The Meaning of the Word “Horse Race”
A horse race is a close contest in which the winner emerges from a series of grueling, time-consuming challenges. The word is also used to refer to a tight political contest and may be applied to any form of rivalry in which the winner is determined by a series of close challenges. For example, a company that employs a horse race approach to leadership often places future stars in a succession of critical roles so that they gain the competencies and experience needed to run the company successfully.
In the wild, horses love to run fast, and there are still places in the world where you can watch them running free. But winning a horse race is a human construct that forces the prey animals to run in a group, where they risk injury by running into each other. The goal is to move away from danger, not toward it. The result is a spectacle that fascinates people.
But the sport is in trouble. Many track owners are cutting back, and even the bigger ones are losing money. Last year, Yonkers generated about $600 million in betting revenue, which paid out big purses and helped to fund local breeders and dole out a few million dollars to Faraldo’s group. The money stimulates a multibillion-dollar equine economy, from the trainers to the farmers who grow carrots and hay. And it keeps a particularly corrosive form of gambling alive.
It’s a sad fact that the term horse race is used so often in the context of politics. This is because a presidential campaign can seem like a horse race, and the word is used to describe any competition in which the outcome is hard to predict. The mudslinging, name-calling, attack ads and the horse-race theatrics can easily obscure the real issues at stake in any given election.
The word horse race is also used to describe a series of close, time-consuming challenges in which the winner emerges from a succession of close, grueling, and exhausting competitions. The most famous horse races are the Belmont Stakes (1867), the Preakness Stakes (1873), and the Kentucky Derby (1875). Each is a classic horse race in its own right, and each offers a different set of challenges for the competitors. In addition, there are a number of other well-known and popular horse races in the United States and around the world. A few of these include the Dubai World Cup, the Melbourne Cup, and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. All of these horse races are a spectacle to behold and provide a lot of excitement for the crowds in attendance. A few other terms that are often used to describe horse races in the United States and around the World are: