The Sport of Kings Online Trivia | Horse Racing

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Joe and his two pals hop the train to take in the races at beautiful Belmont Park (L.I. NY). Jack says, "I hope it's not harness racing." Bill says, "I hope it's not steeplechase." "Chill out," Joe says. "It's the kind where saddled riders guide their horses in full gallop around a track. It's _________." Complete Joe's definition.

Answer: flat racing

There are three types of horse racing: flat racing, where a jockey guides his horse around the track in competition with other horses and riders; harness racing, where a driver is attached to a horse by means of a wheeled cart; and steeplechase, where the horses and riders are expected to jump over obstacles or hurdles. (Together, not separately. Hehe.) A "stakes" race can take place in all three categories.

2. In harness racing the horse can't run all-out. The horse is hobbled to force him to either "pace" or "trot;" he also pulls a driver in a strange two-wheeled cart in back of him. What is the name of that cart?

Answer: sulky

According to Wikipedia, which cites "The Encyclopaedia of Driving" 1979, by Sallie Walrond, these one-person carts are called "sulkies" because "the driver must prefer to be alone." Go figure.

3. This is the most common kind of betting at horse tracks. The amount of money that is bet on any particular horse determines "the odds" on that horse; the lower the amount bet, the higher the odds. The odds are constantly changing until post time. The actual amount that is paid out to the winners is determined by a mathematical algorithm. What is this type of betting called at American tracks?

Answer: Parimutuel

The word parimutuel comes to us from the French "pari mutuel," meaning "mutual betting." Because there are multi-thousands of dollars bet on any well-attended race - and, the track's cut has to be subtracted first - a special mechanical calculator was invented to handle the payouts. Credit the Australian George Alfred Julius for inventing this, called the "totalisator" or "tote board," first used commercially in New Zealand in 1913.

4. Jack, Bill and Joe are on their way to the admission gate. Before they get there, they are accosted more than once by talkative characters who want to sell them "guaranteed" lists of winners. What are these racetrack "experts" called? (American English)

Answer: touts

Originally, touts spied on racetrack activities and their information did give one a leg up on racetrack activities. Today, touts are usually just guys with Racing Forms, their own systems, and powers of persuasion. Their powers of "prediction" equal yours. Just ignore them. They'll go away.

5. Jack, Bill and Joe are all trying to pick some winners. In the middle of this activity, Bill asks this trivia question: "Hey, everyone knows that horses that are bred to gallop while saddled are called 'thoroughbreds.' What do they call horses that are bred for harness racing?" How would YOU answer Bill's question?

Answer: They're called standardbreds

Thoroughbreds, bred for running all-out "under saddle," are slimmer and taller than the slightly heavier well-muscled standardbred. Thoroughbreds were first bred in England, the descendants of native mares and Oriental (Arabian, Turkish) stallions. Standardbreds can trace their lineage from the English thoroughbred Messenger (who bred both runners and trotters), and his great-grandson Hambletonian 10 (d. 1876). BTW, thoroughbreds, not standardbreds, are sometimes referred to as "hot-blooded" or "bloodhorses."

6. If you visit Quizzyland often, you're bound to know by now that the Triple Crown of horse racing is made up of three races: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. But which of these three races is the SHORTEST?

Answer: Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes, run at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore MD is the shortest at 1 3/16 miles, and the intermediate race, the Kentucky Derby (Churchill Downs, Louisville KY), is 1 1/4 miles long. The longest race is the Belmont Stakes (Belmont Park, L.I. NY), 1 1/2 miles long.

7. The great Citation won the Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing in 1948. Then, there was a 25-year gap until another famous horse won it in 1973, setting a record for the fastest 1 1/2 miles ever run on dirt! A 2010 movie was made about this 1973 champion and his human assistants, starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich. Who was this famous stallion?

Answer: Secretariat

Only four horses raced in the last leg of the Triple Crown - the Belmont Stakes - that June 9, 1973. Three were not expected to win; in fact, there were no "show" (third-place) bets accepted. Secretariat and his only real rival in the race, Sham, opened up ten lengths on the rest of the pack, but Sham couldn't maintain the pace. Secretariat increased his lead over the others over the 1 1/2 mile race, and won by an amazing 31 lengths! Because the payout was so low ($2.20 on a two-buck bet),some 5,617 winning tickets were never cashed, but became keepsakes.

8. There were eleven Triple Crown winners from 1919 to 1978. What was the name of the 11th horse to win the U.S. Triple Crown in 1978?

Answer: Affirmed

Racetrack fans also remember Affirmed for his rivalry with another stallion, Alydar. Oddly enough, because of Affirmed's prowess, Alydar became the first horse to finish in second-place in all three legs of the Triple Crown. Was his name Alydar or Avis?

9. This horse never even won a Kentucky Derby, let alone the Triple Crown. He's best known, however, for defeating a Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, in 1938 in depression-era America. Hollywood made two movies about him, one in 1949, and one in 2003, starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, and Chris Cooper. What was this horse's name?

Answer: Seabiscuit

On November 1, 1938 a head-to-head was run at Pimlico Race Course (in Baltimore MD) between Seabiscuit and War Admiral, the 1937 Triple Crown winner. Although War Admiral was known for his blazing speed, it was Seabiscuit who led from the starting gate. War Admiral then caught up, but according to jockey George Woolf (who was let in on a secret by Red Pollard, Seabiscuit's former jockey), it was only because Woolf deliberately held back Seabiscuit so that his horse could "eye" his rival.

After that, Seabiscuit pulled away by four lengths and won.

Not only was Seabiscuit Horse of the Year in 1938, but he was, according to Wikipedia, "...also the number one newsmaker" of that year.

10. Our three lads are leaving the racetrack and heading home. Two of them got killed bet-wise, but Jack can't stop crowing. "I can't believe I won the Daily Double," he gushes. "I won the Daily Double," he repeats ad nauseam. What two races traditionally make up the Daily Double?

Answer: The First and the Second

The Daily Double traditionally involves the first and second Races. Most New York racetracks offer a Late Double, too, which consists of the eighth and ninth (last) race. If a Daily Double features any other races (it's rare but it happens), they must be consecutive.

Some horse racing betting terms: Win - the first-place horse; Place - the second-place horse; Show - the third-place horse. Exacta: a bet which involves two horses in the same race coming in first and second in the "exact" order you bet them. Quinella: a bet on two horses in the same race to come in either first or second; order doesn't matter.

Source: Author snediger

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Sport of Kings Trivia Quiz

It's post time, and the flag is up! Here you're not betting on a horse, you're betting on yourself. Will you beat the odds and go 10/10 on this horse racing quiz? Don that thinking cap and those imaginary racing silks and saddle up.

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