There are over 800 official sports in the world. Of these 800, 28 are competing in the Summer Olympics and 11 at the Winter Olympics. Each game comes with its unique rules and gameplay. Out of all the sports, there is only one dubbed the “Sport of Kings”. Take a wild guess. Here is a hint. It is not football. Neither is it basketball. If you had horse racing as your answer, then you are a pretty well rounded and quite historical. It is one of the few sports that uses animals as the leading athletes and does not require a ball or an object to put in a goal. In horse racing, you can be guaranteed to make some pretty ‘royal’ earnings should you and your equine come out tops. Still not convinced? Reading this guide should excite and enlighten you on what makes horse racing one of the best sports.
Horse Racing History
Historically, horse racing has origins in ancient civilizations of Greece, Babylon, Syria and Egypt. It existed mainly as chariot racing. It entered the Greek Olympics around 648 BC and played an important role in the Panhellenic Games. In ancient Rome, chariot horse races were the primary sport. As time went on, horses were bred mainly for racing and became popular among the top brass of British royalty, aristocrats and the big wigs of the society. It is in this period that horse racing was dubbed the ‘Sport of Kings’. The 18th century helped further enhanced and refined equestrian racing and catapulted it to fame as King Charles II was an avid equestrian athlete and fan. It is in this period that clubs were formed and rules made to govern the sport.
Financial Rewards
Let’s talk about money! The money that surrounds horse racing is enormous. In one sense, you can consider the patrons, the class of the patrons who frequent horse races. You are more likely to meet a member or associate of royalty and aristocrats at the races. You are also expected to meet celebrities and the who is who of the society. The prizes for the winners are mind-boggling. The 2019 winner of the Dubai World Cup made a handsome $7.2million. The fans are not left out. This is one of the most significant sources of revenue for punters and bookies, with free bets for spectators at all the major races.
Different Types Of Races
The uniqueness of horse racing is seen in the various types of races. They include flat racing, jump racing and endurance riding, to name a few. In flat racing, horses gallop between two fixed points around an oval or straight track. Jump racing is regular in Great Britain and involves horses racing while jumping over fixed obstacles. Endurance racing is as the name states as horses run over extremely long distances that range between 25 miles to 100 miles. A single sport with multiple variants and rules. How special can it get?
The equine spectacle of horse racing is an A-lister when it comes to sports. Having engaged the skills and abilities of kings, princes, royalty and highly skilled soldiers. It serves as a source of high-quality entertainment for all fans. One of the reasons this is a unique sport is that it is one of the few sports in the world that has different variants within the sport. It is also a great source of revenue for all the stakeholders involved so it could be said that with horse racing, everyone’s a winner!
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_racing#Africa – Wikipedia
- https://www.thesurebettor.com/richest-horse-races/ – The Sure Bettor
- https://www.britannica.com/sports/horse-racing – Britannica