Mankind’s love affair with horses began long before recorded history – there is evidence of horses being tamed for domestic use that dates back over 6000 years. There is no certainty as to when horse racing began but with humans being so competitive, it is like that soon after they were domesticated, people started arguing about whose horse was the best and raced them to prove their points. It is known that the history of horse racing as sport begins among the prehistoric civilizations of Central Asia from where it gradually spread to the west - history tells that in 638 BC it was part of the ancient Olympic games. The Romans then adopted the sport and both chariot and horse racing were taken all over their huge empire.

When the Crusaders returned to England form their battles against the Moors in the 12th century, they brought back Arabian stallions with them. These horses were extremely fast and agile but were not well suited for the cold damp climate of the north and so they were cross bred with the hardier local breeds to produce animals more suited to the northern climate. The history of horse racing as an organized sport on the lines that is exists today began with race meets in the early 1500s and the earliest known race track came into being around this time. Because of the cost and logistics involved, horse racing for money was restricted to the nobility which is why it became known as the “sport of kings.” It was only over the next 2 centuries that its popularity spread and it became a sport of interest to the general public.

Horse racing came to America with the horses that the first settlers brought with them – it became a popular sport and in a short period of time the country’s first race track was created at Long Island. Racing was a privilege of the landed gentry who used the races to show off their breeding and training skills at races tracks that began to come up around New York. It was at the time of the Civil War that horse racing as a competitive sport began to arouse widespread interest – something that was soon seized upon by entrepreneurs who could see the large profits to be made from organized racing. Soon enough, in the mid 1860s, Saratoga Springs saw the opening of the first “modern” race track where the first stakes race in the country was run. While wars and economic problems may have slowed the growth of horse racing at times, it has continued to grow as a popular sport and with online betting and TV taking racing into every home, there is no place where racing is not a subject of interest.