types of thoroughbred horseracing
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.
The Triple Crown races are run on a flat, dirt track. In most instances, the horses will pace themselves and finish the race with a powerful surge of speed. There are some instances where a horse will have enough speed that they will be able to win the race from the starting gate to the finish line.
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.
Another variation of Thoroughbred horseracing that is popular is the turf races. What makes these races different from the other types of Thoroughbred races is that the races are run over a grass surface instead of a dirt surface and all of the other aspects of the races are the same.
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.
Different words are used in order to describe the conditions of a dirt race track during a race than are used to describe the conditions of a turf course. In dirt track Thoroughbred racing, “fast” means the same thing as if we were to say “firm” in a turf course race.
Thoroughbred racing can also involve races where the horses have to jump over fences placed throughout the course; these races are called steeplechases and give the horse and rider alike an extra challenge – and an extra measure of excitement to the viewers. Speed is the only consideration for thoroughbreds that run races only on flat race courses; horses that run steeplechases, however, need to have a lot of stamina to finish these races – and jockeys have to know the right time to make the jumps. The length of the race is the determining factor in how many hurdles that the horse will have to jump during the race.
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