Horse racing is no more an English invention than playing cards are Italian. But there can be little doubt that the sport was elevated to a lofty level in Britain.
On April 6, 1680, the household of King Charles II traveled by carriage and saddle horse to Newmarket Downs, about 60 miles northeast of London. Their purpose, according to historian J.P. Hore writing in 1886, was to attend a singular event, a race “between Major Astan’s Horse and another Gentleman’s (on a) six-mile course, for £500 each.” Hore went on to say that “a great number of Gentlemen….have laid very considerable sums of money on both sides; but ‘tis supposed the odds will lie on the Major’s side.” Thus did the “Sport of Kings” (and handicapping) begin—the precursor to today’s thoroughbred racing.
The rise of horse racing and wagering in England is well documented and a history unto itself. Jockey clubs sprang up in the 18th century to coordinate races and betting. Suffice it to say the trend quickly spread to the European continent and the colonies of America and Australia, where it became equally popular. By the 1840s, it was also embraced in Hong Kong
Oddly enough, when the British brought betting on horse races to Calcutta in the mid-1850s, it was the Indians who abhorred the sport. Many opposed it on religious grounds, saying it violated Islamic and Hindu laws. Mahatma Gandhi himself said wagering on horse races was an evil worse than drinking alcohol. But it managed to survive, even after the British withdrew in 1949.
One other lasting contribution to the practice of betting on races came to the world from Britain by way of Australia. During the reign of Elizabeth I, a sport known as “coursing” was popular in England, using lures to guide dogs around a competitive course. The Aussies added a twist in 1868, introducing wallabies as the “bait” for greyhounds. But the new sport didn’t catch on until five years later, when rabbits were substituted as the lures. By 1916, greyhound racing found its way to the United States, where it is alive and thriving today.
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