The race distance is simply the total length over which the race will be run (for example 1 mile means the horses will compete to see who wins when travelling over a distance of 1 mile in the race). To fully understand horse racing distances you will need to be aware of the different measurement types used and appropriate conversion.
1 mile or 8 furlongs or 80 chains or 1760 yards or 5280 feet or 1609.34 metres. Will racetracks adopt metric measurements? Horse racing has been using imperial measurements for hundreds of years, it is a sport which has tradition embedded in its DNA.
When a horse finishes the race at 30mph it is covering 13.4 metres per second (5.36 lengths per second). While if a slower racehorse finishes the race at 15mph it is covering 6.7 metres per second (10.72 lengths per second).
The measurement corresponding to the average length of a horse and used to describe winning, or losing, distances. A horse can win, or be beaten, by a length or more, or by fractions thereof -- 3/4 of a length, half-length, 1/4 length, neck, head or nose.
The standard measurement for horse racing is the furlong, a measure of distance in Imperial Units (a measurement system used in the United Kingdom) and in United States Customary Units. A furlong is equal to 201 meters in distance, which also translates to 220 yards, 660 feet, or one-eighth of a mile.
Most outdoor tracks are 400 meters around, as measured in Lane 1; that's just a bit less than one-quarter of a mile.
Mile oval. Synonymous with the name, a 1-mile (1.61 km) oval is a popular and common length for oval track racing.
Races over obstacles start at the one-mile seven-furlong distance, with most races being between that and the three-mile distance.
A horse racing spread betting market that predicts the aggregate total of the winning margins of each race at a meeting. The maximum winning distance for a Flat race is set at 12 lengths while for a National Hunt race it is 30 lengths.
As far as time goes, 6 lengths is generally considered to equal one second in race time.
Individual flat races are run over distances ranging from 440 yards (400 m) up to two and a half miles (4 km), with distances between five and twelve furlongs (1.0 and 2.4 km) being most common.
11⁄4 milesKentucky DerbyRace informationDistance11⁄4 miles (10 furlongs; 2 km)Record1:59.40, Secretariat (1973, 11⁄4 miles) 2:34.50, Spokane (1889, 11⁄2 miles)SurfaceDirtTrackLeft-handed10 more rows
Track RecordsDistanceTimeDate1550m1:33.9426/06/20021600m1:32.7329/09/20181800m1:47.4325/04/20192000m2:00.3011/10/201411 more rows
6 Furlongs = 3/4mile. 8 Furlongs = 1 mile. Race Lengths. 5 Furlongs = 5/8 mile. 5.5 Furlongs = 11/16 mile.
There are two main forms of horse racing in Great Britain. National Hunt racing, races run over distances between 2 miles and 4+1⁄2 miles, where horses usually jump either hurdles or fences (races known as steeplechases).
A furlong is a traditional imperial unit of length which is equal to 220 yards or 660 feet or 201.17 metres or 1/8 mile. It is commonly used as a measurement in British, Irish and American horseracing.
Dating back from around the ninth century during the Anglo-Saxon times, two Old English words were joined together, furh (furrow) and lang (long). These words were used to determine the length of a furrow of an acre of a ploughed field.
The Final Furlong is a common phrase used by horse racing commentators that describes the final stretch of the race up to the finishing post.
Horse racing has been using imperial measurements for hundreds of years, it is a sport which has tradition embedded in its DNA. Trials have taken place to display metric units but changing completely from Imperial to Metric will not happen in the near distant future.
When betting on horse racing, a bookmaker might offer the option of betting on the winning distance of a specific horse in that race. Ensure you read the market rules and terms & conditions, but the following rules below are generally practised across most bookmakers.
Bookmakers often have online betting promotions where you can get a bonus bet or your money back if your horse loses by a head or length.
Online bookmakers also display odds in fractions, however if you feel inclined you can change the settings to display in decimal format. We have a fraction to decimal guide to follow or an article on the odds used in horse racing.
While not always the case, horse racing commonly occurs with jockeys riding atop the horses an an attempt to steer and speed up the horses. Depending on the event, some horse races involve only select breeds, multiple obstacles, or varying distances. Horse Racing Common Questions. Upgrade to Pro. Links.
Frankie Dettori. Frankie Dettori is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom, who is regarded by some as the best horse jockey currently riding. Franke Dettori first started horse riding at the age of 12 and won his first race at the age of 16.
Bill Shoemaker was an American horse jockey known for holding the world record for the most total professional jockey win for a total of 29 years. He had a total of 8,833 career wins that included 11 Triple Crown races throughout his career that spanned 4 decades. Bill Shoemaker had a height of 4’10” (1.47 m).
Bill Shoemaker’s first horse race took place in 1949 when he was 18 years old. He had a small stature that he used as an asset to advance his career in thoroughbred horse racing. Bill Shoemaker retired as a horse jockey in 1990 and became a trainer to racehorses. He died on October 12, 2003 at the age of 72.
Bookmakers and the best horse racing betting sites do have special markets on winning distances, particularly when there is an odds-on favourite for a big race. This is primarily to try to add some extra interest for punters who might be reluctant to bet at very short prices.
Winning distances in horse racing although using old fashioned terms (such as head, length, distance etc) are now calculated using mathematical formulas. This means that there is consistency across all racecourses in the UK and horse racing results.
With most of the bookmakers below and top betting apps you can also enjoy horse racing free bets as part of their new customer offer options, as well as a whole range of other perks (individual full t&cs apply), a variety of bet payment method options, betting offers and more.
The American Quarter Horse Association established eleven distances of quarter horse races between 220 yards and 870 yards. The most common distances are 350 yards long, even though the traditional quarter-mile is only 220 yards.
Quarter horses are known for their quick burst of speed. On the other hand, a thoroughbred is a breed that was specifically bred for speed and endurance. So which one is faster?
The Quarter Horse breed originated in America through crossbreeding Thoroughbreds and horses brought to North America by Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500s. Due to their sturdy build, quickness, and intelligence- they quickly became favorites of frontiersmen.
The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is the registry for quarter horses in the United States and Canada. It is the governing body of quarter horse racing and maintains the records.
Rocket Wrangler was a champion 2-year-old colt in 1970 and went on to win ten races and earnings of $252,167. But he made his mark on the quarter horse world as a sire after he retired from racing.
The late B.F. Phillips Jr. bred and raised “Dash For Cash,” the 1976-1977 World Champion Quarter Horse, who won 21 out of 25 races in his time, including two ‘ champion of champions ‘ titles (G1).
The average horse speed is approximately 30 mph (48 km/h), but some famous racehorses run incredibly fast and achieved higher speeds. However, it is only a matter of statistics since it can be hard to compare two entirely different horse types. Some of them are the fastest, but only on the short distance.
The top speed recorded over 400 m is always lower. Winning Brew, a two-year-old Thoroughbred, run 43.97 mph (70.76 km/h) at the Penn National Race Course in 2008. Even though it wasn’t the fastest horse in history, Eclipse was the most successful Thoroughbred ever.
Stride is the distance that a horse gets across in one leap. In other words, it is the distance between the spot where the horse’s hoof hits the ground and the next one where the same hoof touches the land, regardless of the pace.
10 to 17 mph (16 – 27.3 km/h) Gallop. 25 to 30 mph (4 0.2 – 48.3 km/h) Canter (lope) – It is a steady, three-beat gait faster than a trot and slower than a gallop. Gallop – It is the fastest, four-beat horse movement variation.
Track surface. An inadequately maintained track can effectively neutralize strenuous training and stride optimization. For instance, horses can sink a bit on the wet tracks, so the animal needs more energy and time to complete each stride. That significantly limits the horse’s maximal speed.
The stride angle is a gap between a front and back horse’s foot measured at the rear foot push-off point. It is crucial for calculating how far the animal can flatten out during the race. The rule of thumb is that horses with higher and superior stride angles are faster and have longer strides. 7. Jockey.
There are four ways how the horse moves, including walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Walk – The horse picks up one foot at a time and follows a four-beat rhythm while walking. It is a natural horse step when it moves at a speed of 2 meters per second. Trot – This gait type reminds of jog and follows a two-beat rhythm.
The average length of a golf course is 6,700 yards (6 .12 kms). If you’re a professional and play on the PGA tour, you’ll probably be playing on a golf course which spans a length of about 7,200 – 7,300 yards.
Average Golf Course Length in Miles. The golf course length on the PGA tour covers around 7,200 yards which is 4.09 miles. A PGA player on an average plays about 78 rounds in a year spanning 319 miles a season.
A hole is given a Par 3 ranking because the course designer believes a total of 3 strokes are definitely achievable with enough skill.
5% of the total golf course is allotted to the most significant part of the golf course known as the tees and the greens. This area scales around 6 acres. After the main elements of the course are planned, the golf course should also account for the clubhouse, storage, and parking areas.
A golf course is a field or a ground in which the game of golf is played. The grounds enclose a series of holes each consisting of a ‘fairway’ surrounded by the green. The rough and several ‘hazards’ included in the out of play area, the greens and tees, occupy approximately 5% of the total space. Seemingly simple, golf courses vary not only in ...
On average it will take 4 hours to walk a standard 18 hole golf course from beginning to end. The time it takes to walk along a course from start to finish will differ for each person. The size of the course, number of players, your skill level, will all add to the total duration.
Golf course length of 18-hole course ranges from 6,500 to 6,900 yards which is approximately 5,900 to 6,400 meters. Individual holes range from 100- 600 yards which are 90-550 meters.