Horse racing is a popular sport and has been practiced throughout history in many different civilizations. It has been a source of both entertainment and financial gain for people around the globe. It is also an important part of mythology and legend, such as the contest between the steeds of Odin and Hrungnir in Norse mythology. In today’s world, it is a highly regulated and complex industry.
A horse race is a close contest of horses either ridden by jockeys or pulling sulkies. The race is usually run on a flat surface such as a dirt or turf track and may last several miles. The winner is the first to cross the finish line. The first to finish is generally given a certain amount of money, which can be multiplied by the number of other participants in the race. Historically, the most prestigious races have offered the highest purses. Some of the most difficult and dangerous of all races are steeplechases, which require the horses to jump over a variety of obstacles. The earliest written descriptions of horse races date from about 1500 bc in Asia Minor and later, from about 540 to 700 bc in Greece. The Greek author Xenophon referred to both four-hitched chariot and mounted bareback races in his writings.
Today, horse racing is a global sport with many races held in more than one nation. The sport is governed by state and national commissions, which are sometimes supervised by the national racing authority. Many nations also regulate the number of tracks and horses. The sport is growing in popularity, partly because of the increase in online betting and satellite transmission of live events.
Despite its increasing popularity, horse racing is not without controversy. The use of sedatives in training and the injection of corticosteroids to treat injuries are just some of the issues that have raised concern among outsiders. The condition of Havnameltdown, the 2009 Preakness winner, following his post-mortem examination has also been a matter of concern for some.
The equine sport has long been a topic of interest for political pundits, journalists and the general public. In 2004 and 2006, Johanna Dunaway and Regina Lawrence at the University of Oregon examined print news articles about governor and U.S. Senate elections, and found that newspaper chains and corporate-owned papers were more likely to report the election as a horse race than those with a single owner. They also found that coverage was most prevalent in tight races, and in the weeks leading up to Election Day. In addition, they observed that the more a close race was, the more often the word horse race was used in the headlines and in the text of the story. This suggests that the media frames elections as a horse race in an attempt to attract readers, especially those from swing states. This strategy appears to be paying off in the current election cycle, with polls showing that Republicans and Democrats are both within a hair’s breadth of each other nationally.