Thursday, February 12, 2009

Sorts Of thoroughbred Horse Racing

By Simon M Skinner

Most people are familiar with Thoroughbred horse racing. This is because the three most popular American Thoroughbred horse races are televised every year and include the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, otherwise known as the Thoroughbred Triple Crown.

The Triple Crown races are run on a flat, dirt track. In most instances, the horses will pace themselves and finish the race with a powerful surge of speed. There are some instances where a horse will have enough speed that they will be able to win the race from the starting gate to the finish line.

Spectators are often unaware that there are in fact other forms or Thoroughbred racing out there other than what is familiar to us all via our television sets. The Triple Crown is the most popular Thoroughbred horse racing event by far, but there are many others.

Another variation of Thoroughbred horseracing that is popular is the turf races. What makes these races different from the other types of Thoroughbred races is that the races are run over a grass surface instead of a dirt surface and all of the other aspects of the races are the same.

Turf courses for thoroughbred horse racing are just as long as the courses used for other race events. The difference is the turf; as well as the terms which are used in the sport. The difference is chiefly in the words used to describe the condition of the track used for the race. For example, in turf racing, "firm" is used where in dirt track racing, "fast" would be used instead.

Different words are used in order to describe the conditions of a dirt race track during a race than are used to describe the conditions of a turf course. In dirt track Thoroughbred racing, "fast" means the same thing as if we were to say "firm" in a turf course race.

Thoroughbred racing can also involve races where the horses have to jump over fences placed throughout the course; these races are called steeplechases and give the horse and rider alike an extra challenge ? and an extra measure of excitement to the viewers. Speed is the only consideration for thoroughbreds that run races only on flat race courses; horses that run steeplechases, however, need to have a lot of stamina to finish these races ? and jockeys have to know the right time to make the jumps. The length of the race is the determining factor in how many hurdles that the horse will have to jump during the race. - 16887

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