Horse Racing begun life at least six thousand years ago in Central Asia. It’s origins lie with nomadic tribesman who domesticated the horse around 4500BC. It has existed in one form or another ever since. Chariot racing was also popular in ancient Greece and Rome which has since evolved into present day harness racing.

Modern horse racing as we know it today originated in the 12 th Century with the importation of Arab stallions. These stallions where bred with English mares to produce horses with exceptional speed and stamina.

In 1174 the first race track was opened called Smithfield Track in London. The sport was always popular with the aristocracy and became known as the “Sport of Kings” due to the interest shown by King Charles II in horse racing. The royal family to this day are still connected to the sport.

The next big change came in 1750 when the Jockey Club was formed as an administrative body to deal with Horse Racing in England. The Jockey Club still performs this task today. The Jockey club set about regulating the breeding of racehorses. A man called James Weatherby set about tracing the family history of all the race horses in England. As a result of this he published the General Stud Book. From this point on only horses descended from horses in the General Stud Book could be called thoroughbred.

The Jockey Club also set about classifying races run and in 1814 this led to the series of five races known as the “classics“. These races, which are contested only by three year olds comprise of The Derby, St Leger, 1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas and the Oaks. These races are still run today and are the premier flat races of the year.

In America, Horse Racing begun in the seventeenth century when British settlers brought horses over with them. Horse Racing grew quickly and the American Stud Book was begun in 1868. However in the early twentieth century due to the proliferation of criminal elements in Horse Racing the government decided to ban bookmaking and it wasn’t until 1908 with the introduction of pari-mutuel bookmaking at the Kentucky Derby that Horse Racing once again flourished. There is now a series of “classics” in America called the triple crown which consists of The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.

The racing of horses in harness begun it’s modern history in the United States in the eighteenth century, where racing trotting horses became a popular recreation and soon tracks sprung up around the country. The sport begun to decline in popularity in the twentieth century and it wasn’t until the forties that it again regained popularity with the introduction of harness racing at the Roosevelt Raceway in New York under floodlights. The sport continues to flourish today.