| Horse racing has thrived as a popular sport for | | | | miles. Then, there is harness racing, where a standard |
| thousands of years. It is in fact one of the oldest | | | | bred horse pulls a two-wheeled bike or sulky with a |
| sports known to mankind. From the time historical | | | | driver over a one-mile course. The thoroughbred runs |
| records were maintained one can see that horse | | | | its course while the standard bred is either a trotter or |
| racing was an organized sport all over the world. In | | | | a pacer and is not permitted to gallop or run. The |
| fact, horse racing events were part of the Greek | | | | thoroughbred can reach speeds of around 40 miles |
| Olympics as far back as 638 BC. | | | | per hour, whereas a standard bred can trot or pace at |
| The origins of modern racing lie in the 12th century | | | | around 30 miles per hour. Also popular in the U.S. is |
| when Arabian horses were bred with European stock. | | | | quarter horse racing. Today there are 90 thoroughbred |
| The result was sturdy horses with tremendous speed. | | | | racetracks and 29 standard-bred racetracks in 33 |
| Modern racing began during this time. By the 1700s | | | | States. |
| racecourses became common in England and in 1750 | | | | Each country has different styles of racing, distances |
| the Jockey Club was formed. They then established | | | | and the type of events. In the United Kingdom for |
| standards, rules and regulations. Horses and horse | | | | example, there are races that involve obstacles like |
| racing came to USA with the British in the1600's and | | | | hurdles or fences called National Hunt racing and |
| 1665 saw the first racetrack in Long Island. | | | | unobstructed races over a given distance, called flat |
| The most popular type of horseracing is thoroughbred | | | | racing. In the United States, races on flat dirt or grass |
| racing where the horse is mounted by a rider, also | | | | surfaces is generally thoroughbred racing; other tracks |
| known as a jockey, and they race over a flat track | | | | offer quarter horse racing and harness racing, or |
| for distances from three-quarters of a mile to two | | | | combinations of these three types of racing. |