Horse racing is possibly the oldest ongoing sport. It’s changed, sure. When ancient Greeks attended the Olympic games, they didn’t do it dressed as Easter eggs, with mint juleps in their hands.
Still, the core concept was the same that makes any Kentucky Derby betting strategy successful: run fast and win.
Ok. Maybe there was a little more to it than that. For a detailed look, let’s travel back in time to see what horse racing was like during the Greek Olympic games.
Overview
The people of ancient Greece enjoyed horse racing primarily in the context of chariot races. Equal parts grand and dangerous, chariot racing involved drivers standing in small, lightweight two-wheeled carts pulled by teams of horses racing around an oval track called a hippodrome. Trainers would prepare literally for years to get ready for a day at the races.
The lanes could be crowded by as many as ten chariots at a time. The format would vary over the years, but typically involved 2-4 horses per chariot. The chariot itself had two wheels and was connected to the horses by specialized harnesses.
Hairpin turns characterized the race, requiring an intense combination of luck and skill to navigate. There were numerous different ways that people could participate. In one format of the event, racers would run alongside the chariot, hopping in at one point during the race. Winning a chariot race was a huge deal. Champions would often receive payment in olive oil, sometimes in quantities as grand as 100+ ceramic pots. One has to imagine that as an almost lifetime supply. Particularly considering the life expectancy at the time.
The dangerous nature of these races made them incredibly thrilling for spectators. Crashes were common and often deadly.
Wealthy patrons would sponsor teams and drivers, investing enormous sums in the finest horses and equipment. Victory brought not just material rewards but immense social prestige.
Modern Parallels
Obviously, we’ve come a long way since ancient Grecian races. Horse racing is still dangerous. Around twenty jockeys have died during races in the modern era. Perhaps the most unusual of these deaths was that of Frank Hayes. Hayes had a fatal heart attack during the final stretch of a race at Belmont in 1923. Despite his death during the race, Hayes’s body remained on the saddle when his horse crossed the finish line. To this day, he is the only dead jockey to win a race—a record that will hopefully go unchallenged.
Racing is also still funded largely by the extremely rich. It takes a lot of money to breed, raise, store, and train a championship horse.
Still, it’s fair to say that racing has come a long way since the days of chariot racing.
Are We In The Golden Age of Racing?
Ok. It is easy to get nostalgic about the days of ancient racing. The Greeks certainly understood drama. And while we might all quietly fantasize about a Ben Hur-worthy race, it’s important to consider the full context of the situation.
Horse racing might have been more intense during ancient times.
It was also more brutal. People died. Horses were mistreated. It’s easy to forget that we are probably currently living in the most ethical era of horse racing. For the many thousands of years that events of this kind were being held, little regard was taken for the safety and well-being of the animal. Yes “safety and wellbeing” takes some of the gritty excitement out of an event, but still always for the better.
Even though events like the Kentucky Derby feel pretty ancient—in fact, the Derby is one of the oldest continuously held sporting events in the world—it’s important to remember that they are always changing. Some of those changes might feel frivolous. The integration of Instagram as a means of documenting every single pastel colored outfit that enters the stadium. Other changes are a decided improvement.
Ancient chariot races often ended in horrific crashes and injuries. Roman racing was particularly dangerous, with drivers wrapping reins around their bodies for better control, sometimes leading to gruesome deaths when chariots overturned. In medieval tournaments, horses frequently suffered serious injuries or death in jousting matches and other combat sports.
Modern racing has introduced numerous safety improvements. Tracks are designed with more forgiving surfaces to reduce injuries. Jockeys wear protective gear including helmets and padded vests. Veterinary care has advanced tremendously, with equine specialists monitoring horses’ health before, during, and after races.
Certainly, the way we view horse racing has also changed. We use statistics. Expert analysis. And when we watch our favorite races, we do it not in coliseums but in the air-conditioned comfort of our homes.
With all of these developments in mind, one almost wonders what horse racing will look like several hundred years from now.
