Horse racing is one of the world’s most popular pastimes, and it’s been a favourite for the last two hundred years.
Not only does it attract millions of fans from across the world, but it has also given rise to an exciting and thriving betting scene that has become just as popular as the sport itself.
One of the most common problems that beginner bettors face is not fully understanding everything that’s going on while the horses are racing. A key to getting better at wagering on horse racing is to have a strong understanding of the basic rules and how it all works together. With that in mind, these are the basic rules of modern horse racing.
Scoring In Horse Racing
Almost all other sports in the world follow some kind of scoring system, allowing fans and officials to keep track of who’s in the lead. Horse racing is different in that there is no type of scoring in general due to the fact that the winner is whoever crosses the finish line first.
Despite this, it should be noted that there can sometimes be other awards that are handed out by the time the race has come to an end, such as the best-dressed horse. In general, though, horse racing is much easier to keep track of thanks to a lack of an official scoring system.
Disqualification
It should always be kept in mind that a horse can be disqualified at any time during the event. One of the main causes of disqualification is if a leading or other horse swerves or is used to try and push other competitors off of the track in an attempt to get out ahead.
This does not happen often, but it has occurred in the past, and has led to both the horse and their jockey to be removed from the event.
How The Race Begins
Before the start of every race, horses will have to be positioned within the stalls, but sometimes it can also be a simple starting gate. The idea behind this is to ensure that all of the horses are able to begin the event without any advantages over the others, similar in some ways as to how players start in a game of Roulette Canada provides.
There are some special cases, however, where a hose may be able to start an event with a flag instead, depending on the circumstances. If a horse and its rider start before the others, a false start is often called, and it everyone has to go back behind the starting point and begin again.
The jockeys are in charge of keeping the horses in line on the track as they make their way forwards, and if there are certain obstacles on the track, like hurdles, it’s up to the jockey to safely guide the horse over them.
How A Horse Wins
There’s almost always a clear winner in horse racing, which is the animal that’s able to cross the line first. In some cases, there may be a tie, but this is also why there is a photographer at the end to snap a picture of which horse technically crossed first.
If there isn’t a clear winner, the event goes into dead heat rules, in which case both horses are declared as the winners, and the prize is then split evenly between the two.