A horse race is a contest in which horses are ridden by jockeys over an oval track. It is a sport that involves organized betting on the outcome of the race.

A racing phenotype is influenced by variation in the MSTN locus, which controls early skeletal muscle development and aptitude for racing at short distances. Changes in racing have shaped the distribution of this gene over time and in different regions of the world, according to studies.

The horse race is a highly competitive sports event in which horses are bred, trained and raced to win. It is a major source of income for horse breeders and owners, and a large part of the American economy.

Some of the world’s most prominent horse races include the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup race. These races feature world-class horses and elite jockeys and attract tens of millions of viewers each year.

In the United States, horse racing is an industry with annual revenues of more than $3.5 billion. It employs more than 80,000 people and is a major source of tourism for many small towns and cities across the country.

However, animal activists have long claimed that the sport is cruel to horses. Often, trainers use drugs, whips and other abuse to train and race them. They are forced to race too young, causing injuries and death.

Fortunately, some of the most powerful moneymen in racing are enlightened and are working toward improving basic safety in the sport. In addition, California has been implementing new rules to protect racehorses from injury and death following mass deaths in Santa Anita Park in 2017.

These new regulations are intended to make horse racing safer. They will also provide for greater transparency, including more video replays of every race and track.

All of the major North American tracks, as well as some overseas racetracks, have enacted measures to improve their safety standards. They have adopted such measures as the mandatory use of a barrier at the start and the use of electronic monitoring devices to determine whether or not a horse has been injured during the race.

While these changes are welcome, they are far from perfect. Some of these measures do not provide for immediate action by the authorities to prevent or reduce harm to horses and riders, and they are still insufficient to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all.

To help combat the cruelty that goes into the making of a horse race, PETA has launched a campaign called “Horseracing Wrongs.” The group has released a video that shows the brutality of the sport. It shows images of two trainers, Steve Asmussen and Scott Blasi, who have been accused of using extreme tactics to train and compete horses.