DETOUR
They Race
Horses,
Don’t They?
Northeast racetracks host the most
exciting two minutes in sports
BY IYNA BORT CARUSO
There’s nothing quite like the rush of
watching a thoroughbred in action.
The bell sounds and a thousand
pounds of might and muscle come barreling down the racetrack. The spring power of its
rear legs thrusts the animal to speeds of 40 miles an
hour, covering just about 60 feet in one second. Blink
and you’ll miss that curve in flight—the nanosecond
when the horse is airborne.
Racing fans will tell you it’s the magnificence of
the animal that attracts them to the sport.
“Even cheap horses are beautiful—they try so
hard,” says Allan Carter, historian of the National
Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga
