How Thoroughbred horse racing developed

Thoroughbred horse racing is racing with a horse breed developed for racing in 17th and 18th century England by crossbreeding native mares with imported stallions. What shaped the sport's growth, its horses, and the demands racing places on them? The lessons connect racing's history and breeding with its human choices and consequences.

3 articles, 1 book

The reading path

1. Read
   

   Thoroughbred horse racing · Wikipedia · 38 min read

   Thoroughbred horse racing received royal support under Charles II, a keen racegoer and owner, and Anne, including support for breeding race horses. With royal support, horse racing became popular with the public, and by 1727, a newspaper devoted to racing, the Racing Calendar, was founded. English Classic races had been established by the end of the 18th century. Their distances, ranging from one mile (1.6 km) to 1.75 miles (2.82 km), led breeders to produce horses that could race younger and had more speed. Modern Thoroughbreds are primarily bred for speed, and racehorses have a very high rate of accidents and other health problems. In the United States, current estimates indicate 1.5 career-ending breakdowns for every 1,000 horses starting a race, an average of two horses per day.

2. Read
   

   The Myth of the Noble Racehorse - JSTOR Daily · JSTOR Daily · 2 min read

   After 1789, when a wartime ban on "Horse Racing, and all Kinds of Gaming" was lifted, the sport really took off in the United States. By 1900, most cities had racetracks, whether public or private, as well as off-track betting parlors.

3. Read
   

   Jockey Red Pollard's Perseverance Helped Form a Lasting Bond with Seabiscuit · americasbestracing.net

   Thoroughbred racing saw Seabiscuit race 35 times and win only five races in his 2-year-old season, despite a pedigree that predicted greatness. Trainer "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons saw potential, but Tom Smith unlocked it after Gladys Phipps sold Seabiscuit to Charles Howard for $7,500.

4. Book
   

   Seabiscuit: An American Legend · Bookshop.org

   Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand describes how Tom Smith urged Charles Howard to buy the crooked-legged racehorse and hired Red Pollard as his jockey, despite Pollard being blind in one eye and half-crippled. Their story shows how a trainer, owner, and jockey shaped a racehorse's fortunes.

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