Horse racing in Great Britain
All modern thoroughbred racehorses can trace a line back to three foundation sires which were imported to Britain in the late 17th/early 18th centuries[3] and the General Stud Book first published by James Weatherby still records details of every horse in the breed.
All the above forms of the sport are run under the auspices of the governing and regulatory body for horse racing in Great Britain, the British Horseracing Authority.
[9] The earliest written mention of "running-horses" is a record of Hugh, from the French House of Capet, gifting some as a present to King Athelstan of England in the 9th/10th century.
[7] King John established a stud at Eltham, Kent[7] and the Middle English romance Sir Bevis of Hampton has couplets which refer to races taking place in the time of Richard I.
It is believed that the first occurrence of a trophy being presented to the winner of a race was in 1512 by organisers of a fair in Chester[13] and was a small wooden ball decorated with flowers.
[8] By the time of Elizabeth, the sport was a "common amusement",[13] and the Queen herself is recorded as attending races on Salisbury Plain in the 1580s,[8] as well as keeping up the paddocks at Hampton and founding her own at Blackheath.
[8] During Elizabeth's reign, interest in horse racing appears to have waned, for reasons unrecorded,[16] but this changed when in 1605, James I discovered the little village of Newmarket whilst out hawking or riding.
[citation needed] The first recorded race there was a match for £100 between horses owned by Lord Salisbury and Marquess of Buckingham in 1622, and the racecourse was founded in 1636.
[8] Chester continued to be a centre of the sport and by 1609 there are records of the St George's race being run five time round the "Roody" for a prize of silver bells and a sum of money.
Jockey weights began to be measured and rigorously enforced,[18] and formal training of horses took place, paying attention to food and exercise.
[17] The King supported several meetings, even acting as Clerk of the Course at Lincoln in 1607 and built a house at Newmarket as a hunting lodge and so he could enjoy the racing there.
[19] Around the time that Charles I of England came to the throne, Spring and Autumn race meetings were introduced to Newmarket and in 1634 the first Gold Cup event was held.
Under their auspices the Derby and Oaks were established at Epsom, inspired by the St Leger and the growing popularity of shorter races, for younger horses.
[27] At around the same time, jockeys began to earn a reputation in their own right, with early pioneers including Frank Buckle, Sam Chifney Sr and Jem Robinson.
[31] Or as Rice's History reported in 1879, "for some two hundred years the pursuit of Horse-racing has been attractive to more of our countrymen than any other out-door pastime"[32] Other traditional rural sports, including hawking, shooting and hare-hunting, had much diminished by this period, due to enclosure and "gradual refinement of manners"[33] and racing was at its "acme".
An interest in horse racing and the attendant gambling was described as the "offspring of a passion we should wish to disown", with a warning that "the modern turf is fast becoming the very manor of the worst".
The festival hosts races such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle, which are seen as the peak of their disciplines and over the years have been won by horses whose appeal has transcended the sport, including Kauto Star and Desert Orchid.
The coverage is presented by Ed Chamberlin and Oli Bell with AP McCoy, Alice Plunkett, Mick Fitzgerald and Francesca Cumani.
[48] Channel 4's most recognisable racing figure was John McCririck, famed for his eccentric dress sense and use of the bookmakers' sign language "tic-tac".
Betting shops are common sights in most towns, tending to be sited wherever a significant number of people with disposable cash can be expected.
He cited the large number of otherwise non-viable racecourses kept open (to ensure sufficient races being run) even as the financial rewards to the owners and trainers declined to the point where most could barely cover their expenses.
[citation needed] The tax, now based on gross profit, is now effectively indirectly levied on the punters, the cost being absorbed in the odds that bookmakers offer.
With the expansion of print media and the growth of interest in horse racing among ordinary people, these jockeys became nationally recognised figures, with a profile enjoyed by the footballers and TV celebrities of today.
When Archer died at his own hand, it is said: In London, special editions of the evening papers were issued; crowds thronged Fleet Street to buy them and omnibuses stopped to allow passengers to read the billboards ...
[citation needed] In the modern day, Frankie Dettori is the jockey with the widest public profile beyond racing, appearing on Celebrity Big Brother[58] and launching his own food range.
Richard Johnson, who has been second to McCoy in nearly all of his championships has the second most wins jockey of all time, and gained tabloid fame in the late 1990s for his relationship with Zara Philips.
In the jumps sphere, Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls dominate, along with the likes of David Pipe, Philip Hobbs, Jonjo O'Neill and Dan Skelton.
[70] The two most prominent flat owners of the current era are Sheikh Mohammed, under the Godolphin banner and the team of Michael Tabor, John Magnier and others, based in Ireland.
The sport is adapting to the loss of income from pre-race data following court ruling prohibiting the practice of charging for such in 2004 and 2005, to which the BHB attributes the fall in prize money in 2005.
[71] Research conducted by the Equine Fertility Unit found that 66% of thoroughbred foals were never entered for a race, and more than 80% were no longer in training after four years.
