A horse race is a contest of speed among horses that are ridden by jockeys or pulled by sulkies and their drivers. The first horse to cross the finish line is the winner. The race can be on a dirt, turf or synthetic surface. It is one of the oldest sports in the world.

The earliest races were match races, where owners provided the purse and a wager was placed on whether an individual horse would win or lose. A record of these agreements was kept by disinterested third parties, known as keepers of the match books. In the 1730s, one keeper at Newmarket in England published An Historical List of All Horse-Matches Run (1729).

From there, horse racing grew to become a huge public entertainment business that relied on a combination of skill, luck and a massive amount of money to attract fans. The sport evolved to incorporate larger fields of runners and more sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment, but its basic concept remained the same: the first horse across the finish line is the winner.

In the 19th century, horse racing became an enormous international industry. Its popularity was helped by the development of the railway system, which made it much easier to get to the track from many places in the country. The rise of the automobile also contributed to the growth of the sport, as did television, which allowed more people to watch the race without traveling long distances.

By the end of the 20th century, however, interest in the race was waning, partly because of a decline in attendance at the tracks. In addition, the use of illegal drugs by some trainers and riders had made the sport more dangerous for the horses. In recent years, some horses have even died as a result of the sport.

Some experts believe that the unnatural training and confinement of racehorses causes them to suffer emotionally. These problems may manifest as physical symptoms, such as cribbing (biting on its gate or contracting its neck muscles while pulling backward and grunting), or in behavioral issues, including pacing, kicking, self-mutilation and a lack of coordination. A few brave individuals have taken the lead to speak out against this practice, but the movement has largely been ignored by the media and the racing establishment.

Despite these problems, horse racing continues to thrive in many parts of the world, particularly in Asia and Europe, where the sport has been around for centuries. In the United States, there are more than 60 horse-racing tracks, which host dozens of major races each year. The most famous of these is the Kentucky Derby, which has been run annually since 1875. The race is widely considered the most prestigious event in American thoroughbred horse racing and is held in April at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The winner is usually awarded a gold trophy and, in some cases, a significant sum of money. Runners up receive silver medallions and a smaller prize.