How to Make Horse Racing Fairer and More Fun

Animal rights activists often condemn horse racing as cruel. Many consider making money off an animal unhumane and the sport has been compromised by doping and overbreeding; yet others argue that racetracks provide a respite from modern life, providing public relaxation from stress while honoring this noble creature that many view as worthy.

As soon as settlers brought some horses to America in 1610, horse racing quickly flourished. Soon enough, match racing became the dominant form of competition: two horses would compete against each other in multiple four-mile heats until dash racing (one heat) became more prevalent; at this point skill and judgment of riders became far more significant than mere yards gained.

By the 1930s, the promise of brief stints of high-stakes races followed by lucrative breeding attracted wealthy patrons like bees to honey. Hardy plodders like Seabiscuit who battled War Admiral until outrunning him for victory had all but vanished as more sophisticated individuals entered horseracing for profit and breeding purposes.

Presently, most racing customers tend to be older–it is rare for anyone under 60 (excluding jockeys ) to visit a track. New potential fans can often be put off by recent scandals that have plagued the industry and its perception as run by corrupt and cheating individuals.

However, imagine if betting could be fairer and more enjoyable? That is the aim of some entrepreneurs who aim to introduce an appealing wagering model that rewards winning bettors with all of the money wagered (minus a small portion set aside by tracks). Their hope is to attract younger people by making betting an engaging social experience; supported by an ever-increasing number of investors.

Entrepreneurs with grand ambitions are taking aim at the business model itself and are seeking to alter how horse races are organized. One of their primary goals is making the process less costly; their theories are supported by research showing that more efficient races tend to be both fairer and more enjoyable for participants.

Unfortunately, not. When it comes to investing in their futures, many are drawn towards financial investments as an insurance-based route of security and peace. Mathematicians at EHESS have developed a model to explore the potential for higher-quality races. Their mathematicians identified successful horses’ strategies for using multiple energy pathways: powerful aerobic ones which require oxygen during races; and anaerobic ones which don’t rely on oxygen, but build up waste products that lead to fatigue. The team’s model shows that top horses are adept at switching between these pathways, enabling them to run faster for longer. Furthermore, it indicates that top riders excel at orchestrating these efforts to maximize their horses’ output – all of which has significant implications for improving both speed and fairness of races worldwide.