Thoroughbred Racing

Flat racing is the term associated with Thoroughbred racing. The track is typically  oval in shape and the race is based on speed and stamina. Within the  general category of Thoroughbred flat racing, there exist two separate  types of races. These include conditions races and handicap races.  Condition races are the most prestigious and offer the biggest purses.  Handicap races assign each horse a different amount of weight to carry  based on their ability. Beside the weight they carry, the horse is also influenced by their  closeness to the inside barrier, the track surface, their gender, the  jockey, and the trainer. A typical Thoroughbred race is run on dirt,  polytrack, or turf surfaces. Polytrack is the synthetic substitute.  Thoroughbred races vary in distance, but are usually somewhere between  five and twelve furlongs. A furlong is a distance measurement equal to about one eighth of a mile or two hundred and twenty yards.

Endurance Racing

The length of an endurance race varies greatly. Some are very short,  only ten miles, while others can be up to one hundred miles. There are  a few races that are even longer than one hundred miles and last  multiple days. These different lengths of races are divided into five categories:  pleasure rides (10-20 miles), non-competitive trail rides(21-27 miles),  competitive trail rides(20-45 miles), progressive trail rides(25-60  miles), and endurance rides(40-100 miles in one day, up to 150 miles in  multiple days). Because each race is very long, the tracks are almost always just dirt.

Quarter Horse Racing

When Quarter Horse racing began, it was very expensive to lay a full  mile of track so it was agreed that a straight track of four hundred  meters, or one quarter of a mile would be laid instead. It became the standard racing distance for Quarter Horses and inspired  their name. With the exception of the longer, 870-yard (800 m) distance  contests, Quarter Horse races are run flat out, with the horses running  at top speed for the duration. There is less jockeying for position, as  turns are rare, and many races end with several contestants grouped  together at the wire. The track surface is similar to that of  Thoroughbred racing and usually consists of dirt, turf, or polytrack.