Horse racing is a sport that requires a special breed of horse: one that can be trained to run with the power and grace of a sprinter. Behind the romanticized facade of Thoroughbred horse races is a world of injuries, drug abuse, and gruesome breakdowns. Horses are forced to run for their lives, often pushed beyond their limits by humans perched on their backs, using whips that injure and sometimes kill them. In nature, horses understand self-preservation, and if they’re injured, they stop and rest. But at the racetrack, they are compelled by humans to keep running—even when they’re sick, injured or in pain—with no hope of survival outside the artificial herd.
A horse race is a competition in which a horse is ridden by a jockey, who sits in a saddle attached to the animal’s back and presides over its movements. A horse’s rider must be able to guide it around the track in a prescribed route, jumping every hurdle (if present) and, ideally, finishing first. The prize money for a winning horse may be as little as a plate, or as much as tens of thousands of dollars in a purse. The American Triple Crown is a series of three races — the Belmont Stakes, Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby — that are considered the most prestigious in horse racing.
When a horse starts a race, it must be in a designated stall and be at the starting gate by a certain time. A horse that doesn’t make it in time is disqualified and forfeits its chance to win the race. Some horses are better than others, and bettors place wagers based on their expected performance. In order to improve the odds of winning, a horse will receive a handicap, or weight, which is determined by studying its past performances and comparing them to those of other horses. A higher handicap will increase a horse’s chances of winning.
A jockey will also look at a horse’s coat in the walking ring before the start of a race. If the color is bright and the horse resembles a healthy animal with plenty of muscled excitement, it’s believed that the beast will be well prepared for the race.
Before a race, horses are injected with the drug Lasix, which is indicated on a racing form by a boldface “L.” The medication is meant to prevent pulmonary bleeding caused by hard running, and it works: Most thoroughbreds are bleeders, but only a small minority die from exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Lasix also has diuretic qualities, and it causes horses to dump epic amounts of urine during a race. Other drugs used in racing include painkillers, antipsychotics, growth hormones and blood doping. The racing authorities’ ability to test for these substances has been hampered by the proliferation of new medications, and penalties for breaking the rules are weak. As a result, racing is now rife with doping and cheating, and the industry’s reputation as a source of fair sportsmanship is fading fast.