High society was in control, and they made a special effort to keep the riff-raff out and the criminal element away from the wagering. The system of wagering was essential to the funding and the growth of the industry, and all classes participated from the poor to royalty. Newmarket and the Jockey Club set the standards but most of the racing took place for small cash prizes and enormous local prestige in landowners’ fields and in the rising towns. The system was complete in 1814 with five annual races.
The five classic races began with the St Leger Stakes in 1776. By 1750 the Jockey Club was formed to control the Newmarket races, set the rules of the game, prevent dishonesty, and making for a level field. King Charles II (reigned 1649 to 1685) was an avid sportsman who gave Newmarket its prominence. It continued to grow in popularity throughout the 18th and beyond. In Britain, horse racing became well-established in the 18th century. The popularity of equestrian sports through the centuries has resulted in the preservation of skills that would otherwise have vanished after horses stopped being used in combat. The various forms of competition, requiring demanding and specialized skills from both horse and rider, resulted in the systematic development of specialized breeds and equipment for each sport. Horse racing of all types evolved from impromptu competitions between riders or drivers. Equestrian sports provided entertainment for crowds and displayed the excellent horsemanship needed in battle. Historically, equestrians honed their skills through games and races. In later times, Thoroughbred racing became, and remains, popular with aristocrats and royalty of British society, earning it the title "Sport of Kings". Fifteen to 20 riderless horses, originally imported from the Barbary Coast of North Africa, were set loose to run the length of the Via del Corso, a long, straight city street their time was about 2 + 1⁄ 2 minutes. From the mid-fifteenth century until 1882, spring carnival in Rome closed with a horse race. In the Roman Empire, chariot and mounted horse racing were major industries.
It continued although chariot racing was often dangerous to both driver and horse, which frequently suffered serious injury and even death. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC and were important in the other Panhellenic Games. It also plays an important part of myth and legend, such as the contest between the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology.Ĭhariot racing was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine sports. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Babylon, Syria, and Egypt.
Horse racing has a long and distinguished history and has been practised in civilisations across the world since ancient times. īritish nobility horse racing at Apsley House, London c. While horses are sometimes raced purely for sport, a major part of horse racing's interest and economic importance is in the gambling associated with it, an activity that in 2008 generated a worldwide market worth around US$115 billion. In some races, horses are assigned different weights to carry to reflect differences in ability, a process known as handicapping.
Variations include restricting races to particular breeds, running over obstacles, running over different distances, running on different track surfaces and running in different gaits. Horse races vary widely in format and many countries have developed their own particular traditions around the sport. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been unchanged since at least classical antiquity. Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance, for competition.