There is nothing more thrilling than standing at the rail as the field comes charging around the turn - unless its standing at the rail at as the field comes around the turn and you are holding a ticket on the horse bearing down on the leader. All your senses are assaulted at once - your eyes focus on the colorful silks, your strain to hear the announcer's call over the thunder of hoofs and screams of the crowd, the swirling aromas of the race track fill your nose and your palms sweat as you clutch that pari-mutuel ticket and join all the excitement to the wire. Whether the race is the Kentucky Derby or the first race of a horse's career, everyone involved is caught up in the suspense and excitement. And, when you buy a ticket and wager on a horse, you're not just making a bet, you are becoming part and parcel of the whole scene that makes thoroughbred racing the scintillating sport and spectacle so many people love.
The first step in understanding horse racing is to learn about the players in the game. Breeders raise horses. Owners race them. Trainers train them. Riders ride them. And fans bet on them. Everyone in this game is trying to win races.
As a spectator and a player yourself, you need to identify the players, evaluate the horses, and then bet on the winners. To start, we'll look at the players in the game:
Breeders
Breeders of thoroughbred racehorses have a motto: "Breed the best to the best, and hope for the best." Farms from California to New York, Florida to Maryland, are all trying to produce champions.
For breeders, the study of bloodlines is more than a hobby, it is a way of life. The art of matching a dam's family with that of a sire to produce a top-foal is part art form, part science, and a great deal of luck. For instance, Alydar, who finished second to Affirmed in the 1978 Triple Crown, sired a pair of winners in Alysheba (1987) and Strike the Gold (1991); Affirmed has yet to produce a Derby winner.
Owners
Nothing is more thrilling than standing at the finish line holding a ticket on the horse that's about to win that race. Right? Wait a minute -- we take that back. Nothing is more thrilling than OWNING the horse that's about to win that race. That ecstasy can be found on the faces of the connections in any winner's circle photograph, whether it's a maiden race or the Kentucky Derby. That's why owners are willing to spend all that money -- money to buy the horse, to feed the horse, to train the horse, to ship the horse, to shoe the horse ... well, you get the idea.
Today, the majority of horses are owned by folks with reasonable bankrolls who buy affordable horses -- people we know. And now racing is full of partnerships in which several people pool their cash to purchase horses.
Owners Silks
You can tell the owner of a racehorse by the SILKS that the jockey wears during the race. These silks were first developed in the early days of racing (before public address systems) so that owners could identify their horse and rider from the viewing stand across the meadow from the racers. Back then, silks were simple -- red, blue, gold, gray or black. Even today, race callers rely on silks to call out the leaders in a race.
Celebrity Owners
Although most of the rich and famous who attend are guests of prominent ticket holders, Racing has also attracted an impressive roster of celebrity horse owners. During the 1990s, this group of celebrity owners has grown to include musician Hammer; composer Burt Bacharach; music producer Berry Gordy; film producer Albert Broccoli; New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner; and NBA coach Rick Pitino.
Evaluating owners in regard to making winning bets is of some importance. For day-to-day handicapping, it is useful to note the owners' standings that appear in the program.
Trainers
The single most important player in a racehorse's life is the trainer. He is comparable to a college football coach - operating at a high level of competition with a constantly changing barnful of talent.
It is the job of the trainer to evaluate the talent he is working with. The trainer teaches horses how to race, hones their speed, builds their endurance, sees to their care, and calls in help to heal their injuries. The trainer creates a racing program and selects the races in which the horses will compete. Some trainers are very successful with young horses. Some excel running speedy horses going short distances.
Knowing the trainers, and being able to pick up on their hot and cold spells, is a top priority in making winning selections at the track.
Jockeys
Riding atop a thoroughbred at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour for a mile or more at a time requires tremendous athletic ability and concentration. But merely staying on the horse without falling off is only a small part of what a jockey does.
The best jockeys also are skillful strategists, top equine psychologists and superior gamesmen. They are experts at bringing out the best qualities of their mounts, whether their horses are known for flat-out speed right out of the gate, or prefer to make one late dramatic run to the wire. Top riders are also familiar with the characteristics of every other horse in the race so they know just what their own horse is up against.
In addition to the athletic demands of racing, a jockey must maintain a certain weight for riding, normally between 100 and 115 pounds, small for men. Maintaining this race weight is a daily task for most jockeys and strict dieting and conditioning programs are a constant concern.
Handicapping jockeys is easier than handicapping horses. Here are the basic rules: Some jockeys are better than others. The better riders get to ride the better horses. Because they get the best horses to ride, the best jockeys win the most races.
It's important for bettors to know the top riders at a track. The best will win the most races. But watch out, just like trainers, jockeys get hot and cold.
Once you know these roles, its time to evaluate the horses
Horses
The horses that compete in the Race are a special breed known as thoroughbreds. These horses are among the fastest animals in the world -- only the cheetah is faster, and a thoroughbred would beat a cheetah at a distance of a half-mile or more. Their stamina, speed, and desire are the result of decades of carefully researched breeding.
For their size, horses are the best runners of the animal kingdom. Horses contributed greatly to human progress by hauling, pulling, travel and war.
Pedigree
All thoroughbreds can trace their lineage to one of three Arabian stallions from the early 18th century named Matchen, 1748, Herod, 1758 or Eclipse, 1764. The lineage, or family history, of a horse is known as its pedigree. The Jockey Club, the official racing organization, registers each thoroughbred when it is born.
Breeders, who are always trying to improve the breed, match mares with stallions to produce racehorses with speed, stamina, courage and heart. Simply put, champion thoroughbreds, such as Seattle Slew, when mated to blue-blooded mares, pass on their winning qualities to their sons and daughters. It's all in the family -- for instance, Reigh Count, who won the 1928 Kentucky Derby, sired Count Fleet (1943), who in turn sired Count Turf (1951). You can understand why breeders can become quite passionate about the study of bloodlines and which families produce the best horses.
Three Year Old Thoroughbreds
A thoroughbred is not considered an adult horse until it is five years old, so the horses who run for the triple crown are known as colts (if they are male), fillies (if they are female), or geldings (if they are male horses who have been neutered). Of the 35,000 three year old thoroughbreds in the world, only 400 will register as Triple Crown Nominees in late January. Of these, anywhere from 12 to 20 horses will actually make it as entries.
For 3-year-olds, most of whom made their very first start less than a year before, the 10 furlong (mile and a quarter) distance of the Kentucky Derby is grueling. Most horses this age are not prepared to blaze 10 furlongs at top speed at this stage of their careers; indeed, as we head into the 21st century, the classic distance for a horse in America is more like 9 furlongs (1 1/8th mile), not 10 furlongs. The Belmont Stakes is a mile and 5 furlongs!
What's in a Name
Thoroughbred names can be classy or quirky, clever or just plain odd. Racehorse names can be no longer than 18 letters (this is so they can fit in the racing program) and must not contain profanity. All names must be approved by The Jockey Club.
To be approved, a horse's name must be publicly available. Each year, thousands of names are released for public use by the Jockey Club. A horse's name is made available when the horse that previously had the name has been dead for at least 8 years. Some names, like Secretariat, are permanently retired and will never be used again.
To register a horse's name or check on the availability of a name, use the Jockey Club's online names database. To get ideas for your horse name from the more than 84,000 names released this year, check the Jockey Club's list of recently released names.
Some thoroughbred owners, such as Alfred Gywnn Vanderbilt and Caesar Kimmel, delight in thinking up clever names for their horses. Often they combine elements of the mother and father's names; sometimes they're just tongue-twisters. For instance, the name of Vanderbilt's most famous horse, Native Dancer, came from his sire, Polynesian, and his mother, Geisha. On the other hand, Kimmel had track announcers all over the country tied up in fits when he named his top filly Flat Fleet Feet.
The elements of the horse race.
"The horses have reached the starting gate. It's now post time!"
The public address system carries this announcement seconds before the start of the race. Then the gates fly open and the horses blaze forward in their quest for glory as the winner of the race. In 2 minutes, it is over, and a name is written into the record books.
Preparation for this 120 seconds of excitement starts long before race day. And as race morning dawns, every horse follows the same ritual as all the hopefuls who have gone before.
Barns
From the grandstand you can look across the track and see the dozens of barns where the Race hopefuls eat and sleep during the week before the race. By 4:30 a.m., the barns on the backside (the grandstand is called the frontside) are stirring as grooms arrive to check on the horses and take them for strolls around the shedrow as their stalls are freshened with clean straw. Unlike every other day of the week, thoroughbreds do not get a full meal the morning of a race -- no hay at all. On the morning of the race, they are groomed, visited by the veterinarians, and sometimes shod by the blacksmiths.
Unlike normal training days when the horses carry out an exacting training regimen in the early morning, on race day, the horses usually just have a short jog around the track.
Paddock
As post time nears, the horse's groom, accompanied by the trainer and usually his hotwalker, the exercise rider and the assistant trainers, will walk the horse from his barn around the first turn over to the paddock, a public viewing area behind the grandstand and clubhouse where the horses are saddled. The thoroughbred is walked around the small circular path at the paddock to ease the tension of the big race before the trainer puts the saddle on and the call "Riders up!" is made. Fans will be able to see the horses close up for the first time. Many place their bets after watching the horses in the paddock to see for themselves if they are frisky, anxious, or calm.
Jockey's Room
While the horse is being brought to the paddock, the horse's jockey is getting dressed in the jockey's room in the colors of the owner's silks. The jockeys also put on 5 pairs of clear goggles. During the race, as each becomes muddied, he pulls it down to reveal the next, clean one. Good Jockeys will ride in several races for the day, even if one of them is a Triple Crown race.
Once dressed, the jockey is weighed with his saddle by the racetrack official. Jockeys must come in at the right weight for that race. If a jockey weighs light, extra weights will be added to special pockets in the saddle. The weight for the Triple Crown races is 126 pounds for stallions and 121 pounds for fillies. For Handicap races the weight is different for each horse based on that horse's record. The more the horse wins, the higher the handicap and the larger the weight.
The jockey then walks with his saddle to the paddock.
Post Parade
Once the riders are mounted, the bugler sounds the traditional "call to post", alerting the crowd that the horses are on their way to the racetrack. The post parade is one of the most exciting moments of the day as the horses step onto the track and pass in front of the grandstand on their way before doing a slow jog to the starting gate. It is now just minutes before the race begins, and spectators rush to the betting windows as the anticipation swells.
They're Off
One by one, the horses are loaded into the starting gate, a row of stalls, each just big enough to hold one horse. The stalls are padded for the horses' safety since some thoroughbreds are anxious and cause a ruckus when they are being loaded. The moment the last horse is loaded, the gates open and the track announcer exclaims, "They're off!"
Photo Finish
Usually the horses load into the gate to the left of the grandstand. The field passes in front of the crowd once, races around the first turn, down the backstretch, into the far turn, and passes in front of the grandstand again on the stretch run, the part of the race after the far turn. It is here that the announcer shouts the most exciting words of the day, "And down the stretch they come!" As the horses cross the finish line, a camera is automatically triggered to take a picture of the finish. In cases where it is difficult to discern which horse actually crossed first, the photo will tell. This is called a photo finish.
Winner's Circle
After the winner is determined, the victorious jockey climbs onto another scale, this one near the finish line. Once it is confirmed that his weight was proper, he re-mounts and walks to the winner's circle with the horse. It is a moment of great jubilation as a blanket of flowers is draped across the horse's back. The trainer and owner join the horse and jockey in the winner's circle for a victory photo.
© HWS, 1999