A horse race is a contest in which the winners are decided by the number of runners that finish a specified distance. The contest is held on a track where the horses compete with one another and the winner is determined by the number of runners who cross the finishing line in front of a panel of stewards and judges.
In the United States, there are several types of horse races that are governed by different rules. The most common are graded stakes, which feature higher stakes for the winning horse. In some cases, horses are graded by racetrack handicappers based on their performances in previous races or by the quality of stallions that sire them.
The word horse race is also used as an adjective, meaning a competitive activity with a high risk of injury or death. The sport of horse racing has been criticized for its use of drugs to mask pain, which can cause debilitating injuries such as bleeding lungs, ringbone, and gastric ulcers. Some horses have even died after being injected with the corticosteroid drug sulfasalazine, which is commonly used to help at-risk thoroughbreds perform better in races.
When a horse has a good trip, it means that it did not encounter any unusual difficulty during the race. A bad trip could mean that the horse ran wide or was boxed in by other horses.
The horse race is a popular event for spectators, and betting is common. A wager is placed on the horse that will win the race, and the bettor’s winnings are then paid out by the bookmaker. There is often a large crowd at the racetrack for the big events, and many people watch the race on television or radio.
A horse that is on the bridle is travelling through a race with its head forward, usually due to pressure from the bit or taps of the jockey’s whip. A horse that is ‘on the bridle’ in the closing stages of a race is likely to be the winner.
For the few that make it through the often-traumatic horse racing career, there’s rarely a happy retirement. Most are either retried as a stud or put up for sale for breeding, and some are even killed to be used in other equestrian activities or as food. Those who do retire find that there aren’t many other opportunities for them. Those who don’t get retried will often end up in slaughterhouses, where they can be turned into cheap meat. A few might be adopted by private owners and given a home to live out their golden years in, but most are not fortunate enough to enjoy this privilege.
