The Greeks were the first people to race horses. And, like a lot of other things in history, this sport was passed on to the Romans, who are now obsessed with it. Back then, the Greeks put this game in the Olympics, which helped it become more well-known.
The game started in the United Kingdom, though, when Arabian stallions were brought there during and after the Crusades. When the stock from the Middle East was mixed with the breeds from Europe, a fast runner with a steady build was made.
Throughout the history of horse racing in Europe, we can see that the sport was mostly for the nobility and royal families. The common people watched the show.
Charles II and Queen Anne were both so into horse racing that they held their own private and public races.
Later, when racing arenas were built all over Europe, horse racing became a big deal there. But there was professional horse racing in the 1600s, when the "great classics" were created.
Before the United States had its American Jockey Club, Europe already had the first group in charge of horse racing. In this way, it has already done a number of things related to horse racing.
The horse racing elite started a movement that led to the creation of the Jockey Club of England. This then became the group in charge of racetracks, races, breed standards, and rules and regulations for events. In short, in the 1750s, they made the sport into what it is today. The Jockey Club was also in charge of figuring out the horses' breeding lines when they were young.
James Weatherby, a member of the Jockey Club, was the first person to figure out who the founding sires of what we now call Thoroughbred stallions were.
During the game's development, different types were made. These books are called "classics."
Some of the most well-known are the St. Leger, which was started in 1776, the Oaks, which was started three years later, and the Derby, which was started the year after. The 2,000 Guineas was started in 1809, and the 1000 Guineas was started five years later.
All of these things happened because of the Jockey Club, along with other things.
St. Leger
Lieutenant Colonel Anthony St. Leger, who had been an Irish soldier, started the town of St. Leger. On September 24, 1776, the first event of this type took place. It is the longest of the English Classics, with a distance of 132 yards, 1 metre, and 6 feet.
Based on what we know now, this range was pretty short, which made us wonder if it was worth it, since ranges seem to have changed to more exciting distances. This game was played for 227 years, but it ended when the Civil War broke out.
The Kentucky
Edward Smith Stanley, who was the Earl of Derby in 1779, came up with the idea for this horse race. With his friends, they planned to only race against each other for a half mile. This was called Oaks after his home. The race was so popular that the next year, there was a second one just like it.
The race got its name after the Earl beat his friend Sir Charles Bunbury at a game where they flipped coins. The Earl was a great runner at the time.
These are just two of the most well-known books written in English. Even though horse racing has been around for a long time in other parts of the world, Europe is still given credit for starting the first formal horse race.
