Cross Breeds

Horse racing? How many horses usually race in a single race?

If your in the USA and you go to the horse races, how many horses compete in a single race?

Public Comments

1. It could be anywhere from 5 to 14 and depends on whether they get enough entries to fill the races. Many races are written by the racing secretary but only a handful are used for the racing card. The races with the most entries will be used most of the time. The secretary usually tries to spread the conditions (maiden, non 2, non 3, starter allowance etc) around to make it fair for everybody, but, sometimes that don't always happen. It's especially discouraging when you are waiting for a particular race condition for your horse and the race doesn't go because there were not enough entries. Also, certain areas of the country seem to draw a larger number of entries more than others (owners & trainers go to where the money is)....... ......♥Billy Ray♥
2. 2-20
3. 7 or 8 is probably a good average. Yesterday at Santa Anita, there once were 12 and 9 horses.
4. Good Answer BRV.. In USA races are generally limited to 14 starters or less, starting gates are made to hold 14 horses each and most tracks are not wide enough to have additional gates. The most notable exception to this is the Kentucky Derby which does have an auxiliary gate and is open to Maximum 20 runners. In Europe the tracks are much wider than in America and they are not oval shaped, which means that the starting gates don't need to be moved as quickly, so it is very common to see races with very large fields there. :)