Flat racing - Citizendia

Flat racing is a term commonly used to denote a form of horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. It differs from steeplechase racing over hurdles. The steeplechase is a form of Horse racing (primarily conducted in the United Kingdom, United States, France, and Ireland) and derives A hurdle is a moveable section of light Fence. Traditionally they were made from wattle (woven split branches but modern hurdles are often made of metal The race is a test of speed, stamina and the skill of the jockey in determining by when he/she choses to hold the horse back or to make the horse work harder. In Sport, a jockey is one who rides Horses in Horse racing or steeplechase racing primarily as a profession

The flat races in Great Britain are run over a variety of distances from five furlongs (1006 m) to over two miles (3219 m) and are generally called sprints, middle distance or stayers races. A furlong is a measure of Distance in Imperial units and US customary units. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States

Racing takes place on a natural grass surface (turf) or on a synthetic surface (all-weather). Racing in Europe is generally on turf, while in the United States and Canada, the more important races are on dirt or all-weather. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Indeed, nearly all North American races are flat races, as steeplechase racing is very infrequent and largely confined to short, specialized race meets. There, the term "flat racing" is rarely used, as the form is so predominant.

In Europe, the two most powerful "teams" are Coolmore Stud farm, most of whose horses are trained by Aidan O'Brien in County Tipperary in Ireland and owned by John Magnier and/or Michael Tabor, and the United Arab Emirates based Godolphin stables, owned by the Sheikh Mohammed and his brothers but based during the summer in Newmarket, England. Coolmore Stud, established in 1975 is the world's largest breeding operation of Thoroughbred Racehorses and is arguably the best stud in the world based in Aidan P O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland), is an Irish Horse racing trainer. County Tipperary (Contae Thiobraid Árann is a County in Ireland situated in the Province of Munster. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world John Magnier (born 10 February 1948 in Fermoy, County Cork) is Ireland's leading Thoroughbred stud owner and has extensive business interests Michael B Tabor (born October 28, 1941, in East London, United Kingdom) is a businessman and a very prominent owner of Thoroughbred Godolphin Racing Inc operates Thoroughbred Horse racing stables in Dubai and England. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( Arabic محمد بن راشد المكتوم) also Sheikh Mohammed ( Honourific) (born July 22, England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

Flat racing in Great Britain

In Great Britain, (and the majority of Europe) flat racing is split into two distinctive bands, conditions races and handicaps. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands

Conditions races are further split into
- Pattern races
  - Group 1 - (Classics and other races of major international importance)
  - Group 2 - (less important international races)
  - Group 3 - (primarily domestic races)
- Listed races - have less prestige than the group races but are still more important than handicaps. Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race
Handicap races - where the Jockey Club official handicapper gives horses a different weight to carry according to their ability, are the bread and butter daily races although some of these are also quite prestigious. A Handicap race is a Horse race where horses carry different weights For the North American thoroughbred horse racing industry see The Jockey Club.

Classic Races - In British horse racing, The Classics are a series of horse races run over the flat (i. In Horse racing in Great Britain, The Classics are a series of horse races run over the flat (i e. without jumps). Each classic is run once each year and is restricted to horses that are three years old. There are five Classic races: