A horse race is a wagering event in which participants try to predict the outcome of an athletic competition between two horses. In this case, the athletes are Thoroughbred horses running in a straight race on a dirt track over a distance of at least one mile. This type of contest has become a popular sport in the United States, with spectators watching the action from a grandstand or from a betting window at a track.
Horses are bred to run at high speeds in order to win races, but doing so is dangerous for them. During the race, these animals are forced to sprint—often with illegal electric-shocking devices—at speeds that can cause fractures, hemorrhage in their lungs, and other injuries. Injuries are a common part of the game, and many horses are killed due to these complications.
To avoid these dangers, horses are injected with drugs to prevent bleeding and other health problems. These medications are largely unregulated and have been used for decades, but racing officials don’t have the capacity to test horses for all of the new drugs. As a result, horses are given powerful painkillers designed for humans, anti-psychotics, and growth hormones. In addition, some horses are bled to help them compete; the amount of blood they lose during hard running can lead to a fatal stroke or heart attack.
These drugs are often abused in order to maximize profits for owners and trainers, as well as to encourage the horses’ physical abilities. This is especially true for the sport’s most prominent race, the Kentucky Derby. While it is popular to watch the Derby on television, few people realize that this prestigious race is nothing more than an elaborate form of doping for the sake of money.
The Kentucky Derby is one of the most heavily analyzed and televised horse races in the world, yet few know that it is also a spectacle of doping and animal cruelty. Behind the romanticized facade of the Derby, which features jockeys in colorful silks, spectators sipping mint juleps, and horses galloping with hypnotic smoothness, are an unseen reality of injuries, drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns, and slaughter.
In a time when Americans are struggling to find work and families, the sexy spectacle of a horse race is used as a means of distraction from political issues that matter. In a recent study, researchers found that this strategic news coverage elevates the public’s cynicism of the democratic process and can actually discourage voter turnout. This effect is most pronounced among young people, who have limited experiences with politics and can develop long-lasting negative attitudes toward the democratic system if they are exposed to this sort of propaganda. The study was published in the journal Political Science Quarterly.
