Horse races are an ancient human-on-horse competition using rules and stakes to determine who wins, with rules changing over time and popularity varying greatly around the globe. While popular in ancient times, this game remains hugely popular today – playing out across countries from ancient Greece to modern-day Australia and beyond. Horse racing entails complex combinations of strategy, tactics, luck and skill; critics argue the sport can be cruel to horses. Racing in the US is typically overseen by state racing commissions while in many other nations national governing bodies govern this activity.

Horse races are an extremely dangerous form of gambling in which humans ride trained, well-conditioned racehorses around a series of hurdles or obstacles in order to win prizes. Horse race events are especially hazardous for horses themselves and human players; injuries have even resulted from poor training methods or improper handling practices as part of this activity.

Horse racing has a rich and storied history dating back to ancient civilizations and practices in various corners of the globe since antiquity. Archaeological evidence demonstrates this phenomenon during Ancient Greek, Roman, Babylonian, Egyptian civilizations among others; though documented horse races first started taking place in Europe when Louis XIV (1643-1715) introduced racing for public consumption in 1715.

Modern racing employs numerous rules and regulations designed to level the playing field between horses. Many races restrict entries by age, sex or birthplace of horses competing, or past performances in other events. Furthermore, horses are frequently administered drugs to mask injuries or enhance performance; this practice known as doping has become one of the primary sources of debate within horseracing.

As racing has progressed over time, it has become an incredibly lucrative industry for owners and trainers, drawing an audience who enjoy watching and betting on races. But racing also faces its share of challenges: declining interest from younger generations as well as perceptions that it is cruel activity for horses.

At horse races, an owner may “claim” their horse away from someone else for a price before the race begins. When this occurs, only part of its earnings from that race goes back to the original owner; its new owner receives the remaining portion. Once claimed away from another individual or team, its new owner takes over completely; after which it may step up to higher-level racing or run another claiming race with “optional claiming clauses”, giving trainers a risk-reward situation; potentially risk losing his horse while making more than had they simply entered it themselves if he entered straightaway without “optional claiming”. This provides trainers a risk/reward opportunity: potential lose your horse while making more than entering without “claiming”.