Friday, November 14, 2008

Varieties Of thoroughbred Horseracing

By Simon M Skinner

Thoroughbred horse racing is something which most of us have some familiarity with, largely thanks to the three biggest Thoroughbred horse races being televised each year. These three are the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, collectively known as the Thoroughbred Triple Crown.

All three of the Triple Crown races are run on a flat dirt track. The horses tend to pace themselves through most of the race, saving a surge of power and speed for the finish. There have also been cases of horses with so much speed that they win the race from start to finish.

What many spectators to these races do not realize is that this is only one type of Thoroughbred horse racing that is available and while these races are the most popular Thoroughbred horse races, there are other forms of Thoroughbred horseracing that are popular as well.

One variation on thoroughbred horse racing popular with enthusiasts is turf racing. These races are quite similar to other kinds of thoroughbred horse races, but with one important difference: they are run on a grass track rather than one of dirt. Other than this difference, they are by and large the same sort of event.

The turf courses are just as long as are the dirt track races, with the thoroughbreds running the same distances as in other types of Thoroughbred racing. The only differences are the turf ? and the terminology which is used in these sorts of Thoroughbred races.

Thoroughbreds can also be run in races that require the horse to jump several fences during the course of the race. These Thoroughbred horse races are commonly referred to as steeplechases and provide an extra challenge to both the horse and the rider during the race.

On a flat race course, speed is the primary factor which is needed. Steeplechases, by contrast require the horse to have a great deal of stamina and the jockey to have some skills ? the jockey must know the right time to tell the horse to jump in order to clear the fences. The number of jumps which will be needed is dependent on the length of the race course in this variation on Thoroughbred horse racing.

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