Cross Breeds

Which horse race has the least number of horses running at one point?

How many horses run at a time in a race? Which horse race (that you can bet on) has the least number of horses running?

Public Comments

1. with standardbreds usually up to 10, quarters sometimes up to 20, they usually dont run a race unless they have 4 horses entered, i have seen thoroughbred races that have had a large number of horses scratched and only ended up with two in the race though
2. The least number of horses that can "run" in a race is one, in which case the race is termed a "walkover," because all the horse has to do to collect the winner's share of the purse is walk over the distance of the course while carrying the assigned weight, and return to the scale for the rider to weigh out. The last walkover in American racing was Spectacular Bid in the 1980 Woodward stakes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcbHpy61bTk There is, of course, no betting on a walkover. Match races, such as the Ruffian-Foolish Pleasure match races, usually have win-only betting. There haven't been many match races since the tragic ending of the Ruffian-Foolish Pleasure match. Racing secretaries try to card races that fill with as close to a full field of 12 as possible, and usually if a race draws fewer than 5 horses or so, the racing secretary will deem that the race didn't fill and will use an alternate race in the condition book. But sometimes horses to fill the races are in short supply for a variety of reasons-- weather has cut into training schedules, there's been an epidemic of coughing on the backstretch with a lot of horses sick or behind in training, or horses have been drawn off by another racemeet close by-- and short fields are all they get. Then you'll get races with 4 or 5 horses, occasionally with three horses. I saw a race at Santa Anita that went off with just four horses a few days ago. Generally if a race has fewer than five horses in it, the track has the option of limiting straight betting to win-place only, no show betting. They do this to avoid having a minus show pool. (The law mandates that winning pari-mutuel wagers must return a minimum of 5 cents for every dollar wagered. Thus, on a $2 bet, the minimum you can win is $2.10. If one horse has so much money bet on it that dividing up the money bet on the other horses won't give the minimum payout, the track has to make up the difference. That's a "minus pool.") Hope that helps.
3. Usually race 7 has the least amount of horses running with a minimum of 5. The Crooks(Owners & Trainers) will do this, and let a long-shot win, so they can mess up every body's pick-4 & pick 6, via carryover.
4. In American Racing, the average size of the field is usually between 7-12 runners on average. Fields in Asia and Europe generally are larger, in the teens to about twenty or so. A race with the least number of horses running is called a "match race" where only two horses compete against each other, these are very rare; and obviously the only type of wagering offered is win wagering as there are not enough horses for exacta or trifecta wagering; although the race could be part of a mult-race wager type of bet such as a leg in the double, pick 3, pick 4 or pick 6.
5. I would think to be a race at all, it would have to have at least two horses in it.. In that case it is called a match race. Probably the most famous match race is Sea Biscuit vs War Admiral. And yes there was wagering on it.
6. Depending on the track you never know exactly how many horses a race will have it just all depends on what trainers enter there horses in that race ive seen races that only get 2 entered so that race doesn't go, for a race to go they usually try to get at least 6 or 7 but most tracks run up to 12 or 14,and then they have a couple also eligibles just in case one of the horses scratches's, but some graded stakes have more horses than that like the kentucky derby has about 20 horses in it. All depends on the race, the track, and the distance.