Horse Racing

Or...Playing the Ponies!

Archeological records indicate horse racing

took place in ancient Greece, Babylon, Syria, and Egypt.

As a part of myth and legend, Norse mythology tells of a horse race between Odin and Hrungnir.

Thoroughbred racing was popular with royalty of British society and earned the nickname “Sport of Kings.”

History

Nearly all Thoroughbreds can trace back to

Darley Arabian, owned by Thomas Darley Godolphin, owned by Lord Godolphin Byerly Turk, owned by Captain Robert Byerly

These three horses were taken to England where they mated with racing mares.

Historical Sires

Dates back to 1665 at the Newmarket course

in Salisbury, New York. (Now known as the Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York.)

First race supervised by NY’s colonial governor Richard Nicolls.

The American Stud Book was started in 1868, the beginning of organized horse racing in the United States.

There were 314 tracks operating by 1890; and in 1894 the American Jockey Club was formed.

In the U.S.A

Horse racing thrived for centuries until it

became organized. The puritans at the turn of the 20th century

didn’t like the betting aspect so horse racing lost its shine.

Parimutuel betting was introduced in 1908 and racing came on strong again until WWII.

After suffering for some years, the introduction of the Triple Crown renewed interest in American horse racing.

Here today, gone tomorrow?

Betting system in which all bets are placed

together in a pool. Once all bets are made, house takes their cut

then pays out what remains. Because the payout goes to everyone that bet

a winner, the amount you win may change after you make your bet.

The amount of payout depends on the horses odds.

Parimutuel Betting

How odds work

Odds do not represent the actual probability of

an event happening, it represents the amount the “house” is willing to pay out.

Odds given in gambling are the odds against the activity happening. That is, if the odds are 2 – 1, the horse will lose 2 races for every 1 that it wins.

Payouts for betting a 2 – 1 horse then mean that you win $2 for every $1 you bet, plus you get your original bet back. That is, betting $1 on a 2 – 1 horse will pay you $3.

Odds

Betting at the Track

There are many types of bets in horse racing. (See

the previous video for several examples.) This is not intended to be a complete overview of

horse racing as it is a complex, and exciting, systems involving animals, humans and money.

Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino has live racing through April 16th and televised racing every day except Christmas.

As with all gambling, you should only bet money you are able to lose. (Always consult your budget!)

And much, much more