In England, professional horse racing started in the 12th Century as English knights returned from their journeys on Arab horses. These horses, from the deserts of the Middle East, were pure breeds with great stamina and were therefore interbred with horseracing breeds already present in England. The most popular Arabian breeds include the Godolphin Arabian, Byerley Turk and Darley Arabian all imported in the 17th Century. The first venue for horse racing in Britain was Newmarket, which was later to become Ascot in 1711 under the reign of Queen Anne.
The sport is controlled by a Jockey Club with comprehensive rules and sanctions which must be adhered to. Races are classified with ‘The Triple Crown’ and other special ones are limited to fillies only. Horse breeding is regulated by a General Stud Book that has a list of thoroughbreds for professional horse racing.
Media coverage has both improved and grown thanks to the advance in technology of the 20th Century and this in turn has increased the amount of fans and number of bets, especially since television coverage.
The close of 1700s saw racers commit to a steeplechase-cross country style of racing inspired by foxhunting among English and Irish. This was the inspiration for the word ‘steeplechase’ in the 1807 Irish racing.
The Grand National (since 1839) and Irish Grand National are two popular races which run annually during the Easter weekend at Aintree and Meath County racecourses respectively. The prize is £250,000 and the distance is more than 3 miles including 5 furlongs with a total of 23 fences. There is also a bonus if the winning horse was trained in the UK.