In the world of Thoroughbred horse racing, behind the romanticized facade of elegant outfits and mint juleps lies a darker reality of injuries, illegal drug use, gruesome breakdowns and slaughter. Horses are forced to run—often under the threat of whips—at speeds so high that they often break down and suffer grotesque injuries. Those that don’t make it to the winner’s circle end up at auction where they become meat in a racetrack-fueled slaughter pipeline.
The first documented horse race was held in France in 1651, during the reign of Louis XIV, as a wager between two noblemen. By the time of the French Revolution in 1789, racing based on gambling had become widespread. It was during this period that horses became separated from their natural instinct to move as a pack and instead conditioned to compete with other horses individually, to win a race.
Today, the sport of horse racing continues to be dominated by gamblers who place large bets in order to win money and gain prestige. While the majority of people enjoy betting on the races, many also criticize the practice as exploitive and morally wrong. In spite of this, horse racing is a legal sport and freedoms of speech and the press allow news outlets to report on the sport as they see fit.
A track record: The fastest time for a particular distance at a specific racetrack. Often used to determine a handicapper’s best bet. Blowout: A short, fast workout a day or two before a race that’s designed to sharpen a horse’s speed. Usually includes one or more miles. Trifecta (or triple): A wager on the first three finishers in exact order.
Trainer: A person who trains a racehorse, typically working with the owner to develop the horse’s form. The trainer’s job is to get the horse to perform at its best under a variety of conditions and in different situations, such as sprinting, claiming, and distances.
Top jockey: A top horse jockey, a skilled and able rider who is able to coax the maximum performance out of a horse under a variety of circumstances. Top jockeys are coveted by owners, and they have the ability to make or break a race.
pct high sf: The percentage of the horses in the sample who earned their career highest speed figure at the age of this age category. For example, the pct high sf for the eight-year-old group is 108.
A sf/md = speed factor + distance / time. Speed figures are calculated by taking raw race times and adjusting them for the inherent speed of the racetrack on that particular day. The adjusted times are then converted to a number that represents how far a horse was in front of the field. The higher the number, the closer the horse was to winning. The sf/md is the most accurate way to compare the speed of a horse to that of other runners in the same race.
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