What are the origins of this fun-filled festive custom?
Chariot and mounted horse racing has a long and distinguished history, with both forms dating back to antiquity. Pictured is a 2nd-century Roman mosaic housed in the Bardo Museum in Tunis depicting a chariot race.
This late 4th- to early 3rd-century relief housed in Athens' Acropolis Museum depicts the scene of a Apobates competition, or chariot race, where fully-armed athletes jumped to the ground and then had to remount on their fast-moving chariots.
In the Roman Empire, competitive chariot and mounted horse racing were major industries and drew enormous crowds. This mosaic of a Roman charioteer and horse dates back to the 3rd century and Rome's famous Circus Maximus.
And horse racing tradition continued long after the fall of the Roman Empire. From the mid-15th century until 1882, spring carnival in Rome closed with a horse race. Fifteen to 20 riderless horses ran the length of the Via del Corso, a long, straight city street, in just under three minutes. Pictured: 'Riderless Racers at Rome' by Théodore Géricault, 1817.
Flat racing, where horses gallop directly between two points around a straight or oval track, existed in England by at least 1174 and continued at country fairs and markets throughout the Middle Ages and into the reign of King James I (1566–1625), when racing at Newmarket (pictured) was first recorded.
As early as the reign of Charles II (1630–1685) the foundation of the Thoroughbred horse breed was laid. Developed when native mares were crossbred with imported Oriental stallions of Arabian, Barb, and Turkoman breeding, Thoroughbred horses are known for their agility, speed, and "hot blooded" spirit.
Thoroughbred racing quickly became popular with aristocrats and royalty of British society, earning it the title "Sport of Kings." Pictured is a horse race taking place near Windsor Castle in August 1684, in the presence of King Charles II.
By 1750, the Jockey Club was formed to control the Newmarket races. Founded as one of the most exclusive high society social clubs in Great Britain, its function was to establish rules to ensure races on Newmarket heath were run fairly. The Jockey Club eventually took on the responsibility of becoming the official governing body for horse racing in Britain.
The Epsom Derby first took place in 1780. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey and remains Britain's richest horse race.
First held in 1776, the St Leger is the oldest of the five classic English horse races (five long-standing horse races run during the traditional flat racing season). It's staged at Doncaster racecourse.
Ascot racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne. The annual five-day Royal Ascot meet begins with the Queen Anne Stakes. But it's the Gold Cup, the oldest and most prestigious race that's the undoubted highlight and which tests even the world's most elite long-distance horses. Today, the Royal Ascot is the major flat racing festival in Europe and attracts horses from all over the world.
Britain is home to National Hunt racing, where horses are required to jump fences and ditches, also known as a steeplechase. Established in 1839, the Grand National is one of the biggest National Hunts events of the year and takes place annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool.
Another prestigious National Hunt meet is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, held in Gloucestershire. It first took place in July 1819 as a flat race but was run proper as a jumps race on March 12, 1924.
First staged in 1863 as the Grand Prix de Paris and later known as the Prix du Conseil de Paris, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was first run on October 3, 1920 at Longchamp racecourse. Pictured is 'Les Courses a Longchamp,' a watercolor and gouache by Édouard Manet (1832–1883).
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's most famous annual Thoroughbred horse race. First held in 1861, it is today one of the richest horse races in the world. Pictured is an engraving of the finish line at the Melbourne Cup of 1881 made by "S.B." and published in the Illustrated Australian News in November 1881.
Inaugurated in 1981, the Japan Cup is held annually at Tokyo Racecourse in the city's Fuchū district. An invitational event, the competition is also one of the world's richest turf races.
On May 17, 1875, in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people, 15 horses contested the first Kentucky Derby. Known in the United States as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports," the Kentucky Derby had the distinction of having been run uninterrupted for 144 years previous to 2020 (horse racing in Europe having been suspended during the Second World War). Pictured is a 1895 trade card published by Donaldson Brothers for Arbuckle Coffee depicting a map of Kentucky. The card highlights two of the Bluegrass State's most popular products, the Kentucky Derby and whiskey.
The real stars of horse racing have always been the horses and riders. Pictured here in 1934 is Red Pollard on Seabiscuit at Belmont Park in New York. The Thoroughbred and his jockey were the subject of the 2003 film 'Seabiscuit,' starring Tobey Maguire as Pollard.
Widely considered one of the greatest racehorses of all time, Man o' War won 20 of 21 races between 1919 and 1920. He's seen with jockey Johnny Loftus, who rode him to victory in eight races, and to the only defeat in the horse's career, a second-place finish at the Sanford Memorial Stakes. Ironically, the horse who beat him was named Upset.
Owned by the Aga Khan, Irish-bred, British-trained Shergar ran his first race in 1980, with Lester Piggott as jockey. Among the Thoroughbred's triumphs was winning the 1981 Epsom Derby. Retired to stud in Ireland in October 1981, Shergar was stolen by thieves in 1983 and a ransom of £2 million was demanded (but it was never paid). Shergar's body has never been recovered or identified. Speculation as to who was behind the theft remains today. Police and intelligence sources considered the IRA as the most likely suspects behind the theft, but this has never been proven.
Champion Thoroughbred steeplechaser Red Rum won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and also came second in the two intervening years, 1975 and 1976. He's pictured being ridden by Brian Fletcher while taking the last fence to claim victory at the 1974 Grand National.
In 1973, American Thoroughbred racehorse Secretariat became the first Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes) winner in 25 years. The horse is pictured blanketed in roses with jockey Ron Turcotte after winning the Kentucky Derby.
Arguably the best horse from down under in modern times, Winx won 33 consecutive races including 25 Group 1s (a world record) between 2015 and her retirement in 2019. She's seen here ridden by Hugh Bowman during the 2017 Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney, Australia.
Hurricane Fly is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his performances in hurdle races—and breaking records! Hurricane Fly previously held the world record for most Group 1 races won by any racehorse until overtaken by Winx in 2019. A performance highlight was claiming victory with jockey Ruby Walsh in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2011.
With 4,493 career wins under his belt, including nine Epsom Derby victories, retired English rider Lester Piggott is widely considered as one of the greatest flat racing jockeys of all time.
Italian jockey Frankie Dettori has been Champion Jockey on three occasions. His most celebrated achievement was riding all seven winners on British Champions' Day at Ascot in 1996 (pictured).
Sources: (Journal of Sport History) (ScienceDirect) (The Jockey Club) (IrishCentral)
Pictured: racehorses and their jockeys ride through the snow during the first race of the White Turf race meeting held on the frozen surface of Switzerland's Lake St. Moritz in February 1990.
The modern-day equivalent of chariot racing, harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, occupied by a driver. Pictured is an event at Addington Raceway in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Horse racing is one of the most popular sporting events in the world. It's also one of the most ancient, with records of chariot and mounted horse racing dating back to antiquity. Regarded as the "Sport of Kings" for its historical association with aristocrats and royalty of British society, horse racing today is big business: the Dubai World Cup for example is worth a staggering US$12 million for the first past the post!
So saddle up and gallop through this history of horse riding. Click on!
With a purse of US$12 million, the Dubai World Cup is the world's richest horse race. Annually held on the last Saturday in March, the event is part of the Dubai World Cup Night of races. A highlight of the United Arab Emirates' social calendar as much as a world-class sporting event, the Dubai World Cup epitomizes the glamour and celebrity status horse racing has garnered in the modern era.
One of the all-time greats, American jockey Bill "Willie" Shoemaker held the world record for total professional jockey victories for 29 years.
A gallop through the history of horse racing
What are the origins of this equestrian performance sport?
LIFESTYLE Equestrian
Horse racing is one of the most popular sporting events in the world. It's also one of the most ancient, with records of chariot and mounted horse racing dating back to antiquity. Regarded as the "Sport of Kings" for its historical association with aristocrats and royalty of British society, horse racing today is big business: the Dubai World Cup for example is worth a staggering US$12 million for the first past the post!
So saddle up and gallop through this history of horse riding. Click on!