Horse Racing

There are only two birth dates for the world's thoroughbred horses, no matter what month they were born during the year.

Horses can run shortly after birth, and, if trained for flat racing, can begin racing as early as two years old.

Thoroughbred racehorses have resting heart rates of just 40 beats per minute (bpm). A human heart beats between 60 and 100 bpm at rest.

Most horses have 205 bones in their skeleton - but not all! The Arabian Horse has less than its counterparts.

The average speed of a horse at full gallop is around 44 kph (27 mph).

The fabled, unverified 19th Century 'Ocean of Fire' horse race was said to stretch for 3,000 miles across the Arabian Peninsula. Today, the official ‘World's Longest Horse Race’, at over 600 miles long, is The Mongol Derby.