A horse race is a race for thoroughbreds on a track. There are different types of races and they have their own rules and eligibility requirements.
During the early days of racing, most races were match races between two or three horses. In these match races, the owners provided the purse and bets were a simple “play or pay” wager. If an owner withdrew, the purse was forfeited. The bets were recorded in a book called the “match book” and kept by disinterested third parties.
Later, more complex events were created. These included “open” races where all horses could enter, and “closed” races in which only the owners of the winner could enter. These were developed in response to the growing demand for more public racing.
The most important races for handicappers to watch are the stretch runs. These are long races that usually cover two turns on the track and may be over one mile in length. They are a good indicator of a horse’s position on the track.
These horses often drift outward during the early portion of a stretch run and can be determined best by reviewing the head on shot of video tape replays. They should be well behind the rest of the field after they have been straightened away from the start line.
They are not always successful. Some have trouble adjusting to the speed of the stretch run and can slow down, while others find it easy to pick up the pace and keep pace with the leaders.
This term can describe any horse that is in close contention with the leaders during a stretch run, but was not able to maintain his position as the race progressed. It can also be used to describe horses that ran out of steam early and were unable to gain any ground before they were forced off the lead.
Sometimes, a horse loses his position after the race due to traffic issues or by being dueled for command throughout. He could overcome these problems or he might be stuck racing wide throughout and have to settle for a fourth place finish.
During the running of a race, the jockeys try to position their horses on the inside track to reduce the distance they have to cover. This helps them conserve energy and avoid overexertion.
A horse that was unable to gain ground during the stretch run can be considered FAILED TO MENACE. Several factors can contribute to this term including the amount of pressure exerted by the other horses, the strength of the other riders’ whips and if the horse was lame or injured at some point during the race.
When a horse is hit by another horse’s whip it can inadvertently damage the other horse, causing injury. This is particularly common during the stretch drive, when two horses are trying to gain the lead and lame horses can be forced into hitting their rider’s whips.
By helping voters understand how candidates differ on key issues, horse-race stories help clarify voters’ minds and steer them toward the candidate most likely to implement their views. In presidential races, horse-race coverage can be especially helpful when the candidates converge on the same issues, as is often the case in Democratic presidential derbies.