It’s a measure of the success of thoroughbred horse racing that it feels like it’s had a very long history. Its most prestigious races, such as the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes (known as the Triple Crown), are deeply steeped in tradition. But you don’t have to delve into horse racing information for very long before you discover that even the breed of thoroughbred horses is only slightly older than the United States. And the races in which they excel were established not much more than 150 years ago.
The thoroughbred horses were bred in England, crossing English mares with Arabian stallions, and were brought to North America in the early eighteenth century. But organized thoroughbred horse races didn’t start for another 150 years or so, even though the first racetrack was constructed as early as 1665, on Long Island. It wasn’t until the American Stud Book was created in 1868 that things really got organized. Harness racing, too, developed a sort of parallel history, when a new breed known as standard-bred horses branched off from the thoroughbreds.
Thoroughbred horse racing was still rather precarious as an organized sport, even after it became formally systematized. The reason was that until 1908, betting was seriously frowned upon among the American populace. This meant there wasn’t much incentive for the races to proliferate, when the disapproval was so strong. However, in 1908 the new pari-mutuel form of betting was established, in which all bets made were collected into a common pot and divided equally among the winners after each race. People could now bet on their horse racing selections, and the races began to multiply.
When pari-mutuel betting came into the sport of thoroughbred horse racing, it helped this racing to become more popular, yet this popularity continued on a roller-coaster throughout the twentieth century. It lagged somewhat, during and after the Second World War, then rose in the latter part of the century. What began the most recent rise was the fame of certain horses like Seattle Slew or Secretariat, and in more recent years it has been perpetuated through the internet, both via online betting sites and the many horse racing analysis and information websites. The beginnings of these races and the breed itself were relatively modest, but now they have risen to fame and have achieved an assured place in North American history.
Related Articles