1.
Thoroughbred horse racing
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Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies, there are two forms of the sport, Flat racing and jump racing, called National Hunt racing in the UK and steeplechasing in the US. Jump racing can be divided into hurdling and steeplechasing. Traditionally racehorses have been owned by wealthy individuals. It has become common in the last few decades for horses to be owned by syndicates or partnerships. 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown, owned by IEAH stables, historically, most race horses were bred and raced by their owners. Additionally, owners may acquire Thoroughbreds by claiming them out of a race, a horse runs in the unique colours of its owner. These colours must be registered under the governing bodies and no two owners may have the same colours. The rights to certain colour arrangements are valuable in the way that distinctive car registration numbers are of value. It is said that Sue Magnier paid £50,000 for her dark blue colours. If an owner has more than one running in the same race then some slight variant in colours is often used or the race club colours may be used. The typical cost of owning a horse in training for one year is in the order of £15,000 in the United Kingdom. The facilities available to trainers vary enormously, some trainers have only a few horses in the yard and pay to use other trainers gallops. Other trainers have every conceivable training asset and it is a feature of racing that a modest establishment often holds its own against the bigger players even in a top race. This is particularly true of national hunt racing, Racing is governed on an All-Ireland basis, with two bodies sharing organising responsibility. The Turf Club is the rulemaking and enforcement body, whilst Horse Racing Ireland governs, in 2013, Ireland exported more than 4,800 Thoroughbreds to 37 countries worldwide with a total value in excess of €205 million. This is double the amount of horses exported annually from the U. S, the Jockey Club in the UK has been released from its regulatory function but still performs various supporting roles. A significant part of the BHAs work relates to the disciplining of trainers and jockeys, disciplinary enquiries usually relate to the running of a horse, for example, failure to run a horse on its merits, interference with other runners, excessive use of the whip
2.
Woodbine Racetrack
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Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian race track for thoroughbred and standardbred racing at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario formerly in Etobicoke. It is the horse racing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging. However its sister track, Mohawk Raceway located in Campbellville, Ontario hosts most of the major standardbred races in the summer and it is owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, formerly known as the Ontario Jockey Club. The track was opened in 1956 and it has been extensively remodelled since 1993, and since 1994 has three racecourses. The current Woodbine carries the originally used by a racetrack which operated in east Toronto, at Queen Street East and Kingston Road. On June 12,1956 the name was transferred to the new racetrack which would be known as New Woodbine Racetrack until 1963 when the New was dropped from the name. The old track was converted to a thoroughbred and standardbred track known thereafter as Old Woodbine or, for most of the rest of its history, as Greenwood Raceway. The two thoroughbred and two standardbred meets conducted at Greenwood were transferred to the new Woodbine in 1994, which was then exclusively devoted to thoroughbred racing. The track was the venue for the 1976 Summer Paralympics. The Breeders Cup was held at Woodbine in 1996, the Arlington Million was held at Woodbine in 1988. The Woodbine facility is home to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. The outermost E. P. Taylor turf course for thoroughbreds is 1.5 miles long with a chute allowing races of 1.125 miles to be run around one turn. It is irregularly shaped, the clubhouse turn departing from the traditional North American oval, the Taylor turf course and the main dirt course at Belmont Park on New Yorks Long Island are the only mile-and-a-half layouts in North American thoroughbred racing. In 2016, Woodbine will contest up to 40 turf races running clockwise in what are being billed as EuroTurf races, inside the Taylor course is the 1 mile synthetic course for Thoroughbreds. As of 2016, the surface is Tapeta, it was Polytrack between 2006 and 2015, and a dirt surface prior to that. Two chutes facilitate races at seven furlongs and at 1.25 miles, inside the Tapeta course is an oval Standardbred racecourse seven-eighths of a mile [.875 miles in circumference, made of crushed limestone. The ground floor of the houses a slot machine parlour. Some of the income from the machines is used to supplement the horserace purses
3.
Canada
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Canada is a country in the northern half of North America. Canadas border with the United States is the worlds longest binational land border, the majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate, but southerly areas are warm in summer. Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its territory being dominated by forest and tundra. It is highly urbanized with 82 per cent of the 35.15 million people concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, One third of the population lives in the three largest cities, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Its capital is Ottawa, and other urban areas include Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, Winnipeg. Various aboriginal peoples had inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonization. Pursuant to the British North America Act, on July 1,1867, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick and this began an accretion of provinces and territories to the mostly self-governing Dominion to the present ten provinces and three territories forming modern Canada. With the Constitution Act 1982, Canada took over authority, removing the last remaining ties of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state. The country is officially bilingual at the federal level and it is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries. Its advanced economy is the eleventh largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources, Canadas long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture. Canada is a country and has the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the ninth highest ranking in the Human Development Index. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, Canada is an influential nation in the world, primarily due to its inclusive values, years of prosperity and stability, stable economy, and efficient military. While a variety of theories have been postulated for the origins of Canada. In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to the village of Stadacona, from the 16th to the early 18th century Canada referred to the part of New France that lay along the St. Lawrence River. In 1791, the area became two British colonies called Upper Canada and Lower Canada collectively named The Canadas, until their union as the British Province of Canada in 1841. Upon Confederation in 1867, Canada was adopted as the name for the new country at the London Conference. The transition away from the use of Dominion was formally reflected in 1982 with the passage of the Canada Act, later that year, the name of national holiday was changed from Dominion Day to Canada Day
4.
Santa Anita Park
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Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter, with its backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many the worlds most beautiful race track. In 2010, Santa Anitas ownership was moved to MI Developments Inc, Santa Anita Park was originally part of Rancho Santa Anita, which was owned originally by former San Gabriel Mission Mayor-Domo, Claudio Lopez, and named after a family member, Anita Cota. The ranch was acquired by rancher Hugo Reid, a Scotsman. Later, it was owned by multimillionaire horse breeder and racer Lucky Baldwin, Baldwin initially built a racetrack adjacent to the present site in what is today Arcadia, outside of the city of Los Angeles, in 1904. It closed in 1909 and burned in 1912, in 1933, California legalized parimutuel wagering and several investor groups worked to open racetracks. In the San Francisco area, a group headed by Dr. Charles H Doc Strub was having trouble locating a site, in the Los Angeles area, a group headed by movie producer Hal Roach was in need of further funds. These two groups combined and the newly formed Los Angeles Turf Club reopened the track on Christmas Day in 1934, in February 1935, the first Santa Anita Handicap was run. The races $100,000 purse, largest of any race ever in the United States until that time, in its heyday, the tracks races attracted such stars Betty Grable, Lana Turner, Edgar Bergen, Jane Russell, Cary Grant, Esther Williams, and other stars. Bing Crosby, Joe E. Brown, Al Jolson, under the leadership of Doc Strub, Santa Anita initiated many innovations that are now standard in thoroughbred horse racing, such as the use of starting gates and photo finishes for every race. It is interesting to note that the implementation of photo finishes at Santa Anita actually recorded an increase in dead heats, Santa Anita was so successful that in its first year under Doc Strubs leadership, it paid its investors a 100% dividend on their investment. In 1940, Seabiscuit won the Santa Anita Handicap in his last start, two years later, in 1942, racing at Santa Anita was suspended due to the Second World War, when Santa Anita was used as an assembly center for Japanese Americans excluded from the West Coast. For several months in 1942, over 18,000 people lived in horse stables and military-style barracks constructed on the site, including actor George Takei, after the track reopened in 1945, it went through the postwar years with prosperity. A downhill turf course, which added a distinctly European flair to racing at Santa Anita, was added in 1953, due to its proximity to Los Angeles, Santa Anita has traditionally been associated with the film and television industries. The racetrack sequences in the Marx Brothers 1937 classic A Day at the Races were filmed there, several stars, including Bing Crosby, Spencer Tracy, Errol Flynn, Alex Trebek, and MGM mogul, Louis B. Mayer, have owned horses that raced at the park, the 1958 Santa Anita Derby was attended by 61,123 people, making the attendance that day a record crowd. They had come to watch Silky Sullivan come from 28 lengths off the pace, the 1960s brought about a major renovation of Santa Anita Park, including a much-expanded grandstand as well as major seating additions. In 1968, Del Mar Racetrack relinquished its dates for a fall meeting, a group of horsemen including Clement Hirsch intervened and established the not-for-profit Oak Tree Racing Association
5.
Monmouth Park Racetrack
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Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. The Haskell was first run in 1968 as a handicap, but was made into an Invitational Handicap in 1981 and it is now a 1⅛-mile test for three-year-olds run in late July. Monmouth Park also now showcases the Jersey Derby originally run at Garden State Park until its closure in 2001, the original thoroughbred racing track was opened by the Monmouth Park Association on July 30,1870 in Eatontown, New Jersey. In 1878 it was bought by David D. Withers, George L. Lorillard, James Gordon Bennett, Jr. and George P. Wetmore. From 1882 to 1890, the increased in popularity, but legislation proposed in 1891 and enacted in 1894 barred parimutuel betting in New Jersey. Some of the races held at the Long Branch track included the Champion Stakes, the Freehold Stakes. In 1946, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill providing for state regulation of horse racing, martin, and James Cox Brady, Jr. Now called the Monmouth Park Jockey Club, it opened on June 19,1946, thoroughbred racing was back at the facility after a 53-year hiatus with 18,724 in attendance. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority purchased Monmouth Park from its previous owners, the NJSEA still retains the corporate name Monmouth Park Jockey Club. The Vans Warped Tour, a music and extreme sports festival, is held annually at the racetrack. Monmouth Park marks the New York stop on the nationwide tour, in 2011, a five-year lease was signed with Morris Bailey, co-owner of Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, to provide a marketing partnership between the casino and racetrack. The agreement allowed Resorts to sponsor the Haskell Invitational, and possibilities include a merging of loyalty programs as well as bringing entertainers appearances at the casino to the racetrack, the program is part of a strategy to mesh horse racing with casino gambling. The main track is a dirt oval with chutes for 6 furlong. The turf course is seven furlongs in circumference, with a chute for races between 1-mile and 1⅛ miles. A re-design of the course for the 2006 season brought with it a new. Turf races can be run along the hedge, or with the rail out 12 feet,24 feet or 36 feet. The Wolf Hill Farm, which served Monmouth Park as a stable and practice facility, is located adjacent to. The Valentino Family sold Wolf Hill Farm to the Monmouth Park Jockey Club in 1963 which then became part of the greater Monmouth Park Complex
6.
Longines
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Longines is a watch company based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832, it is owned by the Swatch Group. Its winged hourglass logo is the oldest registered trademark for a watchmaker, based in Saint-Imier since 1832, the Compagnie des Montres Longines Francillon S. A. was among the world’s leading watch companies. In 2007, Longines had its 175th anniversary, the brand evolved from a comptoir to a full-fledged manufacturing operation and then back down to an établisseur today, since the early 1980s, as a Swatch Group company. Official site The Swatch Group Thermocompensation, Methods and Movements Longines VHP movement - a different ETA quartz
7.
Breeders' Cup trophies
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The Breeders’ Cup Trophy is an authentic and totally faithful bronze reproduction of the Torrie horse. The original was created in Florence, Italy by Giovanni da Bologna, the horse is an ecorche, showing the muscles of the animal in detail. Its original purpose is unknown, but it may have made as a study for the equestrian statue of Duke Cosimo I of Florence. It has stood in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence since that date, the ecorche character gives the sculpture clarity and precision, combined with the grace and beauty of the living animal. This is evidence of a scientific as well as an intention on the part of the artist and reveals the importance to him of the influence. The most recent monumental equestrian sculpture in Florence, before that of Duke Cosimo I, had been da Vinci’s never-completed monument to Giangiacomo Trivulzio. The Torrie horse bears a relationship to several drawings by da Vinci related to this project in the collection of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor. The original ecorche bronze horse of Giovanni da Bologna is part of the University of Edinburgh Fine Art Collection in Scotland, the Edinburgh horse was acquired by Sir James Erskine of Torrie from the Villa Mattei in Rome, Italy in 1803. He bequeathed it to the University of Edinburgh with the rest of his collection of old paintings and bronzes. The Breeders’ Cup Trophy was cast from the original and was supervised and approved by the University of Edinburgh for the exclusive use of Breeders’ Cup Limited. The largest version of the trophy is permanently owned by the Breeders’ Cup Ltd, replicas are presented to the owners of the winners of each of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships races every year. The breeders, trainers and jockeys of each winning horse also are presented with replicas of the Breeders’ Cup Trophy, in 1984 equestrian sculptor Irene French of Dorset, England was commissioned to sculpt an 11 inch high replica of the ‘Torrie Horse’. She completed this commission in 6 weeks and it was then cast in bronze by the Morris Singer Bronze Foundry of Basingstoke, England. This became the trophy for the American Breeders Cup, awarded annually to the winners of each of the Breeders Races, the Torrie bronze was thought to have been used to teach equine anatomy in the Middle Ages. It is said that the artist George Stubbs used the classic stance of the Torrie Horse to best display the muscles in his famous equine anatomical drawings. Following a precedent started almost one hundred years ago, many of this countrys highly esteemed grade one races award of a blanket of flowers draped over the withers of the winning horse, in the Breeders Cup all 14 division races are adorned with this time honored tradition. The Official Flower Garland Provider of the Breeders’ Cup is Kroger Floral Design Center, located in Louisville, Kentucky, it creates each of the 14 Championship race garlands. The official blanket of flower garland is made of the combinations of Beauty Asters, Golden Asters, Cremons and Catteleya Orchids
8.
Glossary of North American horse racing
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ADW is often conducted online or by phone. Allowance race A race for which entries are restricted to meeting certain earnings or other race criteria. Allowances Reductions in weights to be carried, allowed because of the conditions of the race or because an apprentice jockey is on a horse, Also, a weight reduction female horses are entitled to when racing against males, or that three-year-olds receive against older horses. Allowance optional claiming See Optional claiming Apprentice A young jockey, sometimes called a Bug, an apprentice is required to ride a certain number of winners in a specified period of time before completing his or her apprenticeship. Backside Also sometimes called the backstretch, an area with restricted access, usually behind the track, backstretch The straightway on the farther side of an elliptical or oval racecourse. It typically runs parallel to the grandstand and the homestretch where the the finish line is located, Also refers to the stabling area adjacent to the racetrack. Bearing In Deviating from a straight course, may be due to weariness, infirmity, reaction to being whipped or the riders inability to control the horse. Black type In a sales catalogue, Black type is boldface print and indicates a winner if the name is in all caps. Blanket finish A finish so close that a blanket would cover all the contestants involved, bled When a horse bleeds from the nostrils either during the running of a race, or when returning to be unsaddled. May explain a poor effort See also Furosemide, blinkers A cup-shaped device to limit a horses vision to prevent him from swerving from objects or other horses on either side of it. Blinker cups come in a variety of sizes and shapes to allow as little or as much vision as the trainer feels is necessary, bloodstock agent People who specialize in buying and selling horses on behalf of clients and offer advice on purchasing horses. Blue hen A mare who produces many high quality offspring who also have a significant impact on the breed, book 1) The group of mares being bred to a stallion in a given year. If a stallion attracts the maximum number of mares allowed by the farm manager, 2) A term used to describe a jockeys riding commitments with his agent, An agent handles a jockeys book. Bounce A poor race run directly following a career-best or near-best performance, break or Broke To leave the starting gate in the initial strides of a race. Break maiden Horse winning for the first time in its career, breather Restraining or easing off on a horse for a short distance in a race to permit him to conserve or renew his strength. Bullet or Bullet work The best workout time for a distance on a given day at a track. Called a black-letter work in parts of the country. Chute An extension to a straightaway on either the homestretch or the used for establishing a distance to eliminate the need to begin the race on a turn
9.
North America
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North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers, about 16. 5% of the land area. North America is the third largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe. In 2013, its population was estimated at nearly 565 million people in 23 independent states, or about 7. 5% of the worlds population, North America was reached by its first human populations during the last glacial period, via crossing the Bering land bridge. The so-called Paleo-Indian period is taken to have lasted until about 10,000 years ago, the Classic stage spans roughly the 6th to 13th centuries. The Pre-Columbian era ended with the migrations and the arrival of European settlers during the Age of Discovery. Present-day cultural and ethnic patterns reflect different kind of interactions between European colonists, indigenous peoples, African slaves and their descendants, European influences are strongest in the northern parts of the continent while indigenous and African influences are relatively stronger in the south. Because of the history of colonialism, most North Americans speak English, Spanish or French, the Americas are usually accepted as having been named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci by the German cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann. Vespucci, who explored South America between 1497 and 1502, was the first European to suggest that the Americas were not the East Indies, but a different landmass previously unknown by Europeans. In 1507, Waldseemüller produced a map, in which he placed the word America on the continent of South America. He explained the rationale for the name in the accompanying book Cosmographiae Introductio, for Waldseemüller, no one should object to the naming of the land after its discoverer. He used the Latinized version of Vespuccis name, but in its feminine form America, following the examples of Europa, Asia and Africa. Later, other mapmakers extended the name America to the continent, In 1538. Some argue that the convention is to use the surname for naming discoveries except in the case of royalty, a minutely explored belief that has been advanced is that America was named for a Spanish sailor bearing the ancient Visigothic name of Amairick. Another is that the name is rooted in a Native American language, the term North America maintains various definitions in accordance with location and context. In Canadian English, North America may be used to refer to the United States, alternatively, usage sometimes includes Greenland and Mexico, as well as offshore islands
10.
Kentucky Derby Festival
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The Kentucky Derby Festival is an annual festival held in Louisville, Kentucky during the two weeks preceding the first Saturday in May, the day of the Kentucky Derby. The first director was Olympic gold medallist Arnold Jackson, in 1937, a Derby Festival king and queen were crowned, marking the start of this tradition. After the floods of 1937, the festival was discontinued and it was not until 1956 when the modern-day Kentucky Derby Festival was reborn, the Royal Court is among the oldest traditions of the Kentucky Derby Festival tradition, dating back to the 1950s. The Royal Court consists of a group of five young women chosen to preside over events related to the Kentucky Derby and these women officially represent both the Derby Festival and the city of Louisville. In early spring, a court of Derby Princesses is selected from a pool of more than 1000 applicants, thirty finalists are selected and the pool is then reduced to five young women who make up the court. Criteria for the selection of the members includes knowledge of the Derby Festival, poise, intelligence. The court attends nearly 70 events during the period leading up to the Kentucky Derby. The queen is selected by a spin of the wheel at the Annual Fillies Derby Ball, the festival saw this method of queen selections as the most fair way to select from their court and the tradition continues today. The festivals first major event is Thunder Over Louisville, Thunder kicks off with a day-long air show ranked as fifth-largest in the United States and the largest fireworks display in North America. The approximately 30 minute firework display begins at nightfall, Thunder Over Louisvilles fireworks have been designed and performed by Zambelli Fireworks International since 1991. Each year, an official Derby Festival poster is unveiled and prints are sold to help finance festival events, artists and photographers who have produced the prized posters include Peter Max and Michael Schwab. Recognition is given to Louisvilles hardworking restaurant employees with the Run for the Rosé, waiters and waitresses run an obstacle course while carrying trays of glasses filled with White Zinfandel Wine. Servers finishing with the best time and most wine remaining in the glasses win prizes, the Kentucky Derby miniMarathon and Marathon occur the Saturday before the Kentucky Derby. USA Track and Field named the miniMarathon among the nations top 50 races, a controversial aspect of the Derby Festival is Derby Cruising. Though it is not an official or licensed event during Derby Festival, it place in the historically black areas of West Broadway on Derby day. Cruising consists of motorcycles and cars driving slowly down Broadway, pedestrians crowding the sidewalks, the gridlock associated with cruising made it difficult for police to respond to instances of violence during 2005 Derby cruising. In 2007, police announced similar plans, although more of Broadway was to remain open. A federal judge allowed the plans to proceed, citing concerns about public safety, police reported that arrests were down from 2007, although they did shut down a 10-block portion of Broadway for a short time on Derby evening after gridlock developed
11.
New York Post
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New York Post is an American daily newspaper, primarily distributed in New York City and its surrounding area. It is the 13th-oldest and seventh-most-widely circulated newspaper in the United States, established in 1801 by federalist and Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, it became a respected broadsheet in the 19th century, under the name New York Evening Post. The modern version of the paper is published in tabloid format, in 1976, Rupert Murdoch bought Post for US$30.5 million. Since 1993, Post has been owned by News Corporation and its successor, News Corp and its editorial offices are located at 1211 Avenue of the Americas. New York Post, established on November 16,1801 as New-York Evening Post, the Hartford Courant, believed to be the oldest continuously published newspaper, was founded in 1764 as a semi-weekly paper, it did not begin publishing daily until 1836. The New Hampshire Gazette, which has trademarked its claim of being The Nations Oldest Newspaper, was founded in 1756, moreover, since the 1890s it has been published only for weekends. Post was founded by Alexander Hamilton with about US$10,000 from a group of investors in the autumn of 1801 as New-York Evening Post, the meeting at which Hamilton first recruited investors for the new paper took place in the then-country weekend villa that is now Gracie Mansion. Hamilton chose William Coleman as his first editor, the most famous 19th-century New-York Evening Post editor was the poet and abolitionist William Cullen Bryant. So well respected was New-York Evening Post under Bryants editorship, it received praise from the English philosopher John Stuart Mill, in the summer of 1829, Bryant invited William Leggett, the Locofoco Democrat, to write for the paper. There, in addition to literary and drama reviews, Leggett began to write political editorials, leggetts classical liberal philosophy entailed a fierce opposition to central banking, a support for voluntary labor unions, and a dedication to laissez-faire economics. He was a member of the Equal Rights Party, Leggett became a co-owner and editor at Post in 1831, eventually working as sole editor of the newspaper while Bryant traveled in Europe in 1834 through 1835. Another co-owner of the paper was John Bigelow, from 1849 to 1861, he was one of the editors and co-owners of New York Evening Post. In 1881 Henry Villard took control of New-York Evening Post, as well as The Nation, with this acquisition, the paper was managed by the triumvirate of Carl Schurz, Horace White, and Edwin L. Godkin. When Schurz left the paper in 1883, Godkin became editor-in-chief, White became editor-in-chief in 1899, and remained in that role until his retirement in 1903. Villard sold the paper in 1918, after allegations of pro-German sympathies during World War I hurt its circulation. The new owner was Thomas Lamont, a partner in the Wall Street firm of J. P. Morgan & Co. Conservative Cyrus H. K. Curtis—publisher of the Ladies Home Journal—purchased New-York Evening Post in 1924, in 1934, J. David Stern purchased the paper, changed its name to New York Post, and restored its broadsheet size and liberal perspective. In 1939, Dorothy Schiff purchased the paper and her husband, George Backer, was named editor and publisher
12.
Betfair
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Betfair Group plc is the worlds largest Internet betting exchange. The companys headquarters are located in Hammersmith in West London, England, since 9 March 2011 Betfair has operated its betting exchange under a Gibraltar licence. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it merged with Paddy Power to form Paddy Power Betfair on 2 February 2016, the company was founded in 2000 by Andrew Black and Edward Wray. Softbank purchased 23% of Betfair in early April 2006, valuing the company at £1.5 billion, in December 2006, Betfair completed the purchase of the horseracing publishing company Timeform. In March 2007, Betfair launched its own Betfair Radio service, available via its website, on the telephone and this has now become Timeform Radio, broadcasting horse racing commentary and results. On 27 January 2009, Betfair announced the purchase of the TVG Network in the United States from Macrovision $50 million USD as part of Macrovisions dissolving of TV Guides assets. In November 2009, Betfair announced a deal with the New York Racing Association that allows Betfairs customers to start wagering immediately on Aqueducts thoroughbreeding races. Betfair floated on the London Stock Exchange with a symbol of BET on 22 October 2010 at £13. In March 2011 the company moved some of its operations to Gibraltar to reduce the amount they paid in tax, in 2012, Betfair launched a fixed-odds betting sports betting service to compete with traditional bookmakers. In August 2014, Net Entertainment NE AB entered into a partnership with Betfair to expand its reach into the UK market and it was announced in September 2015 that Paddy Power and Betfair had agreed terms for a merger. The transaction was structured as an acquisition of Betfair by Paddy Power, the merger was completed on 2 February 2016. Since Betfair was launched in June 2000 it has become the largest online betting company in the UK, Betfair claims to have over 4 million customers and a turnover in excess of £50 million a week. As of April 2013, the company employed 1,800 people worldwide, Betfair claims on average 20 percent better odds than those offered by a traditional bookmaker. However, if a bettor on the web site is long-term profitable Betfair will require them to pay at least 20% of gross profits in total charges, on 30 October 2006, Betfair Poker left the Cryptologic network to move to its new platform. In a press release the companys then poker head, Ben Fried, stated and it means we can react quickly to customer feedback and continue to develop an innovative, community-focused product. We are confident that we are laying the foundations of a market leading poker room, cash 4 Clubs is a sports funding scheme set up and funded by Betfair. The scheme provides grants to local community sports clubs. Betfair owns subsidiaries in the United States, the main company is TVG Network, which is dedicated to horse racing, broadcasting live races as well as race analysis, interviews, handicapping tips and features
13.
TVG Network
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TVG Network is an American sports-oriented digital cable and satellite television network that is owned by Betfair Group plc. When TVG launched in 1999, it was the first and only network in the United States to be devoted to horse racing. It is currently the largest interactive horse racing network, and is available in more than 30 million pay television households nationwide. The channel was launched on July 14,1999, and was founded by the United Video Satellite Group, on October 5,1999, Gemstar International Group Ltd. purchased United Video Satellite Group. In May 2006, TVG introduced several new programs to its schedule including Morning Line, Fandicapping,58 Flat, Lady Luck, TVG also provides all access coverage on select weekends. TVG places microphones on select jockeys, owners, trainers, the site was discontinued at the start of 2012 due to a site upgrade, and currently redirects to TVG. com. In late February 2007, TVG ended its affiliation with Churchill Downs Incorporated. On May 2,2008, Gemstar-TV Guide was acquired by Macrovision for $2.8 billion, in late 2008, Macrovision sold TVG to Betfair for $50 million in cash consideration. The deal was consummated on January 27,2009, separating the channel from the company acquired its founding owner in 2007. In February 2015, Betfair acquired TVGs sole competitor, HRTV, the network was re-branded as a sister network, TVG2, in October 2015. TVGs CEO Kip Levin explained that the merger allowed the company to better utilize TVGs state-of-the-art television facilities to deliver a product for both networks. We look forward to continuing to work with our important track and distribution partners to deliver more races, TVG account holders are able to wager online at TVG. com, or by landline or mobile phone. EX Indicates a racetrack that TVG maintains an agreement to be the horse racing broadcaster of that tracks races. The following tracks are available for wagering at TVG. com, TVG also shows races from international tracks in Australia, Dubai, Great Britain, Ireland, the network also broadcasts races from various tracks in Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland and Japan. Drive Time – A harness racing program, featuring action from Meadowlands, home of the Hambletonian, Horseracing All Access – A program providing a behind the scenes look at horse racing from an insiders perspective. International Racing – A program with the format as Horseracing Today. Legends – A program featuring in-depth conversations with the legends of horseracing, Pick 6 Central – A program providing analysis for major Pick 6 Carryovers. Race Night – Live race telecasts, airing Monday through Thursday evenings, Racing Coast to Coast – Live racing from some of the top tracks across the United States
14.
England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
15.
Ireland
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Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth. Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, in 2011, the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland, the islands geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild, thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, there are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland. The Irish climate is moderate and classified as oceanic. As a result, winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, however, summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant, the earliest evidence of human presence in Ireland is dated at 10,500 BC. Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century CE, the island was Christianised from the 5th century onward. Following the Norman invasion in the 12th century, England claimed sovereignty over Ireland, however, English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th–17th century Tudor conquest, which led to colonisation by settlers from Britain. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, with the Acts of Union in 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s and this subsided following a political agreement in 1998. In 1973 the Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community while the United Kingdom, Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature. Alongside mainstream Western culture, an indigenous culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music. The culture of the island shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing. The name Ireland derives from Old Irish Eriu and this in turn derives from Proto-Celtic *Iveriu, which is also the source of Latin Hibernia. Iveriu derives from a root meaning fat, prosperous, during the last glacial period, and up until about 9000 years ago, most of Ireland was covered with ice, most of the time
16.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks
17.
Hong Kong
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Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, is an autonomous territory on the Pearl River Delta of East Asia. Macau lies across the delta to the west, and the Chinese province of Guangdong borders the territory to the north. With a total area of 1,106 square kilometres. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during World War II until British control resumed in 1945, under the principle of one country, two systems, Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative, in addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of appropriate fields. Hong Kong is one of the worlds most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the worlds most competitive and freest economic entity. As the worlds 8th largest trading entity, its legal tender, Hong Kongs tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by simple taxation with a competitive level of corporate tax and supported by its independent judiciary system. However, while Hong Kong has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world and it has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the worlds longest life expectancy. Over 90% of the population use of well-developed public transportation. Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring areas of Mainland China. Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island, before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour, literally means Little Hong Kong)—between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was a point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen. Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time, fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbours fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour, the name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926. Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric. As of 1997, its name is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. This is the title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law. Hong Kong has carried many nicknames, the most famous among those is the Pearl of the Orient, which reflected the impressive nightscape of the citys light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour
18.
Japan
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Japan is a sovereign island nation in Eastern Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asia Mainland and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea, the kanji that make up Japans name mean sun origin. 日 can be read as ni and means sun while 本 can be read as hon, or pon, Japan is often referred to by the famous epithet Land of the Rising Sun in reference to its Japanese name. Japan is an archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, the country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions. Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one, the population of 127 million is the worlds tenth largest. Japanese people make up 98. 5% of Japans total population, approximately 9.1 million people live in the city of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period, the first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed by periods of isolation, from the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shoguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a period of isolation in the early 17th century. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan is a member of the UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8, the country has the worlds third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the worlds fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the worlds fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer, although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the worlds eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. Japan is a country with a very high standard of living. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, in ancient China, Japan was called Wo 倭. It was mentioned in the third century Chinese historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms in the section for the Wei kingdom, Wa became disliked because it has the connotation of the character 矮, meaning dwarf. The 倭 kanji has been replaced with the homophone Wa, meaning harmony, the Japanese word for Japan is 日本, which is pronounced Nippon or Nihon and literally means the origin of the sun. The earliest record of the name Nihon appears in the Chinese historical records of the Tang dynasty, at the start of the seventh century, a delegation from Japan introduced their country as Nihon
19.
South Africa
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South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is the southernmost country in Africa. South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world by land area and it is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere. About 80 percent of South Africans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages, the remaining population consists of Africas largest communities of European, Asian, and multiracial ancestry. South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a variety of cultures, languages. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the recognition of 11 official languages. The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup détat, however, the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994. During the 20th century, the black majority sought to recover its rights from the dominant white minority, with this struggle playing a role in the countrys recent history. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation, since 1994, all ethnic and linguistic groups have held political representation in the countrys democracy, which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South Africa is often referred to as the Rainbow Nation to describe the multicultural diversity. The World Bank classifies South Africa as an economy. Its economy is the second-largest in Africa, and the 34th-largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, South Africa has the seventh-highest per capita income in Africa. However, poverty and inequality remain widespread, with about a quarter of the population unemployed, nevertheless, South Africa has been identified as a middle power in international affairs, and maintains significant regional influence. The name South Africa is derived from the geographic location at the southern tip of Africa. Upon formation the country was named the Union of South Africa in English, since 1961 the long form name in English has been the Republic of South Africa. In Dutch the country was named Republiek van Zuid-Afrika, replaced in 1983 by the Afrikaans Republiek van Suid-Afrika, since 1994 the Republic has had an official name in each of its 11 official languages. Mzansi, derived from the Xhosa noun umzantsi meaning south, is a name for South Africa. South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human fossil sites in the world, extensive fossil remains have been recovered from a series of caves in Gauteng Province. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has termed the Cradle of Humankind
20.
Australia
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Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the worlds sixth-largest country by total area, the neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east. Australias capital is Canberra, and its largest urban area is Sydney, for about 50,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages classifiable into roughly 250 groups. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades, and by the 1850s most of the continent had been explored, on 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia has since maintained a liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy comprising six states. The population of 24 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard, Australia has the worlds 13th-largest economy and ninth-highest per capita income. With the second-highest human development index globally, the country highly in quality of life, health, education, economic freedom. The name Australia is derived from the Latin Terra Australis a name used for putative lands in the southern hemisphere since ancient times, the Dutch adjectival form Australische was used in a Dutch book in Batavia in 1638, to refer to the newly discovered lands to the south. On 12 December 1817, Macquarie recommended to the Colonial Office that it be formally adopted, in 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as Australia. The first official published use of the term Australia came with the 1830 publication of The Australia Directory and these first inhabitants may have been ancestors of modern Indigenous Australians. The Torres Strait Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, were originally horticulturists, the northern coasts and waters of Australia were visited sporadically by fishermen from Maritime Southeast Asia. The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland, and the first recorded European landfall on the Australian continent, are attributed to the Dutch. The first ship and crew to chart the Australian coast and meet with Aboriginal people was the Duyfken captained by Dutch navigator, Willem Janszoon. He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in early 1606, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines and named the island continent New Holland during the 17th century, but made no attempt at settlement. William Dampier, an English explorer and privateer, landed on the north-west coast of New Holland in 1688, in 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. The first settlement led to the foundation of Sydney, and the exploration, a British settlement was established in Van Diemens Land, now known as Tasmania, in 1803, and it became a separate colony in 1825. The United Kingdom formally claimed the part of Western Australia in 1828. Separate colonies were carved from parts of New South Wales, South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, the Northern Territory was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia
21.
Parimutuel betting
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In some countries it is known as the Tote after the totalisator, which calculates and displays bets already made. The parimutuel system is used in gambling on horse racing, greyhound racing, jai alai, a modified parimutuel system is also used in some lottery games. Parimutuel betting differs from fixed-odds betting in that the payout is not determined until the pool is closed – in fixed odds betting. Parimutuel gambling is frequently state-regulated, and offered in places where gambling is otherwise illegal. Parimutuel gambling is also offered at off track facilities, where players may bet on the events without actually being present to observe them in person. Consider a hypothetical event which has eight possible outcomes, in a country using a decimal currency such as dollars, each outcome has a certain amount of money wagered, Thus, the total pool of money on the event is $1028.00. Following the start of the event, no more wagers are accepted, the event is decided and the winning outcome is determined to be Outcome 4 with $110.00 wagered. First the commission or take for the company is deducted from the pool, for example with a commission rate of 14. 25% the calculation is. This leaves a remaining amount of $881.51 and this remaining amount in the pool is now distributed to those who wagered on Outcome 4, $881.51 / $110.00 =8.01 ≈ $8 per $1 wagered. This payout includes the $1 wagered plus an additional $7 profit, Thus, the odds on Outcome 4 are 7-to-1. Prior to the event, betting agencies will often provide approximates for what will be out for a given outcome should no more bets be accepted at the current time. Sometimes, the amounts paid out are rounded down to a denomination interval—in the United States and Australia, the rounding loss is sometimes known as breakage and is retained by the betting agency as part of the commission. In horse racing, an example of this circumstance might be when an overwhelming favorite wins. The parimutuel calculation results might call for a very small winning payout, in North America, this condition is usually referred to as a minus pool. In an event with a set of n possible outcomes, with wagers W1, W2, …, after the wagering company deducts a commission rate of r from the pool, the amount remaining to be distributed between the successful bettors is WR = WT. Those who bet on the successful outcome m will receive a payout of WR / Wm for every dollar they bet on it, the parimutuel system was invented by Catalan impresario Joseph Oller in 1867. The first was installed at Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland, New Zealand in 1913, the U. S. introduction was in 1927, which led to the opening of the suburban Arlington Racetrack in Arlington Park, near Chicago and Sportsmans Park in Cicero, Illinois, in 1932. Unlike many forms of gambling, in parimutuel betting the gambler bets against other gamblers
22.
Keeneland
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Keeneland includes the Keeneland Racecourse, a Thoroughbred horse racing facility, and a sales complex, both in Lexington, Kentucky. Operated by the Keeneland Association, Inc. it is known for its reference library. In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Keeneland was ranked #1 of the top ten tracks and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986. Keeneland was founded in 1936 as a nonprofit racing–auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack Keene and it has used proceeds from races and its auctions to further the thoroughbred industry as well as to contribute to the surrounding community. The racing side of Keeneland, Keeneland Race Course, has conducted race meets in April. It added a course in 1985. The spring meet contains several preps for the Kentucky Derby, the most notable of which is the Blue Grass Stakes, the fall meet features several Breeders Cup preps. Keeneland takes pride in maintaining racing traditions, it was the last track in North America to broadcast race calls over its public-address system, not doing so until 1997. Most of the scenes of the 2003 movie Seabiscuit were shot at Keeneland. Nonetheless, Keeneland has adopted several innovations and it reshaped the main track and replaced the dirt surface with the proprietary Polytrack surface over the summer of 2006 in time for its fall race meeting. The track was restored to a racing surface during the summer of 2014. Keeneland was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986, Keeneland hosted the Breeders Cup for the first time in 2015. The Breeders Cup Classic was won by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah by 6 and he became the first to win the unofficial Grand Slam of horse racing, winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes and Breeders Cup Classic. Many horse industry personal were skeptical of Keeneland as a venue because the track. However it was a success and even had a Thoroughbred Daily News writer report I was wrong. it was spectacular. Keeneland is the worlds largest Thoroughbred auction house, conducting three sales annually, The September Yearling Sale, November Breeding Stock Sale, and January Horses of All Ages Sale. Graduates of Keeneland sales The track has a 1 1⁄16 miles dirt oval, the turf course uses two configurations, the Keeneland Course setup has a temporary rail set 15 feet out, while the Haggin Course has no temporary rail
23.
Lexington, Kentucky
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Lexington, consolidated with Fayette County, is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 61st largest in the United States. Known as the Horse Capital of the World, it is the heart of the states Bluegrass region, with a mayor-alderman form of government, it is one of two cities in Kentucky designated by the state as first-class, the other is the states largest city of Louisville. In the 2016 U. S. Census Estimate, the population was 318,449, anchoring a metropolitan area of 506,751 people. Lexington ranks tenth among US cities in college education rate, with 39. 5% of residents having at least a bachelors degree and this area of fertile soil and abundant wildlife was long occupied by varying tribes of Native Americans. European explorers began to trade with them but settlers did not come in force until the late 18th century, Lexington was founded by European Americans in June 1775, in what was then considered Fincastle County, Virginia,17 years before Kentucky became a state. A party of frontiersmen, led by William McConnell, camped on the Middle Fork of Elkhorn Creek at the site of the present-day McConnell Springs, upon hearing of the colonists victory in the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19,1775, they named their campsite Lexington. It was the first of what would be many American places to be named after the Massachusetts town, the risk of Indian attacks delayed permanent settlement for four years. In 1779, during the American Revolutionary War, Col. Robert Patterson and 25 companions came from Fort Harrod and they built cabins and a stockade, establishing a settlement known as Bryan Station. In 1780, Lexington was made the seat of Virginias newly organized Fayette County, colonists defended it against a British and allied Shawnee attack in 1782, during the last part of the American Revolutionary War. The town was chartered on May 6,1782, by an act of the Virginia General Assembly, the First African Baptist Church was founded c. 1790 by Peter Durrett, a Baptist preacher and slave held by Joseph Craig. Durrett helped guide The Travelling Church, a migration of several hundred pioneers led by the preacher Lewis Craig and Captain William Ellis from Orange County. It is the oldest black Baptist congregation in Kentucky and the third oldest in the United States, I would suppose it contains about five hundred dwelling houses, many of them elegant and three stories high. The country around Lexington for many miles in every direction, is equal in beauty and fertility to anything the imagination can paint and is already in a state of cultivation. Residents have fondly continued to refer to Lexington as The Athens of the West since Espys poem dedicated to the city, in the early 19th century, planter John Wesley Hunt became the first millionaire west of the Alleghenies. London Ferrill, second preacher of First African Baptist, was one of three clergy who stayed in the city to serve the suffering victims, additional cholera outbreaks occurred in 1848–49 and the early 1850s. Cholera was spread by using contaminated water supplies, but its transmission was not understood in those years. Often the wealthier people would flee town for outlying areas to try to avoid the spread of disease, planters held slaves for use as field hands, laborers, artisans, and domestic servants. In the city, slaves worked primarily as servants and artisans, although they also worked with merchants, shippers
24.
American Pharoah
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American Pharoah is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders Cup Classic in 2015. In winning all four races, he became the first horse to win the Grand Slam of American horse racing and he won the 2015 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year and 2015 Champion three-year-old. He was bred and owned throughout his career by Ahmed Zayat of Zayat Stables, trained by Bob Baffert. He now stands at stud at Ashford Stud in Kentucky, after finishing fifth in his track debut as a two-year-old, American Pharoah won his next races, the Grade I Del Mar Futurity and FrontRunner Stakes, each by several lengths. An injury kept him out of the Breeders Cup Juvenile, before the 2015 season began, Zayat had sold breeding rights to the colt to the Ashford Stud, a division of Irelands Coolmore Stud. He retained control over the colt and his career, as well as an undisclosed dividend on stud fees. American Pharoah began his 2015 campaign with wins in the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby and he won the Triple Crown in a wire-to-wire victory at the 2015 Belmont Stakes, becoming the first American Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 and the 12th in history. His winning time was the second-fastest for a Triple Crown winner and he next shipped to Monmouth Park and easily won the Haskell Invitational on August 2, prompting Baffert to say, He just keeps bringing it, hes a great horse. Three weeks later, he finished a second in a hard-fought Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on August 29,2015. Pursuant to the agreement between Zayat and Ashford, American Pharoah was retired to stud at the conclusion of his 2015 racing year, American Pharoah is a bay colt with a faint star on his forehead and no other white markings. He is from the crop of foals sired by Pioneerof the Nile. The stallions first crop included Holy Bull Stakes winner Cairo Prince, and Social Inclusion, American Pharoahs dam, Littleprincessemma, was purchased by Zayat in 2007 for $250,000. She raced but did not win either of her two starts in 2008, American Pharoah was her second foal, following allowance race winner Xixixi. When he was a few old, he and Littleprincessemma went to nearby Pretty Run Farm, also owned by VanMeter. Later, the mare and foal were moved to Vinery, another Lexington farm where Pioneerof the Nile was stabled, there, American Pharoah was weaned at five months of age, and stood out from the other weanlings due to his conformation and good temperament. In January 2013 as a yearling, he went to Taylor Made Farm near Nicholasville, Kentucky, in August 2013, American Pharoah was consigned by the Taylor Made Sales Agency to the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling sale. A few weeks before the auction, American Pharoah bumped his leg and had a lump that was visible to potential buyers at the sale. He was officially purchased for the minimum of $300,000 by Ingordo Bloodstock, acting as an agent for Zayat
25.
Del Mar racetrack
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Del Mar racetrack is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California,20 mi north of San Diego. It is the second largest horse-racing venue in the western United States, the facility is owned by the State of California and leased by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, it is known for the slogans, Where The Turf Meets The Surf as well as Cool as Ever. It was built by a partnership including Bing Crosby, actors Pat OBrien, Gary Cooper, Joe E. Brown, Charles S. Howard and Oliver Hardy. The Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Surfside Race Place all share just one address for the entire complex 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, michael Wrona is track announcer, who replaced Trevor Denman as voice of Del Mar. Wrona also does commentating at Santa Anita Park. When Del Mar opened in 1937, Bing Crosby was at the gate to greet the fans. On August 12,1938, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club hosted a $25,000 winner-take-all match race between Charles S. Howards Seabiscuit and the Binglin Stables colt, Ligaroti, in the race, Seabiscuit was ridden by jockey George Woolf and Ligaroti by Noel Richardson. In front of a crowd that helped make the fledgling Del Mar race track a success. By 1940, Del Mar became a playground for many Hollywood stars. Between 1942 and 1944 the facility was closed due to the Second World War, initially, the grounds were used for training by the United States Marine Corps, then as a manufacturing site for parts to B-17 bombers. Throughout the late 1940s and 1950s the track became the Saratoga of the West for summer racing, the track had large purses for many stakes, many of the stakes races were won by the legendary jockey, Bill Shoemaker. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Del Mar continued to offer high quality racing, the track attempted to run a fall meet in the 1960s but later canceled it after getting lackluster results. This allowed for the creation of the Oak Tree Racing Association at Santa Anita race track, change marked the 1980s when the infield was opened to spectators and in 1984 Trevor Denman became the voice of Del Mar. The track still offered the best summer racing in the West and continued to grow in purses, handle, in the 1990s the track underwent a major renovation. The grandstand of the Del Mar Fairgrounds was demolished and replaced, in 1991 the track ran its richest race to date, the $1,000,000 Grade I Pacific Classic Stakes. The first Classic was won by an impressive three-year-old named Best Pal, beginning in the year 2000, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club s marketing team went through a major shift in their marketing direction. They realized they had to attract a youthful audience as well as a female audience. They focused Del Mar as a destination, using social media. The majority of ads didnt show horses and they adopted the slogan Cool as Ever and created a new brand around Del Mar Scene
26.
Breeders' Cup Classic
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The Breeders Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of 1 1⁄4 miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders Cup World Championships in late October or early November, all of the races to date have been held in the United States except for the 1996 edition held at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Classic is considered by many to be the premier thoroughbred horse race of the year in the U. S. although the Kentucky Derby is more known among casual racing fans. Once the richest race in the world, in recent years, only the Dubai World Cup. Often, the winner of the Classic goes on to win U. S, Horse of the Year honors, including the four winners of the race between 2004 and 2007—respectively Ghostzapper, Saint Liam, Invasor, and Curlin. Due to the high quality of horses in the event. One notable example of a winning the Classic is the victory of Arcangues in 1993. This was the biggest upset in Breeders Cup history and his $269.20 payoff for a $2 wager remains a Breeders Cup record, the Classic is now regarded as the fourth leg of horse racings Grand Slam—the traditional Triple Crown plus the Breeders Cup Classic. After American Pharoahs Triple Crown win earlier in 2015, the term became popular, Sunday Silence in 1989 was the first to claim a Small Slam by winning three of the four legs. The first running of the Breeders Cup Classic in 1984 produced an exciting finish between 30-1 longshot Wild Again on the inside, Gate Dancer on the outside and favorite Slew o Gold in between. The three battled down the stretch with Wild Again shifting his path away from the rail and Gate Dancer lugging in towards the rail, Wild Again finished a neck in front of Gate Dancer with Slew o Gold less than a length behind. After a 10-minute stewards inquiry, Wild Again was left in first place, the 1987 renewal featured the face off between two Kentucky Derby winners, Alysheba and Ferdinand. Ferdinand, who won the Derby in 1986, reached the lead in mid-stretch, in a photo finish, Ferdinand prevailed by a nose and would later be named Horse of the Year. Alysheba came back in 1988 to win the Classic, becoming the then-leading money earner in history, in the 1989 renewal, Sunday Silence and Easy Goer faced off for the last time in one of racings most famous rivalries. Sunday Silence had beaten Easy Goer in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, Easy Goer then went on an impressive winning streak that included the Whitney, Travers, Woodward and Jockey Club Gold Cup, making him the 1-2 favorite in the Classic. Sunday Silence raced five lengths behind the leaders, with Easy Goer uncharacteristically six lengths further behind. Easy Goer made a move down the backstretch to get next to Sunday Silence, Sunday Silence then made his own move as they rounded the final turn. He opened up a three length lead, but Easy Goer again started closing down the stretch, at the wire, Sunday Silence prevailed by a neck, earning him Horse of the Year honors
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