A horse race is a sporting event where participants ride horses over a distance. The sport dates back to ancient times and has been practiced in many cultures and civilizations. Today it is an extremely popular spectator sport and forms a part of the Olympic games. Despite its popularity it has also been condemned by animal rights activists, who argue that the sport exploits and harms animals. In the United States, a horse race is usually held on a dirt or turf course and involves a number of runners, who are matched against each other by odds. A winning horse is the one that crosses the finish line first. The winner receives a prize, depending on the type of race. The second and third place runners are rewarded with a certain amount of money.

The term horse race is sometimes used in a political context, to refer to a close form of competition, especially a presidential contest. This use is often accompanied by mudslinging, name calling, attack ads and other spectacles that may distract from the real issues at stake in a campaign.

In a horse race, a player places a bet on a specific runner to win, place or show. The runner is assigned a particular price by the bookmakers and the winnings are paid out depending on the number of correct selections. If a pool does not hit (that is, no one correctly selects the exact winner of the race) the remaining money, known as “breakage,” is split between the track, state and breeding or other funds in varying proportions.

Horse races are held around the world at hundreds of racetracks. The sport originated in Ancient Greece and has been practiced throughout history. It is a popular sport for spectators and bettors, but it is also an extremely dangerous activity for the horses. In order to compete, horses are forced to run at speeds that far exceed their natural limits. They are also subjected to cocktails of legal and illegal drugs, which mask injuries and enhance performance. It is not uncommon for a horse to bleed from the lungs during a race, a condition called exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.

Despite its high-profile and glamorous image, horse racing is a brutal industry that imposes severe physical and psychological stress on the animals. This suffering often manifests itself in compulsive and repetitive behavior, such as cribbing, pacing, kicking and self-mutilation. For outsiders, the fact that horse racing is an industry in which these problems are tolerated raises concerns about the safety and ethicality of the sport.