Horse Racing

Horse racing is one of the oldest sports — chariot racing was central to Roman culture; the Hippodrome of Constantinople held 100,000 spectators. Modern thoroughbred racing developed in England in the 17th–18th centuries; the classic races (Epsom Derby, 1780; the Ascot Gold Cup) established the tradition. The Kentucky Derby (1875), Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes form America's Triple Crown. The thoroughbred horse is a product of 300 years of selective breeding — genetically similar to such a degree that every thoroughbred traces to three foundation sires imported to England in the 17th–18th centuries. Secretariat's 1973 Belmont Stakes win — by 31 lengths in a world record time — is considered the greatest performance in racing history.