Law Dawg Sports

Archive for the ‘Racing Sport’ Category

The sport of Steeplechase racing dates back to 1752 in Ireland when two, half-crocked, friends settled the argument over who owned the best horse by racing to the nearest Church steeple after returning from Fox hunting. The winner actually rode right through the church where the vicar was holding a solemn funeral. Soon it spread to England, where in 1792, the first recorded race was held. This sport then crossed over from the Atlantic to the US, where it has became very popular.

In the early 19th century nine prominent men from New York – August Belmont, H. DeCourcy Forbes, Samuel S.Howland, James O. Green, Frederick Gebhard, A.J. Cassatt, Foxhall P. Keene, John G. Follansbee and Frederick H. Prince founded the National Association for Steeplechase. When it was first founded, its mission was to make the sport popular in the US and help it grow across the Atlantic. For membership details and other small tidbits about the Association, you can visit their website at http://www.nsfdn.org/membership.html.

Steeplechase races are held at 12 states across the country and the cumulative purses for these events are $5 million annually. The horse races are a place to see and be seen at. It’s seen across the country by millions of fans and admirers and is a major sponsored event where corporate sponsors vie with each other for sponsorship of the events. It attracts the best talent for horses, horse owners, and riders and also raises millions of dollars in charities. Thus it also attracts the most powerful and the influential men and women. If you have seen Pretty Woman, you pretty much have got the idea.

Some of the oldest and the most prestigious steeplechase horse racing events are Montpelier Hunt Races, which was started on the estates of Former President James Madison since 1929. For more information you can visit their site http://www.montpelier.org/races.htm. Others are The American Grand National that began in 1899 and the The National Hunt Cup in Radnor, Pa., which was started in 1909. For more information on steeplechase racing across the country, you can visit http://www.steeplestakes.com/links.html, which lists all the races, their schedules and the prize monies.

In Virginia, you can visit the Virginia Steeplechase association at http://www.vasteeplechase.com/. The big races in Virginia are Virginia Gold Cup, FoxField races at Charlottesville, Virginia, Fairfax Hunt races at Great Falls, Middleburg Spring races at Middleburg, Montpelier Hunt Races at Montpelier Station, Morven park Steeplechase races at Leesburg, Mountaineer chest track in Chester etc.

You can also visit these websites for further information on racing in Virginia.http://www.ctownraces.com/ http://www.colonialdowns.com/ http://www.fairfaxhuntraces.org/ http://www.montpelier.org/ http://www.foxfieldraces.com/ http://www.vagoldcup.com/ http://www.middleburgspringraces.com/

Special technical expertise is required for sports facilities construction and installation of equipment related to different sports. Different sports facilities require sports pitches to be prepared to different specifications depending upon their use. For instance, sports facilities to be used as Multi-use Games Areas will have to take into consideration the requirements of all the sports to be played on the pitch as compared to single-purpose sports facilities or indoor sports halls.

In case of outdoor sports facilities, the process of construction begins with a site inspection followed by excavation of the ground. The base layers are installed in a way as to offer a stable foundation and to serve as an effective shock pad. Good drainage is one of the most important requirements of these sports pitches.

Synthetic sports surfaces can vary in their playing characteristics depending upon the requirements of the sports to be played on them. This is the reason why artificial turf is available in a range of pile lengths. While shorter pile is meant for sports played at the professional level, longer pile length may be preferred for recreational sports. An expert firm, based on your requirements, can install a 30mm pile or a 20mm pile. The most important thing in this regard is to conform to the I.A.A.F guidelines for installations.

A professional firm, specialised in manufacturing and installing artificial grass, also offers a choice of colours of artificial turf. For instance, you may go for one colour blade artificial pitch to the ones that feature two colour or multi-coloured tufted blade.

Outdoor athletics tracks with artificial surfaces also require the expertise of a professional firm for their construction.  Athletic tracks should be slip resistant so as to minimise chances of falls to athletes. These surfaces, in most cases, are made from an impermeable double compound polyurethane system which allows for better drainage, whilst making the surface uniform and durable. Fibrous rubber granules are blended with polyurethane binders in a special machine. The mixture is then installed at full depth using special equipment.

The construction of indoor sports halls would benefit from a complete design and advisory service with budget proposals. Therefore, services of a professional firm may be sought.  Multi-coloured markings on the sports surface are an integral part of a sports facility used as an indoor sports hall or a Multi-use Games Area, where a variety of sports are played.

Sports facilities construction  not only includes the installation of  sports surfaces, but also other important services such as installation of fences, fixed sports equipment, floodlighting, electronic scoreboards, air supported structures, and much  more. Many leading companies in this field do not only offer the services of sports facilities construction, but also that of sports surface maintenance.

Oftentimes, your horse racing systems adapt to the new conditions of new races. Indeed, there is no such thing as “same old, same old” races in horse racing. Weather conditions, post positions, jockey and trainer combinations, ground conditions, and horse class and fitness are just a few factors in horse racing.

Thus, adapting your systems according to the type of race can be a logical move. Here then are the types of horse races.

Stakes and Handicap Races

These are the highest level of horse racing, which offers the highest purse winnings amongst all types. Thus, if you win here, you win big! Adapt your horse racing systems to allow you this advantage.

Also, stakes races are participated in only by the best horses in the stables, the creme de la creme of the horse racing world. The racing adrenaline alone is enough motivation to bet on these horses.

On the other hand, horses in a handicap race carry varying weights. This is supposed to level out the racing field such that a better horse will have about the same chances of winning as an inferior horse; usually, the former is assigned heavier weights.

Thus, you might want to bet on the horses with heavier weights on the assumption that they are superior. Also, take into consideration that weight breaks are also assigned to younger horses, fillies, and other handicap conditions as the Racing Secretary sees fit.

Allowance Races

In allowance races, conditions are set by the Racing Secretary. These conditions limit the qualifications by which a horse can enter the race. Thus, you will hear of qualification requirements like non-winner of two races other than maiden, or non-winner of three races other than maiden.

In these types of races, you have to reconfigure your horse racing systems to account for these horse requirements. Expect that your favorite horse can perform differently in a different class.

Maiden Races

Maiden races are participated in by horses who have never won a race. In a sense, it is the horse’s initiation to the professional world of horse racing. These races are further subdivided into two types. The maiden allowance is generally participated in by the best bred and youngest horses on the track, with consequently higher purses than the maiden claiming race. This second type differs from maiden allowance because the horses can be bought after the race.

Your horse racing systems would have to take into account the unproven winning ability of the maiden horses. You have to possess higher risk tolerance, acceptance of speculative losses, and a formidable knowledge of horses and horse racing, among others, to find the thrill of betting on maiden horses an exhilarating and rewarding experience.

These are the stages of racing that a horse must go through – from maiden races to stakes races. If you are an avid punter in horse racing, you can adapt your horse racing systems to reflect the changes (or non-changes) in a horse’s racing career.

Try not to stick to one system in all the types of races. This would be foolishness and foolishness has no place in successful gambling.