Horse racing is an unnatural act, one that violates the fundamental instincts of these prey animals. It can cause them to become withdrawn and prone to self-harm in a variety of ways. It can also result in chronic physical pain. And for equine activist Jennifer Sully, who leads demonstrations against horseracing most weekends at Pimlico or Laurel, it’s also an inherently corrupt form of gambling that keeps a multibillion-dollar industry alive. Nevertheless, proponents of the sport say the money it generates stimulates a whole ecosystem that includes local breeders and trainers and farmers who grow carrots and hay for the horses.
During the race, horses trot up to the track and parade past a group of stewards, who make sure their identities match the entries in the computerized program known as the condition book. Then the horses enter the paddock, or a section of the racetrack where they are saddled and prepared for the start. The announcer’s voice rises to a fever pitch, and the clip-clop of hooves starts to build into a cacophony.
In a horse race, the runners are assigned different amounts of weight to carry depending on their age, sex and previous races. The best performers earn the largest purses. There are also a number of special races called handicaps where the runners are given allowances such as being younger or female or having more experience than the other horses in the race.
The race is won by the horse that reaches the finish line first and is declared the winner of the event by an official who oversees the race. The results of the races are then entered into a computer system that determines the payouts to those who made correct picks. The winnings are based on the total amount of money bet and the odds of the horse finishing first.
A common succession strategy for large companies is to hold a “horse race,” pitting multiple senior executives against each other in an overt competition for the CEO role, with the winner becoming the new company leader. This approach, which has been used at giants such as GE, Procter & Gamble and GlaxoSmithKline, can be effective, but it is not without its critics. Some governance observers argue that the overt nature of the horse race can have a negative impact on the overall performance of a company and that a more subtle approach may be more effective.
But for many ardent supporters of the sport, the money that horse races bring in is the only way to keep the multibillion-dollar industry alive. Then there are the benefits that it provides to a variety of ancillary industries such as trainers and breeders, and to the state’s economy. But for the activists, the money is just another reason to keep pushing for reform or even a ban on horse racing. They say that the stress and confinement of the horses – along with a number of other factors – causes them immense suffering that manifests in repetitive, compulsive behavior such as biting, kicking, cribbing and self-harm.