A horse race is a competitive event in which horses are raced for a prize, usually money or merchandise. The races are often broadcast on television, and people place bets by telephone or online. Some of the more popular horse races are the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Horse racing is a multi-billion dollar industry, and the sport is popular in many countries.

The first horse races were probably demonstrations of the horse’s top speed to potential buyers in medieval England. The races were usually short distances and took place on open fields or roads. The riders, called jockeys, rode bareback and were often young boys trained in horse care. During these early days, winners carried more weight than losers and allowances for fillies and older horses existed.

In modern times, horse racing has evolved into a sophisticated business, with numerous types of wagers and complex betting systems. The sport’s popularity has also grown, in part because of the increased availability of television and internet. Today’s races are run over varying distances, and bettors can place bets on individual horses or combinations of runners in a race.

To increase the amount of money bet on a runner, a trainer may exercise a horse to build its conditioning. This is often done by asking the runner to work at a higher pace for a set distance and is known as “brisking.” A horse that works or breezes well is considered to be in good shape for the race.

Horse racing is a risky sport, and injuries are not uncommon. Injuries are the leading cause of death in racehorses, and some of the most serious accidents occur during training and racing. One of the most devastating incidents occurred in 2012 when the HBO series Luck, which was set in the world of horse racing and starred Dustin Hoffman, was canceled after a third horse died as a result of filming. This incident, along with the not-so-rare injuries of the real horse racing world, have fueled animal rights activists’ calls for reform or outright bans of the sport.

While there is no single reason for the injuries that plague horse racing, several factors contribute to the problem. For example, the large amount of tax-exempt gambling money that supports horse racing has created an incentive for owners to push their animals past their limits in order to win a race. This can lead to stress, which in turn can cause a runner to perform poorly or even collapse on the track.

Despite the challenges, some newsrooms are making an effort to improve their horse race journalism. For instance, some have incorporated polling data into their horse race analysis to provide readers with more precise probabilistic forecasts of candidates’ chances of winning. Others have suggested that reporters consider giving novel or less-traditional candidates an opportunity to compete in the election, rather than focusing solely on Republican and Democratic candidates. The Poynter Institute has collected research on horse race journalism, and we will continue to update it as new studies are published.