UK Horse Racing History

One of the most popular gambling opportunities available in the UK is horse racing. This was first known to have started have started as a sport that was started by English knights coming home from war. During the crusades the knights came home with these Arabian horses that were known for its incredible amounts of stamina. These horses could ride through the most scorching conditions found in the desert, drinking very small amounts of water and carrying a heavy rider. These Arabian horses make up what is today known as “English Thoroughbreds” and the kinds of horses used most prominently were the Arabian breeds, Godolphin Arabian, Byerley Turk and the Darley Arabian. Each of these horses was brought into England for the Horse Racing Tournaments early in the 18th century.

The first actual horse racing venue was at New Market which is located in England, it was also where legal betting started. Eventually in 1711, Queen Ann created the Ascot venue. To oversee the horse racing sport, the Jockey Club came along to create the rules and regulate the fair gaming of the sport. They were also responsible for the 3 races of the “Triple Crown” which are “The St. Ledger”, “The 2000 Guineas” and “The Epsom Derby”. In addition to the “1000 Guineas” and “Epsom Oaks” which is run fillies only.

To make sure everyone understood the rules of the breeding process, the Jockey Club designed a book, which is a listing of the horses that can race in the UK, and this book is called the “General Stud Book”.

Throughout the 19th century the spread of popularity of horse racing and the new technology in media caused more people who enjoy watching horse racing to frequent the sport more often in the early years of the 1960s. Additional with the organization of steeplechase and Fox hunting, horse racing became even more popular. The most famous of the steeplechases horse races is “Grand national” and the “Irish Grand National”.