The state of racing

In America, interest in horse racing exploded after the Civil War. By 1890 there were 314 racetracks, operating in nearly every state. Incensed, antigambling coalitions pushed through legislation in most parts of the country, and by 1908 only 25 racetracks remained in operation. Finally, even New York racetracks were shut down in 1911 when state legislation outlawed quoting of odds, soliciting bets, and recording bets in a fixed place. In response, many owners, trainers, and jockeys shifted their operations to Europe. When New York racetracks reopened in 1913, most of the earlier African American jockeys never returned.

During the late 1920s and the ’30s racetracks became an important source of tax revenue, and by the second half of the 20th century horse racing had become big business. Fields regularly numbered a dozen or more. Once race meetings lasted a day or two, later a week or two, and today, particularly where climate allows, races may be scheduled for half the year or more. More racing dates require more horses, and horses are raced more intensively. Purses grew, particularly after World War II. In 1981 a new American race, the Arlington Million (run at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois, outside of Chicago), was the first million-dollar race. Purses routinely topped this amount in the 21st century, growing to greater than $10 million for certain high-profile races.

Where there is gambling, there is cheating, and the history of racing repeats itself with recurrent race fixing and running of ringers. A new threat to the sport arose in the 1960s with the widespread use of anti-inflammatory and coagulant drugs on horses. Various racing bodies limited or forbade the use of such drugs; others did not. Over-racing, particularly in the United States, encouraged their use, and both legal and illegal drug use may explain the higher death rate among American racehorses. (The U.S. Jockey Club reported that about 600 horses died racing-related deaths on U.S. racetracks in 2006, a significantly larger number than those recorded in other countries.) The use of steroids on horses, like their use by star athletes in many sports, came under particular scrutiny in the late 20th century.

Animal rights organizations have long criticized horse racing. Activists have sought to expose horse doping, institute a ban on horse whipping by jockeys, limit the number of races a horse (especially three years old and younger) can run in a season, and eliminate dirt tracks in favour of safer synthetic surfaces. Two notable tragedies in the early 21st century helped propel calls for reform: the shattering of bones in one of Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro’s legs just seconds after the start of the Preakness Stakes in 2006 (the horse was euthanized eight months later) and the death of three horses during production of the TV series Luck (2011–12), a drama about horse racing. (The deaths and subsequent outcry among many viewers helped lead to the abrupt cancellation of the show after just one season.) Such events—augmented by the changing interests of the global sporting public—contributed to the continuing decline in the popularity of horse racing through the first decades of the 21st century.