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Horse racing is said to be humankind's most ancient sports. It originates in Central Asia among the prehistoric nomadic tribesmen who first domesticated horses. It seconds baseball in America's most attended spectator sport. Originally played among the royalties, horse racing is now famous among many ordinary people especially in Europe and the United States. Also known as Sport of the Kings, horse racing has been around dating back to the reign of the Roman Empire. And up until now, horse racing is still being held in different parts of the world and is considered a major professional sport in Western Europe, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, South America, Australia, Great Britain, and New Zealand.

Race Horse Breeds

There are certain breeds of horses especially bred for racing. Thoroughbreds are known for their speed and agility. The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing is probably the most prestigious accomplishment in thoroughbred racing. The Triple Crown means that the specific horse has won three consecutive major horse races.

Another popular race horse breed is the American quarter horse. They are descendants of the European thoroughbreds. American quarter horses are a cross-breed of the thoroughbreds and the American native horses. They are slightly shorter compared to the thoroughbreds. They also have more muscular bodies and broader chests. American quarter horses are also faster thoroughbreds when dealing with short distances around roughly quarter of a mile, which explains their name.

Race Types

Horse racing can be divided into 2 distinct types.

Flat racing is held on flat surfaces having different distances. This type of race may also be held on grass or dirt. Another alternative may be an artificial surface or a Polytrack.

Another type is the jump racing. This involves obstacles which horses have to jump over. Such type of race can run a total length of up to 4 miles. Jump racing or Hunt racing is more widely practiced in Europe compared to the United States.

Harness racing, popular in both Canada and in the eastern part of United States, is a horse racing type held in gaits wherein the horses pull a sulkies or two-wheeled carts maneuvered by a driver. The driver uses a whip to signal the horse. There are two different types of gaits namely: trotting and pacing. In trotting, the horse moves its legs in diagonal pairs, left hind and right front together and right hind and left front together. In pacing, the legs move right hind and right front together and left front and left hind together.

Race Horse Betting

A lot of people make money from betting on horse racing. And a lot of industries have grown around the world of horse racing. Gambling is one industry that horse racing cannot live without. It is said to be the sole reason why the sport has survived as a major sport. Some may bet for certain horses to either bet to win, bet to place, or bet to show. When one bets to win, he bets on a horse that he thinks will finish first. Bet to place means bet that the horse will finish either first or second, while bet to show means betting that the horse can finish first, second, or third.

Betting tips and racing tips are also available from various websites online. Most of which will provide useful tips for the horse racing fan in you. Not only that, today betting on horse racing is also possible online. One should, however, be careful about the sites they visit as some of them may be fraudulent. Falling prey to their scams will rob you of hundreds and even thousands of your hard-earned dollars.

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