History of Thoroughbred racing in the USA

Settlers from Britain who brought horses and horseracing with them to the American New World, with the initial race track laid out on Long Island as early as 1665. Although the sport became a notable local activity, the burgeoning of organized racing did not appear until after the Civil War. (The American Stud Book was begun in 1868.) For the next several decades, with the breakneck rise of an industrial economy, gaming on racehorses, and therefore horse racing itself, grew explosively; by 1890, 314 tracks were at work across the country.

The prompt evolving of the sport without any centralized governing authority led to the domination of many and various tracks by corrupted elements. In 1894 the nation's most respected track and stable owners met in New York to form an American Jockey Club, modelled on the English version, which soon controlled racing with an iron hand and ended much of the corruption.

In the early 1900s, however, racing in the United States was almost wiped out by antigambling opinion that led almost all states to ban bookmaking. By 1908 the number of tracks had dropped to just 25. That same year, however, the introduction of pari-mutuel betting for the Kentucky Derby signalled a right-about-face for the sport. More tracks opened as numerous state legislatures agreed to sanction pari-mutuel betting in exchange for a dividend of the money wagered. At the end of World War I, prosperity and great horses like Man o' War brought spectators flocking to horseracing tracks. The sport prospered until World War II, declined in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, then enjoyed a resurgence in the 1970s triggered by the immense popularity of great horses such as Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed, each winners of the American Triple Crown--the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. During the late 1980s, another significant decline occurred, however.

Thoroughbred tracks exist in about half the states. Public captivation in the sport focuses primarily on major Thoroughbred races such as the American Triple Crown and the Breeder's Cup races (begun in 1984), which offer purses of up to about $1,000,000. State racing commissions have sole authority to license participants and allot racing dates, while sharing the appointment of racing officials and the supervision of racing rules with the Jockey Club. The Jockey Club retains authority over the breeding of Thoroughbreds.

Keith Driscoll is the owner of Win2Win Racing, and has been a professional gambler for a number of years. The site includes free selections, advice, and an active forum.