Games Review Blog

Horse racing is one of the oldest sports on record and has been around for thousands of years. Not only has it survived the test of time but it has also been an organized sport throughout the world even dating back to the original Greek Olympics.

It was in the 12th century when horse racing as we know it today really started to take off. Arab horses were bred with sturdy european horses and the result was sturdy but extremely fast racing horses. Eventually race courses started to open throughout the country and rules and regulations were put in place. The Jockey Club was then formed and is still a governing body today.

King Charles II was well known for having horse racing on open fields and on courses with the winner always having a prize. It is thought that the first horse racing meetings were held at Newmarket.

Between 1702-1714, when Queen Anne was on the throne, horse racing developed from two horses to several and spectators would place bets on the horse they thought would win.

The Jockey club was formed in 1750 at Newmarket where the elite of horse racing met. The club was formed to control English racing and a set of rules were made that are still in force today.

In 1791 the Jockey Club decreed that the breeding of race horses had to be regulated. The job of tracing the history of all race horses was given to a gentleman called James Weatherby. It is an amazing fact that because of Mr Weatherbys hard work some race horses can now be traced all the way back to a horse called Byerley Turk. This particular horse was racing between 1680 and 1696.

The National Hunt Committee was established in 1866. The British Horseracing Board became the governing authority for horse racing in 1993. The Jockey Club still regulates point to point.