horse racing summary

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Below is the article summary. For the full article, see horse racing.

horse racing, Sport of running horses at speed. Typically, Thoroughbreds are raced with a rider astride and Standardbreds with the horse pulling a conveyance with a driver. Though racing has an ancient lineage, the first regularly organized national races were established in England under Charles II (r. 1660–85), and the first in North America were held on Long Island in 1665. These early races were match events between two or three horses and were run in heats; a horse had to complete at least two heats to be judged the winner. By the mid-18th century, larger fields of runners and single-race “dash” events were the norm. Handicap racing emerged in the mid-18th century as well, as gambling came to be a standard part of horse racing. Pari-mutuel betting was instituted in the 20th century. Thoroughbred racing, conducted on a flat, elliptical, mile-long track, attracts the largest purses, followed by harness racing and quarter-horse racing. The most important U.S. Thoroughbred races are the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. See also steeplechase.

Eddie Arcaro Summary

Eddie Arcaro was an American jockey who was the first to ride five Kentucky Derby winners and two U.S. Triple Crown champions (winners of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes). In 31 years of riding Thoroughbreds (1931–61), he won 549 stakes events, a total of 4,779

Seattle Slew Summary

Seattle Slew, (foaled 1974), American racehorse (Thoroughbred) who in 1977 became the 10th winner of the American Triple Crown—the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes—and the only horse to win the Triple Crown with an undefeated record. Seattle Slew was foaled on February

Man o’ War Summary

Man o’ War, (foaled 1917), American racehorse (Thoroughbred) often considered the greatest of the 20th century. In a brief career of only two seasons (1919–20), he won 20 of 21 races, established seven track records for speed over various distances, and raced at odds as short as 1–100. In 1920 he

Citation Summary

Citation, (foaled 1945), American racehorse (Thoroughbred) who in 1948 became the eighth winner of the American Triple Crown—the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes—and was also the first horse to win $1 million. In four seasons (1947–48, 1950–51) he won 32 of 45 races,