The Origins of Horse Racing in Britain

Nigel Cooper

June 2003

Equus caballus, otherwise known as the horse, was domesticated more than 6500 years ago. Horses soon became important for their role in warfare – carrying kings, knights and warriors into battle. For this reason, they have been a much-prized possession and breeding strong, fast horses has long been imperative. Racing was a good way of testing a horse's ability before sending it in to battle and, as a by-product, became an enjoyable sport in its own right. Since then, horses have been raced and bet on in every major society across the globe, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the nobility of the British Empire.

Horse racing in Britain can be traced back to the 8th century when the Arabs conquered Spain. Their horses had proven themselves stronger and faster than any in Europe and their fame spread. During the Crusades of the 12th Century English knights began to bring these Arabian horses back home to use as breeding stock. By crossing Arabian stallions with English mares, a hardy, fast horse was developed that was more suitable for battle – and for racing.

Racing horses gained popularity among the upper classes and in the early 1600s it gained the nickname the 'sport of kings', as both James I and Charles I were avid horse racing enthusiasts. However, when Oliver Cromwell came to power, he was so perturbed by horse racing's elitist appeal, he outlawed it. The ban was short-lived, however, and was lifted less than four years later.

Going official

Horse racing began to evolve more quickly In the 18th Century, and in 1711 Queen Anne founded what was to become the Ascot racecourse. For the first time, spectators could place organised wagers on the outcome of races. Before long, racecourses were appearing all over England, encouraged by an increasing, and less elitist, public interest.

In 1752, to meet the demands of the burgeoning sport, a central governing authority was created, forming and applying rules and licensing horses, jockeys and racecourses. Called the Jockey Club, this organisation still controls English racing today. The club, based at Newmarket, made it compulsory for participants to register specific racing colours – still a characteristic of horse racing.

Flat racing, steeplechasing and point to point racing were to become the main forms of horse racing in Britain.

Flat racing

Prior to the 18th century, two-horse flat races (flat races have no jumps) were the norm, but during the reign of Queen Anne multi-horse flat races became more popular. Flat racing is now open to horses aged two years and up. To be eligible the horse must be registered in the General Stud Book, the Non-Thoroughbred Register or in any of the stud books recognised by the International Stud Book Committee. The flat racing season runs all the year round, with a minimum race distance of 5 furlongs (1 furlong is 220 yards).

Today there are five classic flat races in the British calendar.

• The Oaks, run over 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards at Epsom. Open to three-year-old fillies (young females).
• The Derby, run over 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards at Epsom. Open to three-year-old fillies and colts (young males).
• The 1000 Guineas, run over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. Open to three-year-old fillies.
• The 2000 Guineas, run over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. Open to three-year-old fillies and colts.
• The St Leger, run over 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards at Doncaster. Open to three-year-old fillies and colts.

The highlight of the flat racing calendar is the Derby, but it is no longer the exclusive race it once was. The Holy Grail of flat racing is the prestigious Triple Crown – awarded to a horse that manages to win the Derby, the 2000 Guineas and the St Leger in the same year. It's an amazing achievement and only a handful of riders and horses have succeeded, including Opera House (1993), Nashwan (1989) and Ela-Mana-Mou (1980).

Steeplechasing

The development of the sport has also being driven on by another group of enthusiasts – huntsmen. As racecourses were springing up across England, local huntsmen had begun to race their horses across the countryside, using church steeples (due to their prominence) as start and finish points. The first course had a stonewall as a jump and ploughed land to cross.

These races became known as steeplechases and, as their popularity grew, so did their effect on horse racing. During the 19th century, steeplechasing became more sophisticated with enclosed courses and professionally trained horses.

Today, the National Hunt Committee control steeplechase meetings. They are held all year round but the season proper lasts from mid-October to the end of April. Races must include jumps or hurdles over a minimum distance of two miles and are for horses of three years old and over. The Grand National at Aintree is the most famous steeplechase today. It was founded in 1837 by a Liverpudlian innkeeper, William Lynn.

Point to point racing

As steeplechasing became more professional, many amateur huntsmen were unable to compete at the higher level. As a consequence, a third type of racing became popular – point to point racing. Still a race over jumps, professionals were excluded and many hunts began holding their own amateur race meetings. The first annual race was established by the Atherstone Hunt in Warwickshire in 1870.

Today, point to point race meetings are run at a local level by a hunt or by a recognised point to point club, under the jurisdiction of the Point to Point Owners' and Riders' Association (PPORA) and the Point to Point Secretaries' Association (PPSA).

Horse racing finally evolved to break free from its elitist history. No longer only the sport of kings, it became the sport of the people.

You may also be interested in these other Channel 4 features

The Course of the Horse
Find out why elaborate stud programs aren't making horses any faster.

Best Value Bets
Always on the lookout for a winning outsider? Take heed - an economist advises that favourites are a better bet. Find out why here.

History of the Epsom Derby
A lucky coin toss gave us the name of the most famous flat race in Britain. Find out about the history of the race here.

Find out more

Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites

Websites

Epsom Downs Racecourse
www.epsomderby.co.uk/website/index.html
Official site for the Epsom Downs racecourse.

British Horse Racing Board (BHB)
www.bhb.co.uk
In addition to a 'discover racing' guide for novices, this site has a range of useful information, including a searchable fixture list, industry links and news releases from BHB. You can also find out about racehorse ownership opportunities and BHB's graduate training programme.

The Racing World
www.theracingworld.co.uk/
A_Great_Day_Out.shtml
Find out all you need to know about British horse racing, from the Vodaphone Derby to the Cheltenham Cup.

The British Thoroughbred
www.thebritishthoroughbred.co.uk
Learn more about the ancient art of horse breeding here from the British Bloodstock Marketing Group (BBMG), a group committed to promoting the success, quality and choice of British bloodstock sales and breeding worldwide.

Discover Racing
www.discover-racing.com
Everything you need to know about horse racing, from placing bets to understanding the terminology.

The Jockey Club
www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/jockeyclub
Official site of the Jockey Club, with information on all the UK's horse racing events.

Horse Matters
www.horsematters.net/styles/racing.htm
Everything about horses, from their evolution to the origins of each type of horse race.

Racing Welfare
www.racingwelfare.co.uk
Home of the racing charity for the horse racing workforce, from stable hands to jockeys.

Books

	Horse Racing's Strangest Races: Extraordinary but true stories from 150 Years of racing history by Andrew Ward (Robson Books, 2000) A sideways look at horse racing that recounts many of the strangest moments and incidents from the last 150 years of the sport's history. Get this book
	Great Racehorses by Julian Wilson (Little, Brown, 1998) Charts the rise of the racehorse and the great horse breeders of the past and present. Get this book
	The Derby: The official book of the world's greatest race by Alastair Burnet (Michael O'Mara, 1993) Tells the history of the world's greatest flat race – the horses, the jockeys, the day itself. Here is the colour and pageantry of the most important day in the horse racing calendar. Get this book

top ^