In its heyday, horse racing had it all. It was the speed and danger sport before NASCAR came along; movie stars and gangsters rubbed glamorous elbows; and a couple sawbucks on a winning long-shot could put you on Easy Street.
As with all nostalgia, the reality could never match the legend. But there was a current of excitement and passion around horse racing back in the days of fedoras and two-toned shoes. Perhaps the popularity of racing was as simple as the fact that Americans used to grow up around horses and knew them as personalities.
And they are personalities. Some are born with loads of talent, but won’t do the hard work to become a champion. Some love a challenge, and won’t stop working until they win. Some are playful; some are mean. Some are smart; some aren’t. Such traits seared the names of great racers into the public consciousness as deeply as the names of some presidents and some billionaires: Gallant Fox, War Admiral, Citation, Seabiscuit.
The glory days endured through a golden age of racing in the 1970s, when Affirmed battled Alydar to join Seattle Slew and the incomparable Secretariat as winners of the Triple Crown. Since then, a long twilight has settled over the Sport of Kings. Attendance, wagers, purses, and new foals all are in decline. Such storied tracks as Hialeah in Florida, Bay Meadows in California, and Garden State in New Jersey have padlocked their stables and turned out the lights for good.
The causes are many. Competition for the gambling and entertainment dollar is more intense than ever. But even more damaging is the widespread culture of doping in the racing business, and the high rate of fatal breakdowns that goes with it. As these photographs make clear, amid the fading memories of glamor and excitement, the beating heart of the sport is, and always will be, the horse. Whoever wants to save racing must first care about that.
Horses are in their stables at Belmont Park in Long Island, New York. Belmont is world famous as the home of the Belmont Stakes, known as the "Test of the Champion", the third leg of the Triple Crown.
Jehad Nga for TIMEHandlers keep horses and their pens in perfect condition at Belmont Park in Long Island, New York.
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905.Jehad Nga for TIMEA painting depicting the hands of God ushering horses down a race course is seen at the Aqueduct Racetrack, a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in South Ozone Park, Queens, New York.Jehad Nga for TIMEA lawn jockey that was damaged by Hurricane Sandy is kept as a reminder at Belmont Park in Long
Island, New York.
Jehad Nga for TIMEA view from the announcers booth at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Jehad Nga for TIMEBetting machines at Belmont Park on Long Island, New York.Horses race at Keeneland on a day with stake as high as $750,000.Jehad Nga for TIMESpectators dress up as an old tradition at Keeneland.Jehad Nga for TIMEThe horn blower marks the start of a new race at Keeneland. Keeneland is a thoroughbred horse racing facility and sales complex in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Operated by the Keeneland Association, Inc., it is also known for its reference library on the sport, which contains more than 10,000 volumes, an extensive videocassette collection, and a substantial assemblage of photo negatives and newspaper clippings.Jehad Nga for TIMEA man wears a neck tie with jocky print at the Sunday races at Keeneland, Lexington, Kentucky.
Jehad Nga for TIMEWomen wear large hats to Sunday race day at Keeneland, Lexington, Kentucky. Jehad Nga for TIMEKeeneland is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.Jehad Nga for TIMEHours before races begin, handlers and warm-up riders prepare the horses for the jockey's arrival at Keeneland.Jehad Nga for TIMEAfter a leg surgery a horse is carefully moved from surgery to recovery room at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Great care is taken to ensure that the horse is protected and moved in a way to reduce any chance of a horse injurying its self as it wakes up. Once horses are laid on a rcovery mat an elected hospital employee lays themself against the horse and monitors it's vitals.Jehad Nga for TIMEA premature horse rests in a stable with it's mother in the ICU of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky.
Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital is a full-service equine hospital established in 1986 as a referral center for horses requiring specialized medical and surgical care. Jehad Nga for TIMEBridles and other horse care gear are stored inside the barn at Old Friends Farm, Georgetown, Kentucky.
Founded in 2003 by former Boston Globe film critic Michael Blowen, Old Friends now cares for more than 130 horses across three states, most of them stallions whose racing and breeding careers came to an end.Jehad Nga for TIMERetired races horses at Old Friends Farm, Georgetown, Kentucky.Jehad Nga for TIME
