Horseracing in Great Britain
Horse racing is a popular spectator sport in Great Britain. The gambling and wagering involved in it makes it the cornerstone of the British betting industry.
It is said that the early horse races in Great Britain were organised in 200 AD by the soldiers of the Roman Empire in Yorkshire . But the first ever recorded horse race was in Smithfield, London in 117 AD. This meeting was held during the reign of Henry II, in a horse fair. In England, Newmarket is known as the home of horse racing and James I played the lead role in introducing horse racing to the city.
In Great Britain, the UK Jockey Club was the first governing authority for horseracing as we know it today. It was invented in the 1750's, and developed an immense amount of importance during the time. The sport won the hearts and minds of the audiences for many years. It was only in 2003 that the British Horseracing Board (BHB) emerged on the world horse racing map.
It became the official regulatory authority in Great Britain. It was in July 2007, when the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the governing authority for horseracing came into being. This happened as a result of the blending of the British Horseracing Board (BHB) with the Horseracing Regularity Authority (HRA). The key objectives of the British Horseracing Authority are to arrange the most compelling and attractive racing in the world, to ensure the highest standards for the sport and its participants; to work for the promotion of the best racing horses and the industry itself. The British Horseracing Board performs a number of functions like planning the race schedules, setting rules and regulations, taking care of the licensing processes and few more. British Horseracing Authority is a member of International Federation of Horseracing, whose headquarters are in France.
The two main forms of horse racing in Great Britain include flat racing and the National Hunt racing. In addition to this, there is another form of racing which is run on more informal basis which is popularly known as point-to-point racing.
Flat Racing is a thoroughbred racing type, in which the race runs over a variety of distances from 1,006 metres to over two miles (3,219 metres). In simple words, the racetrack for this particular race does not have any hurdles or obstacles. They are generally known as sprints. The surface of the racecourse for these races is normally grassy or synthetic which is also called all-weather. In Europe, racing is mostly on turf; where as, in the United States and Canada, the more commonly used surface is all-weather.
In Britain, the flat races are split into two distinctive bands, conditions races and handicaps. The condition races are further divided into two which are known as Pattern Races and Listed races. The condition races comprise of a major International importance, but at the same time, it conducts a number of domestic races. On the other hand, Handicap Races are those in which the club official handicapper gives the horse a different weight to carry according to his ability.
The National Hunt racing was originated in Ireland, in the late seventeenth century. The first recorded race of this kind took place in 1752, between the towns of Buttevant and Doneraile in the North of Country Park. In this race, the horse has to jump over the obstacles called hurdles or fences. This is an official name given to the sport of horse racing in Great Britain, France and Ireland. The ground for this race is softer than the other races, which is more suitable for jumping. The horses used in the National Hunting Race are generally without any breed value. Due to this reason, the horses are allowed to stay in the racing world for a longer period of time, as compared to the other thoroughbred horses. This makes them more popular and familiar to the racing public as well as the spectators. The core season for the National Hunt Racing comes to an end in the winter.
Point-to-point race started back in 1752. It is a form of amateur horseracing for hunting horses over obstacles known as fences. Thoroughbred horses are used in this type of racing. Like other professional races, it is not run under the auspices of the governing body for horse-racing in Great Britain which is the British Horseracing Authority.
Today, British racing is going through a period of growth, but is struggling to survive through the loss of income from pre-race data. A huge number of people are interested in wagering over it, whether they do it online or at the site which makes most of the money. And this is how horseracing in Britain has become the central point for bettors and racers across the globe.
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