1.
Filly
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A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two definitions in use, In most cases, a filly is a female horse under four years old. In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, fillies are sexually mature by two and are sometimes bred at that age, but generally, they should not be bred until they themselves have stopped growing, usually by four or five. Some fillies may exhibit estrus as yearlings, the equivalent term for a male is a colt. When horses of either sex are less than one year, they are referred to as foals, horses of either sex between one and two years old may be called yearlings
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
Chestnut (coat)
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Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absence of true black hairs. It is one of the most common coat colors, seen in almost every breed of horse. Chestnut is a common coat color but the wide range of shades can cause confusion. The lightest chestnuts may be mistaken for palominos, while the darkest shades can be so dark as to resemble a black coat, chestnuts have dark brown eyes, black skin, and a coat that is entirely devoid of true black hairs. Typical chestnuts are some shade of red or reddish brown, the mane, tail, and legs may be lighter or darker than the body coat, but are never truly black. They may have pink skin beneath any white markings under the areas of white hair, Chestnut is produced by a recessive gene. Unlike many coat colors, chestnut can be true-breeding, that is, some breeds, such as the Budyonny, Suffolk Punch, and Haflinger are exclusively chestnut. Other breeds, such as the Belgian are predominantly chestnut, however, a chestnut horse need not have two chestnut parents. For example, Friesian horses have been selected for many years to be uniformly black, the Ariegeois pony is another example. Chestnuts can vary widely in shade and different terms are used to describe these shades. Collectively, these colors are usually called red by geneticists. A basic chestnut or red horse has a solid coat, with a mane. Sorrel is a used by American stock horse registries to describe red horses with manes. In these registries, chestnut describes the darker shades of red-based coats, colloquially, in the American west, almost all copper-red chestnuts are called sorrel. In other parts of the English-speaking world, some consider a sorrel to be a light chestnut with a flaxen mane, liver chestnut or dark chestnut are not a separate genetic color, but a descriptive term. The genetic controls for the depth of shade are not presently understood, liver chestnuts are a very dark-reddish brown. Liver chestnuts are included in the dark chestnut
4.
Thoroughbred
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The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, Thoroughbreds are considered hot-blooded horses that are known for their agility, speed, and spirit. The Thoroughbred as it is today was developed in 17th- and 18th-century England, when native mares were crossbred with imported Oriental stallions of Arabian, Barb. Millions of Thoroughbreds exist today, and around 100,000 foals are registered each year worldwide, Thoroughbreds are used mainly for racing, but are also bred for other riding disciplines such as show jumping, combined training, dressage, polo, and fox hunting. Thoroughbred racehorses perform with maximum exertion, which has resulted in high accident rates, other health concerns include low fertility, abnormally small hearts and a small hoof-to-body-mass ratio. There are several theories for the reasons behind the prevalence of accidents and health problems in the Thoroughbred breed, the typical Thoroughbred ranges from 15.2 to 17.0 hands high, averaging 16 hands. They are most often bay, dark bay or brown, chestnut, black, less common colors recognized in the United States include roan and palomino. White is very rare, but is a recognized color separate from gray, the face and lower legs may be marked with white, but white will generally not appear on the body. Coat patterns that have more than one color on the body, good-quality Thoroughbreds have a well-chiseled head on a long neck, high withers, a deep chest, a short back, good depth of hindquarters, a lean body, and long legs. Thoroughbreds are classified among the breeds, which are animals bred for agility and speed and are generally considered spirited. These artificial dates have been set to enable the standardization of races, the Thoroughbred is a distinct breed of horse, although people sometimes refer to a purebred horse of any breed as a thoroughbred. The term for any horse or other animal derived from a breed line is purebred. Nonetheless, breeders of other species of purebred animals may use the two terms interchangeably, though thoroughbred is less used for describing purebred animals of other species. The term is a noun referring to this specific breed, though often not capitalized, especially in non-specialist publications. For example, the Australian Stud Book, The New York Times, flat racing existed in England by at least 1174, when four-mile races took place at Smithfield, in London. Racing continued at fairs and markets throughout the Middle Ages and into the reign of King James I of England. It was then that handicapping, a system of adding weight to attempt to equalize a horses chances of winning as well as improved training procedures, during the reigns of Charles II, William III, Anne, and George I, the foundation of the Thoroughbred was laid. Under James grandson, Charles II, a keen racegoer and owner, and James great-granddaughter Queen Anne, royal support was given to racing and the breeding of race horses
5.
Horse racing
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Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys or driven over a set distance for competition. Horse races vary widely in format, often, countries have developed their own particular horse racing traditions. Variations include restricting races to particular breeds, running over obstacles, running over different distances, running on different track surfaces, Horse racing has a long and distinguished history and has been practised in civilisations across the world since ancient times. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in Ancient Greece, Babylon, Syria and it also plays an important part of myth and legend, such as the contest between the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. Chariot racing was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman, both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC and were important in the other Panhellenic Games. This was despite the fact that racing was often dangerous to both driver and horse as they frequently suffered serious injury and even death. In the Roman Empire, chariot and mounted horse racing were major industries, fifteen to 20 riderless horses, originally imported from the Barbary Coast of North Africa, ran the length of the Via del Corso, a long, straight city street, in about 2½ minutes. In later times, Thoroughbred racing became, and remains, popular with the aristocrats and royalty of British society, historically, equestrians honed their skills through games and races. Equestrian sports provided entertainment for crowds and honed the excellent horsemanship that was needed in battle, Horse racing of all types evolved from impromptu competitions between riders or drivers. The various forms of competition, requiring demanding and specialized skills from both horse and rider, resulted in the development of specialized breeds and equipment for each sport. The popularity of sports through the centuries has resulted in the preservation of skills that would otherwise have disappeared after horses stopped being used in combat. There are many different types of racing, including, Flat racing. Jump racing, or Jumps racing, also known as Steeplechasing or, in the UK and Ireland, National Hunt racing, Harness racing, where horses trot or pace while pulling a driver in a sulky. Breeds that are used for flat racing include the Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Arabian, Paint, Jump racing breeds include the Thoroughbred and AQPS. In harness racing, Standardbreds are used in Australia, New Zealand and North America, light cold blood horses, such as Finnhorses and Scandinavian coldblood trotter are also used in harness racing within their respective geographical areas. There also are races for ponies, both flat and jump and harness racing, Flat racing is the most common form of racing seen worldwide. Track surfaces vary, with turf most common in Europe, dirt more common in North America and Asia, individual flat races are run over distances ranging from 440 yards up to two and a half miles, with distances between five and twelve furlongs being most common. Short races are referred to as sprints, while longer races are known as routes in the United States or staying races in Europe
6.
Horse markings
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Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual, Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horses life. Most markings have pink skin underneath most of the white hairs, Markings may appear to change slightly when a horse grows or sheds its winter coat, however the difference is simply a factor of hair coat length, the underlying design does not change. Recent studies have examined the genetics behind white markings and have located certain genetic loci that influence their expression, facial markings are usually described by shape and location. There may be more than one distinct facial marking and if so, occasionally, when a white marking extends over an eye, that eye may be blue instead of brown, though this is not consistently seen in all cases. Common facial markings are, Blaze, a white stripe down the middle of the face. Strip, stripe, or race, a white stripe down the middle of the face. Bald Face, a wide blaze, extending to or past the eyes. Some, but not all, bald faced horses also have blue eyes, star, a white marking between or above the eyes. If a stripe or blaze is present, a star must be wider than the vertical marking to be designated separately. Snip, a marking on the muzzle, between the nostrils. Additional terms used to describe facial markings include the following, Faint, A small, interrupted, A marking, usually a strip or blaze, that is broken and not solid for the entire length of the face. Lip markings, have no specialized names, usually are described by location, such as lower lip, chin, lip markings may indicate presence of the sabino color pattern. Leg markings are described by the highest point of the horses leg that is covered by white. As a general rule, the horses hoof beneath a white marking at the line will also be light-colored. If a horse has a marking or ermine spots at the coronary band. Where the Leopard gene is present, the hoof may be striped even if markings are not visible at the coronary band. From tallest to shortest, common leg markings are, Stocking, white marking that extends at least to the bottom of the knee or hock, Sock, white marking that extends higher than the fetlock but not as high as the knee or hock
7.
Foal
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A foal is an equine up to one year old, the term is used mainly for horses. More specific terms are colt for a foal and filly for a female foal. When the foal is nursing from its dam, it may also be called a suckling, after it has been weaned from its dam, it may be called a weanling. When a mare is pregnant, she is said to be in foal, when the mare gives birth, she is foaling, and the impending birth is usually stated as to foal. After a horse is one old, it is no longer a foal. There are no special age-related terms for young horses older than yearlings, when young horses reach breeding maturity, the terms change, a filly over three is called a mare, and a colt over three is called a stallion. A castrated male horse is called a gelding regardless of age, however, colloquially, horses that mature at a small size are called ponies and occasionally confused with foals. However, body proportions are very different, an adult pony can be ridden and put to work, but a foal, regardless of size, is too young to be ridden or used as a working animal. Foals, whether they grow up to be horse or pony-sized, can be distinguished from adult horses by their long legs and small. Their heads and eyes also exhibit juvenile characteristics, although ponies exhibit some neoteny with the wide foreheads and small size, their body proportions are similar to that of an adult horse. Pony foals are proportionally smaller than adults, but like horse foals, foals are born after a gestation period of approximately 11 months. Birth takes place quickly, consistent with the status of a horse as a prey animal, a newborn foals legs are almost as long as those of an adult horse. Healthy foals grow quickly and can put on up to three pounds or over a kilo a day, a sound diet improves growth and leads to a healthier adult animal, although genetics also plays a part. In the first weeks of life the foal gets everything it needs from the mares milk, like a human infant, it receives nourishment and antibodies from the colostrum in milk that is produced within the first few hours or days following parturition. The mare needs additional water to help her produce milk for the foal, a foal may start to eat solids from ten days of age, after eight to ten weeks it will need more nutrition than the mares milk can supply, supplementary feeding is required by then. It is important when adding solid food to the diet to not feed the foal excessively or feed an improperly balanced diet. This can trigger one of several possible growth disorders that can cause lifelong soundness problems, on the other hand, insufficient nutrition to mare or foal can cause stunted growth and other health problems for the foal as it gets older. A foal that has been weaned but is less one year old is called a weanling
8.
Aqueduct Racetrack
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Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in South Ozone Park, Queens, New York City. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April, the track was named Aqueduct after the former Ridgewood Aqueduct. The facility was expanded and a new clubhouse was constructed before the 1941 summer meet, the Equestris Restaurant in the clubhouse opened in 1981 and was the largest restaurant in New York City at the time. Additional renovations were made in 2001,2006, and 2007, currently, one annual meeting is held at Aqueduct, usually from the last Wednesday in October until the first Sunday in May. Races had been run on the Inner Dirt Track between the Wednesday after Thanksgiving until just before the Wood Memorial in recent years, prior to 1977, a summer meeting also was held at Aqueduct, from mid-June to late July. From 1963 through 1967, races run at Belmont Park. The Wood Memorial is Aqueducts the marquee race, which culminates the winter meet, the Remsen and Cigar Mile are major races that begin the winter meet. The track played host to the second ever Breeders Cup on November 2,1985, Aqueduct is the site of the first, and presently, the only triple dead heat for win in a stakes race. In the 1944 running of the Carter Handicap, Brownie, Bossuet, hall of Fame horse Cigar won the first two races in his 16-race win streak at Aqueduct. On May 31,1965,73,375 spectators were on hand at Aqueduct, at the time, it was the largest crowd to ever attend a thoroughbred horse racing event in New York. Champion racehorse Secretariat was retired here before the public on November 6,1973 and he was paraded for the last time to the public and took his last steps on a racetrack here. He was then sent to stud at Claiborne Farm, pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in front of a crowd of 75,000 at Aqueduct on October 6,1995. Every weekend including Tuesdays, a market was operating in the racetracks north parking lot. Aqueduct Flea Market offers a hodgepodge of goods, like bedding, incense and pots, pans and it was opened Tuesdays and weekends year-round for 33 years. This Aqueduct Flea Market, as of 2011, is permanently closed, Belmont Park would have been modified to handle winter requirements which would have included heated stands and the construction of new stables. Aqueduct traditionally has been considered a track frequented by blue collar fans while Belmont Park has a more upscale reputation, Queens Democratic state assemblywoman Audrey I. Pheffer, whose district included Aqueduct, fought the closing of the track which she felt was important to the local community. Any closure at Aqueduct, which is equipped for the winter months, would have required millions of dollars in renovations at Belmont
9.
Javier Castellano
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Javier Castellano is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Castellano began his career in 1996 at Santa Rita and La Rinconada racecourses in Venezuela. In June 1997 he moved to the United States where he rode at tracks in southern Florida until 2001 when he moved to race on the New York State racing circuit. In 2006, Castellano rode Bernardini for Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoums Darley Racing, winning the Preakness Stakes, the Travers Stakes, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Castellano received the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2013,2014,2015, in 2013, he finished the year with purse earnings of over $26.2 million, surpassing the single-season record previously held by Ramon Dominguez in 2012. He passed 4,000 North American wins in February,2015 and his father, who died in 2000, his uncle and a brother all have been jockeys. He considers his father to be biggest influence on his career, as of 2014 he and his wife Abby have three children. His father-in-law is Terry Meyocks, national director of the Jockeys Guild and his younger brother Abel Castellano, Jr. is also a jockey and rode his first winner on September 22,1999 at Santa Rita Race Course in Venezuela. In 2000 he began riding in the United States at Gulfstream Park, javier Castellanos profile at the NTRA Official Website
10.
Churchill Downs
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Churchill Downs, located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs has also hosted the renowned Breeders Cup on eight occasions, most recently in 2011. It is next scheduled to host the Breeders Cup in 2018, Churchill Downs Incorporated owns and operates the racetrack. With the infield open for the Kentucky Derby, the capacity of Churchill Downs is roughly 170,000, in 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Churchill Downs was ranked number 5 on this list, in 2014, prior to the start of their spring meet, Churchill Downs announced an increase in parimutuel takeout rates. As a result of the increase, Churchill Downs was ranked number 22 in the 2014 Horseplayers Association of North America Track Ratings. His father-in-law, Richard Ten Broeck, was a horse breeder and trainer. Churchill Downs filled a void in Louisville left by the closing of Oakland and Woodlawn, the then-rural location was along Louisville and Nashville Railroad tracks, allowing for easy transport of horses. Clark, who preferred longer races to the short ones that had become popular by the 1890s, was running short of funds. Among the new people Applegate brought on board to help him run the rack was Col. Matt Winn of Louisville, Churchill Downs prospered and the Kentucky Derby then became the preeminent stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses in North America. During that early period, a new clubhouse was built in order to promote interaction, and new events such as steeplechases, automobile races. The State Fair was held on the grounds, featuring the odd spectacle of two locomotives being intentionally crashed head-on in the infield. On June 5,1907, African American jockey James Lee set a record that has never beaten when he won the entire six-race card at Churchill Downs. In 1908, parimutuel betting machines were introduced as gambling began to be less controversial again, Churchill Downs was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986. On Friday, June 19,2009, Churchill Downs hosted its first-ever night race with an attendance of over 27,000, Churchill Downs ventured into the music business, organizing the inaugural HullabaLOU Music Festival, held on the weekend of July 23–25,2010. The track had planned to make this an event to compete with other summer music festivals. HullabaLOU attracted 78,000 people but that short of the more than 100,000 expected by the company. The company attributed this to the heat, but others cited high ticket prices in a poor economy
11.
Saratoga Race Course
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Saratoga Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States, with a capacity of 50,000. Opened in 1863, it is the fourth oldest racetrack in the US, Saratoga Springs was the site of standardbred racing as early as 1847. On August 3,1863, casino operator and future congressman John Morrissey organized the first thoroughbred race card on the previously used for harness racing. The current course was opened across the street from the old standardbred track the following year, among those instrumental to the creation of the Saratoga Race Course were John Hunter, William R. Travers, John Morrissey, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. The Saratoga meet originally lasted four days. The meet has been lengthened gradually since that time, for many decades, the meet today lasts a total of 40 racing days, with races held six days per week, and traditionally ends on Labor Day. Saratoga Race Course has been in use almost every year since 1864, the course was closed in 1896 due to increasing competition among thoroughbred tracks, making the meet at Saratoga not viable that season. Anti-gambling legislation, which had passed in New York, resulted in a cessation in all thoroughbred racing in that state during 1911 and 1912, the tracks first parimutuel betting machines were installed in 1940. From 1943 to 1945, racing was curtailed at Saratoga due to restrictions during World War II. During those years, the stakes races held at Saratoga Race Course were instead contested at Belmont Park. The late 1800s were a period of decline for the Race Course, in 1892 it was purchased by notorious gambler Gottfried Dutch Fred Waldbaum, the operator of the notorious Guttenberg racetrack in North Bergen, New Jersey. Finally it was purchased in 1901 by a group of investors led by William Collins Whitney, in the 1960s, the grandstand was extended, doubling the tracks seating capacity. In 1999, Saratoga Race Course was rated as Sports Illustrateds #10 sports venue of the 20th Century, Saratoga Race Course has several nicknames, The Spa, the House of Upsets, and the Graveyard of Champions. Steeplechase races are run at Saratoga Race Course and take place on the inner turf course. The Oklahoma Training Track, which is across Union Avenue from the course, is used for warmups. The Oklahoma Training Track site was the location of the used for racing at the inaugural meet in 1863. On August 3,2013, the new Whitney Viewing Stand opened at the Oklahoma Track and it allows public viewing of workouts at the track, replicating a former stand from the 19th century. A former distinctive feature of Saratoga Race Courses dirt track was the Wilson Mile chute, which branched off from the clubhouse turn at a 90-degree angle
12.
Belmont Stakes
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The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1. 5-mile-long horse race, open to three-year-old Thoroughbreds, colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds, fillies carry 121 pounds. The 1973 Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown winner Secretariat holds the mile, the attendance at the Belmont Stakes is among the American thoroughbred racing top attended events. The 2004 Belmont Stakes drew an audience of 21.9 million viewers. The 149th Running of the Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday, the first Belmont Stakes was held at Jerome Park Racetrack in The Bronx, built in 1866 by stock market speculator Leonard Jerome and financed by August Belmont, Sr. for whom the race was named. The first race in 1867 saw the filly Ruthless win, while the year was won by General Duke. The race continued to be held at Jerome Park until 1890, the 1895 race was almost not held because of new laws that banned bookmaking in New York, it was eventually rescheduled for November 2. When anti-gambling legislation was passed in New York State, Belmont Racetrack was closed, the first winner of the Triple Crown was Sir Barton, in 1919, before the series was recognized as such. In 1920, the Belmont was won by the great Man o War, starting in 1926, the winner of the Belmont Stakes has been presented with August Belmont Trophy. The owner may keep the trophy for one year, and also receives a miniature for permanent use. The term Triple Crown was first used when Gallant Fox won the three races in 1930, but the term did not enter widespread use until 1935 when his son Omaha repeated the feat, Sir Barton was then honored retroactively. Since 1931, the order of Triple Crown races has been the Kentucky Derby first, followed by the Preakness Stakes, prior to 1931, the Preakness was run before the Derby eleven times. On May 12,1917 and again on May 13,1922, the Preakness, on eleven occasions, the Belmont Stakes was run before the Preakness Stakes. The date of each event is now set by the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes is currently held two weeks later, and the Belmont Stakes is held three weeks after the Preakness. The earliest possible date for the Derby is May 1, and the latest is May 7, the earliest possible date for the Belmont is thus June 5, and the latest is June 11. In 1937, War Admiral became the fourth Triple Crown winner after winning the Belmont in a new record time of 2,28 3/5. In the 1940s, four Triple Crown winners followed, Whirlaway in 1941, Count Fleet in 1943, Assault in 1946, Count Fleet won the race by a then-record margin of twenty-five lengths. He also set a record of 2,28 1/5
