The science behind horse racing

The “Sport of Kings” is one of the oldest and most loved sports in the globe’s entirety. Archaeological records suggest that horse racing was around in Ancient Greece, Babylon, and Egypt’s glory days. It became more of a spectator sport during the Roman Empire, especially under the reign of Caligula. The mad Roman Emperor absolutely loved horses and even got his favorite horse Incitatus a place in the historic Roman Senate: With a rich history, it is of little surprise that horse racing has established itself as the second most popular spectator sport in the UK. In 2013, the iconic jumps meeting at Cheltenham attracted more than 235,000 people, with multi-million pounds spent on the betting. On top of this, many believe that Cheltenham 2015 will be even better supported in terms of attendance and betting. Yet despite its popularity, something that will continue to increase, we take the art of horse racing for granted. Not only do the jockeys that sit in the saddle put themselves at grave risk every race – AP McCoy, the greatest jumps jockey in history, has broken nearly every bone in his body – but there is also a certain degree of science involved…