Australian horse racing

Question
Hi Jim,
Is there certain types of horses that can race for horse racing in Australia???

Did horse racing start in the 1800s??
Thanks,
Hannah :)

Answer
Hi Hannah:

Thanks for your question - I will answer your second question first.  Horse racing began in the 12th century when English Knights returned from the crusades with swift Arabian stallions - over the next 400 years, more Arabian stallions were imported and bred to English mares to produce horses that had speed and endurance.  Matching the fastest of these horses in two-horse races became a popular thing to do for English noblemen and they wagered on them.  Thus, "The Sport of Kings" was born.  

Today, horse racing is the second most widely attended U.S. spectator sport, after baseball. In 1989, 56,194,565 people attended 8,004 days of racing, wagering $9.14 billion. Horse racing is also a major professional sport in Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and South America.

Now for the first question - all modern Thoroughbreds can trace their pedigrees to three stallions originally imported into England in the 1600s and 1700s, and to 74 foundation mares of English and Oriental (Arabian, Turkoman or Barb) blood. During the 1700s and 1800s, the Thoroughbred breed spread throughout the world; they were imported into North America starting in 1730 and into Australia, Europe, Japan and South America during the 1800s. Millions of Thoroughbreds exist worldwide today, with over 118,000 foals registered each year worldwide.

Thus, the thoroughbreds that we have in the United States and the thoroughbreds that exist in Australia, all came from the same lineage.

Thanks again for your question and I hope this helps you.  If it does, please leave positive ratings for me.

Jim