What is a Horse Race?

A horse race is an event in which horses of all ages compete to finish the course as quickly as possible, and the first several runners earn a certain amount of prize money. A horse’s chances of winning depend on its training and the odds at the track.

A number of different types of bets can be placed on horse races. These include exotic bets such as parimutuels (French system of wagering where winners receive all the money wagered by all players, minus a percentage taken out by the track). Other popular wagers are win/place and show.

Before a race, most horses will take a series of routine jogs and gallops. During these exercises, their heart rates may rise to ten times normal levels. As a result, their lungs will frequently bleed, a condition called exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.

These injuries may be severe and life-threatening. Horses can also suffer fractured sesamoids, which are small bones in the ankle joints that connect to the fetlock. Four common types of sesamoid fractures are apical, lateral, abaxial and basilar.

The most deadly of all horse races is the Grand National in Britain, where the high risk factor and a series of extremely tall fences make it very difficult for horses to clear. Every year, over 40 horses die on the course.

Breeding for speed at the expense of bone mass has made racehorses far less robust than they once were. It is now common – and somehow accepted – for horses to bleed from their lungs during a race, have gastric ulcers, suffer heart attacks or even lose their lives.

Horse racing is an exploitative sport that should be stopped. It’s time to treat these creatures like the willing athletes they are, not disposable commodities. Boycotting the racetrack is a great start, but if you enjoy a flutter, don’t place your money with bookmakers who support this industry of cruelty. Instead, go to the nearest football stadium and watch a game instead.

Golden Bell Award and Yidan Prize Winners

The Hong Kong International Film Festival’s prestigious Golden Bell Award has been bestowed to Chinese director Xie Zhang for his “flavourful work” in the genre. The prize has been awarded since the festival’s inception in 1992 and is a major award in the industry. Zhang’s latest film, The Age of Shadows, is a fantasy drama about an ancient Chinese legend. It has garnered positive reviews from critics and audiences worldwide.

The winner will receive HK$5 million (around $1.5 million) in cash and a trophy. In addition, the winning film will be screened at the renowned Cannes Film Festival in France. The film is based on a folk tale that tells the story of a young man who takes up his father’s trade and becomes an expert in blacksmithing.

A team led by Hong Kong University’s Prof. Yip Yuen-hung and Prof. Lee Chi-yan won the HK$500,000 first prize in the chemistry category for their research on the development of nanofibers with applications in medical, biomedical and environmental fields. Their study could lead to a more effective way of filtering drinking water and reducing harmful substances in soil and air. The award was presented at a ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

This year’s Hong Kong History Prize is dedicated to the memory of George B. Endacott, who was responsible for the reestablishment of the Department of History in 1946 and served as its Senior Lecturer from 1957 to 1962. The award is a means to encourage students to explore Hong Kong history outside of the classroom, and understand how historical events and changes in society have affected our lives.

Among the winners of this year’s prize are two scholars from the War Child Alliance, Mark Jordans and Luke Stannard. Their work has contributed to global education and helped disadvantaged children. The founder of the Yidan Prize, Chen Yidan, congratulated the pair in an online speech. The runner-ups will receive HK$200,000 and a trophy. Those who lose in the final will receive HK$60,000 and 100 ranking points. Last year, Finland’s Mikko Ruusuvuori and Germany’s Sebastian Ofner both lost in the semis, despite having won round-robin matches, but they were still rewarded with the bonus money.

The Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Prize, sponsored by BOCHK and title-sponsored by the bank, was established in 2022. Each year, experts from Hong Kong and overseas are invited to select outstanding scientific researchers/teams in five fields: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Life and Health, New Materials and New Energy, Advanced Manufacturing and FinTech. The prize aims to inspire scientific researchers and entrepreneurs in Hong Kong to persist in innovation, build upon their strengths, serve the country and contribute to the world.

The Dark Side of Horse Racing Could Disappear in a Few Short Years

Horse racing is a billion-dollar industry, but it’s fading fast. Thanks to growing awareness of the dark side of this sport, which includes abusive training practices for young horses, illegal drug use, and a system that routinely transports injured or sick animals to foreign slaughterhouses, horse races are losing fans and race days at an alarming rate. In a few short years, the industry could disappear altogether.

To make a successful run, a thoroughbred must learn how to channel his energy into the racetrack’s circular course, using his legs in a way that maximizes speed. That starts with jogging in the wee hours of the morning, and gradually moves up to gallops. Then a runner is taught to change leads, or extend his legs on one side of his body longer than the other, to improve the pace around the turns. Typically, runners will go through several rounds of training before being entered in a race.

The goal of all this exercise is to create a well-conditioned horse that can maintain a steady pace for a long distance. Depending on the track and trainer, a runner might also be asked to work or breeze, running at a faster pace for a set length of time to determine his level of fitness. Finally, he’s put to the test in a race, where he must navigate a series of obstacles or “hurdles” (if present) and run around the circuit to win.

At the highest levels, racing is a dangerous business, and horses die at an alarming rate. Some die from injuries or from being whipped into submission, while others are forced to run so hard that they bleed out of their lungs, a condition known as exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Often, the cause is illegal performance-enhancing drugs like morphine and cocaine, but owners will sometimes even inject their own horses with legal corticosteroid medications to mask pain and keep them running until they collapse and die.

If a runner wins a big race, such as the Triple Crown or a Grade I event like the Kentucky Derby, he is often sent to the breeding shed, where his million-dollar investment can earn him $31 million over an illustrious career that spans decades. But if a horse doesn’t win, or falls off in the middle of a race, it will be retired and sent to an auction where it will likely be sold for slaughter.

Some board members and governance observers are uncomfortable with the “horse race” approach to succession planning, which pits several senior-level candidates against each other in a public contest with the winner becoming the company’s next chief executive officer. But proponents argue that such a competition, when designed to select the best candidate for the job, can motivate high performers who see a clear path to higher roles within the organization. It can also help ensure that the company’s best and brightest leaders are ready to take the helm.