Horse breeds and muscle structure
Muscles are just bundles of stringy fibers that are attached
to bones by tendons. These bundles have different types of fibers within them
and horses have adapted over the years to produce different amounts of these
fibers. Type II-b fibers are fast twitch fibers. These fibers allow muscles to
contract quickly resulting in a great deal of power and speed. Type I fibers are
slow-twitch fibers. They allow muscles to work for longer periods of time
resulting in greater endurance. Type II-a fibers are in the middle. They are a
balance between the fast twitch fibers and the slow-twitch fibers. They allow
the muscles to generate both speed and endurance. Type I muscles are absolutely
necessary for aerobic exercise because they rely on the presence of oxygen in
order to work. Type II muscles are needed for anaerobic exercise because they
can function without the presence of oxygen. Thoroughbreds possess more Type
II-a muscle fibers than the Quarter Horse or Arabian. This type of fiber allows
them to propel themselves forward at great speeds and maintain it for an
extended distance.
Training
The conditioning program for the different horses varies
depending on the race length. Genetics, training, age, and skeletal soundness
are all factors that contribute to a horse's performance. The muscle structure
and fiber type of horses depends on the breed, therefore genetics must be
considered when constructing a conditioning plan. A horse's fitness plan must
be coordinated properly in order to prevent injury or unnecessary lameness. If
these were to occur, they may negatively affect a horse's willingness to learn.
dating back to 1858, when it was founded by the sons of the Spaniard Don
Agustin Bernal.
In 1665, the first racetrack was constructed on Long Island.
It is the oldest Thoroughbred race in North America. The American Stud Book was
started in 1868, prompting the beginning of organized horse racing in the
United States. There were 314 tracks operating in the United States by 1890;
and in 1894, the American Jockey Club was formed.
The first record of quarter mile length races dated back to
1674 in Henrico County, Virginia. Each race consisted of only two horses and
they raced down the village streets and lanes. The Quarter Horse received its
name due to the length of the race. The races were indeed "a quarter"
of a mile, or 400 meters. The breed of horse was developed so they could get
off to a quick start, and win the race.
Belmont Park is part of the western edge of the Hempstead
Plains. Its mile-and-a-half main track is the largest dirt Thoroughbred race
course in the world, and it has the sport's largest grandstand.
One of the latest major horse track opened in the United
States was the Meadowlands Racetrack opened in 1977 for Thoroughbred racing. It
is the home of the Meadowlands Cup. Other more recently opened tracks include
Remington Park, Oklahoma City, opened in 1988, and Lone Star Park in the
Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, opened in 1997; the latter track hosted the
prestigious Breeders' Cup series of races in 2004.
Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has its own
Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Hall of Fame honors remarkable
horses, jockeys, owners, and trainers.
The traditional high point of US horse racing is the
Kentucky Derby, held on the first Saturday of May at Churchill Downs in
Louisville, Kentucky. Together, the Derby; the Preakness Stakes, held two weeks
later at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Belmont Stakes,
held three weeks after the Preakness at Belmont Park on Long Island, form the
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing for three-year-olds. They are all held
early in the year, throughout May and the beginning of June. In recent years
the Breeders' Cup races, run at the end of the year, have challenged the Triple
Crown events as determiners of the three-year-old Champion. The Breeders' Cup
is normally held at a different track every year; however the 2010 and 2011
editions were held at Churchill Downs, and the 2012 and 2013 races were held at
Santa Anita Park, as was the 2014 edition. Keeneland, in Lexington, KY, hosted
the 2015 breeders cup.
The corresponding Standardbred event is the Breeders' Crown.
There are also a Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers and a Triple Crown
of Harness Racing for Trotters, as well as an Arabian Triple Crown consisting
of Drinkers of the Wind Derby in California, the Texas Six Shooter Stakes, and
the Bob Magness Derby in Delaware.
American betting on horse racing is sanctioned and regulated
by the state where the race is located. Simulcast betting exists across state
lines with minimal oversight except the companies involved through legalized
parimutuel gambling. A takeout, or "take", is removed from each
betting pool and distributed according to state law, among the state, race
track and horsemen. A variety of factors affect takeout, namely location and
the type of wager that is placed. One form of parimutuel gaming is Instant
Racing, in which players bet on video replays of races.
Canada
The most famous horse from Canada is generally considered to
be Northern Dancer, who after winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Queen's
Plate in 1964 went on to become the most successful Thoroughbred sire of the
20th century; his two-minute-flat Derby was the fastest on record until
Secretariat in 1973. The only challenger to his title of greatest Canadian
horse would be his son Nijinsky II, who is the last horse to win the English
Triple Crown. Woodbine Racetrack in
Toronto, home of the Queen's Plate, Canada's premier Thoroughbred stakes race,
and the North America Cup, Canada's premier Standardbred stakes race, is the
only race track in North America which stages Thoroughbred and
Standardbred meetings on the same day.
The Pattison Canadian International has the largest purse of any Canadian horse
race. Other key races include Woodbine Oaks, Prince of Wales Stakes, Breeders'
Stakes and Canadian Derby.
Europe
Belgium
Horse racing in Belgium takes place at three venues -
Hippodrome Wellington in Ostend, Hippodroom Waregem in Waregem in Flanders and
Hippodrome de Wallonie in Mons, Wallonia.
Czech Republic
There are 15 racecourses in the Czech Republic, most notably
Pardubice Racecourse, where the country's most famous race, the Velka
Pardubicka steeplechase has been run since 1874. The world famous Melbourne
Cup, the race that stops a nation, has recently attracted many international
entries. In country racing, records indicate that Goulburn commenced racing in
1834. Australia's first country racing club was established at Wallabadah in
1852 and the Wallabadah Cup is still held on New Year's Day.
Part Three Coming Soon.
Neil Stevens-Wood - Tipster Street.
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