The first man that saw horses running across a flat part of land probably wagered a bet he knew which horse was going to get there first. Once man started to domesticate the horse around 4500 BC in Asia they started to race them and the only people that could participate were kings and the nobles of the area. Horse racing was one of the events during the very first Greek Olympics. This was the beginning of the History of horse racing.

In England the knights that went on the crusades returned with Arabian horses during the twelfth century. These horses were graceful and fast unlike the English horses that worked the fields. Several Stallions were bred with some of the mares of English descent creating a strong and durable horse with a great deal of speed. The nobles of the kingdom would bet on which horse would cross the finish line first and that started horse racing as we know it today.

Races prior to 1752 were undocumented and the first to be recorded was a race in County Cork in Ireland starting from Buttevant Church to St. Marys Church in Doneraile. The raced from steeple to steeple coining the word steeple chase as a form of racing. The best known steeplechases are the Grand National in Liverpool that began in 1839 and the Irish Grand National in County Meath always during Easter weekend.

Starting in the nineteenth century professional horse racing had started. Training of horses and of people to ride the horses was desired because you wanted to have the best horse. The best horse made the most money in the betting circles. Those that owned the trained horses made a great deal of money in 1750 they started up a governing authority for horse racing at Newmarket forming the Jockey Club. This authority has all control over British Horse Racing to this day.

All regulations and rules pertaining to horse racing were recorded by the Jockey club. When making rules they looked at the type of racing and tracks that needed to be used for that particular type. It set up five races for three year old horses, three for only male horses and three for only fillies which makes up the English Triple Crown. The Jockey club administered all breeding regulation too. They documented pedigree of each horse and regulated what horses could race.

Horses that have a documented family tree or pedigree are considered Thoroughbreds. These horses have been inbred and can have their linage tracked down to one of three Stallions brought over from Arabia and bred with other horses. Racing of thoroughbreds came over to America in 1665 and a track was built on Long Island. Racing horses became very popular and by 1890 there were over 300 race tracks in America.

Control of the tracks was non existent in America and the tracks were managed by some unsavory criminals. In England racing was totally acceptable and an event attended by the wealthy. In America it was directly the opposite. Only the seedy undesirable people gathered at the tracks to waste their money on horses.

During this era of corrupt activity in American tracks the 1908 Kentucky Derby introduced pari-mutuel wagering. This type of wagering was legalized and it began to turn the tide for American horse racing. Tracks soon began to open under the new rules and regulations and grew from the 35 tracks that were still in operation. By the nineteen seventies racing once again began to be a decent sporting activity.

In America and Britain there are several different forms of horse racing. The Steeplechase is very popular in both countries. An American variety of racing called harness racing has many tracks that were specifically built to specifications for that type of racing. Thoroughbred racing is probably the most popular and consists of a flat, oval track from about three fourths of a mile to two miles in length. Both countries have many thoroughbred racing venues from which to choose. Both countries have regulations and rules that make racing and betting acceptable. They also regulate horses that can race and continue to keep a running record of all pedigrees of race horses.

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