A horse race is a competition where horses run against each other to win. The race is usually run on a dirt track. The winner is the first to cross the finish line. There are a number of things to keep in mind when betting on a horse race. The type of race, the number of runners and the pay-out places affect the odds. Taking these factors into account will help you place your bets wisely.
As the sun set over the backstretch of America’s most famous racetrack, a pack of three horses jockeyed for position. War of Will, ridden by Mike Smith, held the inside post. But as the race neared its end, he began to tire. On the far turn, McKinzie and Mongolian Groom surged by him. Smith whipped his mount in an attempt to encourage him. He also wore a blue hood, which helps focus his attention and reduce the chances of him being startled by shadows on the ground.
Despite the best efforts of trainers and owners, horses often suffer from the physical and mental stress of racing. The unnatural training regimen, confined spaces and lack of exercise can cause injuries, particularly in the lower legs, which take the brunt of the force of the jockey’s whip. Horses may also exhibit compulsive behavior, such as biting their gates or kicking themselves. The pain caused by these symptoms is not always visible to humans, but can be seen in the horse’s gait and twitching, snorting, or shaking of the head.
The specter of juicing has long haunted the sport, even though experts agree that doping in horses is not nearly as common as once believed. Some of the most legendary horses in history have been juicing suspects, including Seabiscuit and Man o’War.
While the use of corticosteroids, sedatives and other drugs to make a horse more competitive is alarming for outsiders, it is not unprecedented in horse racing. The use of these drugs has been used for decades in an effort to enhance a horse’s performance, and the results can be spectacular.
When journalists cover elections by framing them as a horse race, relying on polls and giving the most positive coverage to frontrunners and underdogs who are gaining momentum, voters, candidates and the news industry itself suffer, a growing body of research suggests. This collection of research highlights multiple studies on the impact of horse race reporting, which has become a standard strategy in journalism around the world. The articles in this collection were compiled and written by Denise-Marie Ordway of the Journalist’s Resource, a project of Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. The articles are periodically updated. Unless otherwise noted, all articles appear with the permission of the publisher. Copyright