposes. When bred with the fine English mares, the offspring had amazing endurance and remarkable speed. They were ideal for horse racing.

During the reign of Queen Anne in the early 1700s, horse racing was classed as a professional sport. Each event featured several horses racing against each other, and spectators were permitted to place bets. Courses popped up everywhere in England and winning purses for the owners grew and grew. This translated to huge profits for owners and breeders.

With the fierce competition, it became necessary to form a governing body to oversee the sport. In 1750, at Newmarket, the very first Jockey Club came into being. Regulations and rules were drawn up and everyone involved in racing was incumbent to conform. Even today the Jockey Club controls horse racing in Britain.

The sport was introduced to the USA in 1665 when British settlers arrived with horses. A race track was set up at Long Island. As the industrial economy in the USA began to rise, there was an explosion of popularity among the American public and 314 tracks were set up all across the country by 1890.

Horse racing in America was plagued with corruption and criminality. Like their British counterparts before them, the Americans got together in New York to establish the American Jockey Club. The club immediately started ruling the sport with an iron fist and much of the corruption was dismantled.

Attending the Australian horse races is great fun, especially when you win! Start making every trip to the track a great one when you have the horse racing tips that will give you the winning edge today!

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