How Much Do You Know About Horse Racing?

Because there are so many types of horse racing, the kinds of surface that horses race on will differ. The most common surfaces are dirt, turf or some kind of synthetic surface, as long as it is safe for the horse.

There are several types of horse racing out there that all share the same idea: The fastest horses win. Flat racing, endurance racing and jump racing remain common. While harness races of some kind are still prevalent in areas of the world, chariot racing is no longer popular.

The Triple Crown is among the most prestigious titles in all of horse racing, and it comes when a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in a single year.

Despite the Triple Crown being around for over 100 years, only 13 different horses have ever won it. Many did it in the 1930s and '40s, and only two winners (Justify and American Pharaoh) are still alive today.

No other horse race in the world is as long as the Mongol Derby. It changes every year, but the race usually takes 10 days and is around 1000 km. The race recreates the path of the messenger-horse course developed by Genghis Khan.

While the track began officially hosting a fair and races in 1854, races were occurring far before then. The oldest racetrack in the country started holding horse races unofficially in the 1830s.

Many great races take place in Australia, but none quite like the Melbourne Cup. It's legendary in the country and is so beloved that it's called the "race that stops a nation."

The Kentucky Derby is one of the premier races on the planet for 3-year-old horses. This is when most horses start running, though some begin to compete at the age of 2 as well.

Horse racing, since its inception, has been incredibly popular among royalty, aristocrats and those in high power. This eventually helped horse racing to be known as the "Sport of Kings."

While the Kentucky Derby is the most famous of all the horse races in the Triple Crown, it was actually the last one to be inaugurated. The Belmont Stakes was the first and was inaugurated in 1867.

While it's not the oldest or most prestigious race out there, it's one with an extremely high purse. In total, the 2019 running of the race will be for a total prize pool of $12 million.

There is no more valuable jump race in all of Europe than the Grand National. Taking place in England, this race consists of two laps around a track. In total, horses are responsible for jumping over 30 different fences.

Despite only beginning in 1981, the Japan Cup is among the most prestigious races in Japan. It has hosted several amazing finishes and, with a purse of nearly $6 million, is one of the richest races out there.

There have been many undefeated horses during the years, but none have the number of wins that Kincsem does. In 54 career races, they won every single race. No other undefeated horse has even 40 wins.

While many horses have won their fair share of races, none have won more than Kingston. The American horse won 89 races of the 138 he started. Not only that, but he only raced out of the money four times total.

Prix de l'Arc Triomphe (or simply known as the Arc) is a prestigious horse race that takes place in Paris, France. It usually takes place on the first Sunday of October and is among the richest turf races on the planet.

The Kentucky Derby has a total prize pool of $3 million, with the winner of the race getting $1 million. While other races have a larger purse, Kentucky Derby winners often get more fame than any other horses out there.

While he has only won four stakes races, Arrogate has won more prize money than any other North American horse with almost $17.5 million. This is because many of his wins came in extremely high purse races.

No, an ascot is not just a garment of clothing. The Royal Ascot is a series of 16 races that take place over a week in England. It's a huge part of British tradition, and the Royal Family typically attend all of the races in the event.

While many races have been around for well over 100 years, the Dubai World Cup has barely been around for 20. That being said, it has already become one of the premier races on the planet, along with one of the richest.

Without a doubt, the Melbourne Cup is the biggest and most popular race in Australia. So much so that the race day is actually a holiday in the state of Victoria. It has been an official public holiday since back in 1877.

That's right, there's well over $100 billion gambled on horse racing around the world in dozens of countries for hundreds of races. It's prohibited in some places, but many allow it.

While horse racing has been around for thousands of years, the very first record quarter-mile race in the USA took place back in 1674, in Virginia. The race was between two horses, and they raced through the streets of a village.

There have been a number of great Canadian racing horses, but none of them have been as famous or successful as Northern Dancer. He not only won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 1964, he then went on to become one of the best sires of the entire 20th century.

A sire is the male parent of any animal, and in this case, horses. As you could imagine, the sire and the female parent (a dam) is incredibly important to breeding incredibly fast and talented racehorses.

While there are more dangerous jobs, being a jockey ranks highly on the list. In addition to the 100 that died from 1950-1987 in the USA alone, countless more suffered significant injuries or trauma as a result of their job.

While horses are born every single day, every Thoroughbred in the Northern Hemisphere is given the same birthday of January 1st. This is done to keep track of the ages of the horses easier, as most races are only for horses of a specific age.

The Eclipse Awards are given out annually for a wide range of things. Many horses, riders, owners and trainers have been given the awards over the years. The awards are named after Eclipse, an undefeated racehorse.

The average racehorse weighs around 1000 pounds, though this can vary from horse to horse. While this may seem incredibly heavy, it's actually quite a bit lighter than many other kinds of horses.

As you can imagine, racehorses can run pretty fast. However, one stands out as the fastest after reaching 43.97 mph during a race back in 2008. That horse was named Winning Brew, and he got the record during a run at the Penn National Race Course.

While Secretariat was a great horse, he was not one of the three foundation stallions. The three aforementioned horses are called the foundation stallions because all modern Thoroughbreds can be traced back to them.

Giving give roses to the winner of the Kentucky Derby began after roses were first given to ladies at a party back in 1883. They were a hit, and the rose was adopted as the official flower of the race.

While horses have sold for more money in other circumstances, no horse has fetched more from an auction than The Green Monkey, when he was bought for a whopping $16 million back in 2006. Despite this price tag, the horse had a very unmemorable career.

In 2014, a horse named American Pharaoh won the Triple Crown for the first time in 37 years. In addition to winning the Triple Crown, he also won the Breeder's Cup Classic and became the first horse ever to win the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing.

In a handicap race, all horses will carry a different amount of weight. A handicapper will give more weight to faster horses, and the race is all about who can overcome their handicap to win.