Horse races are one of the world’s oldest and most enduring sports. They have been practiced in civilizations around the globe since ancient times. In addition to providing an exciting spectator sport, horse racing has also been used as a way to prove the superiority of warriors’ steeds in competitions such as the legendary contest between Odin’s and Hrungnir in Norse mythology. While the spectacle of a horse race is popular, few spectators realize that behind this façade lies a brutal world of injuries, drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns, and slaughter.

There are essentially three types of people involved in horse racing. There are the crooks who dangerously drug their horses or countenance such conduct by their agents, and who sabotage the integrity of the sport for everyone else. There are the dupes, who labor under the fantasy that the industry is broadly fair and honest. And there are those in the middle, honorable souls who know that it’s more crooked than it ought to be but who don’t give their all to fight back.

A horse race is a sporting event where competing horses run on a designated track. Competing horses are aided by jockeys, who help guide them and jump any hurdles or fences that may be included in the course. Spectators can place wagers on the winner of the race. These bets can be placed in a variety of ways, including placing a win bet (betting on a horse to win the race) and a place bet (betting on a horse finishing in either first or second).

Before a race begins, competitors are lined up in their stalls or in front of a starting gate, which ensures that no one has an unfair advantage when the start is triggered. A flag or a bell is then rung to signal that the race has begun. When the flag or bell is rung, competing horses must sprint—often at speeds that can cause them to break down, or even hemorrhage from their lungs—to the finish line in order to be declared the winner of the race.

Despite its ancient roots, horse racing has evolved significantly over time. The sport is now regulated by international bodies and features a variety of races, from prestigious Grade 1 events to low-cost handicaps for amateurs. The popularity of the Kentucky Derby, with its pageantry and mint juleps, has given rise to a number of popular misconceptions about the sport, but the facts are clear: The Derby is not the typical horse race. Rather, the majority of races are far more similar to each other than they are to the Kentucky Derby.