Around the Track Trivia Quiz

Answer: Steeplechase

Handicap and turf are terms used in the sport of horse racing, but there are basically three types of races. In the flat track, the jockey sits on the horse and the race can either be run on dirt or on turf (grass). The steeplechase is similar to the flat track, but the horses have to periodically jump over obstacles.

In harness, the driver sits in a sulky pulled like a carriage behind the horse.

Answer: A moving gate

The moving gate is an interesting device that looks like a limousine with collapsible gates on each side. It requires two drivers, one sits in a backward-facing seat watching the horses and controls the speed the vehicle moves, the other sits in the forward-facing seat and steers around the track.

The horses and sulkies start slowly running behind the moving gate and are gradually brought up to speed. When they reach the starting point, the arms of the gate are retracted and the vehicle slowly moves to the outside edge of the track away from the running horses.

Answer: Saratoga

The Travers is the oldest Grade 1 stakes in the U.S. having started in 1864 (11 years before the first Kentucky Derby). It is always held on the fourth Saturday in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It was named after William R. Travers, former president of the Saratoga Racing Association whose horse, Kentucky, won the first running of this race.

Answer: Harness trotters

Since 1981, the Hambletonian Stakes are run in August every year at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, NJ. It's named after the famous horse Hambletonian 10, who is considered the founding sire of American standardbred trotters. The first Hambletonian took place in Syracuse, NY in 1926.

Answer: Picking the win and place horses regardless of the order

There are many betting combinations available to American wagerers. Besides simple win, place and show betting, there are daily doubles (picking the winners in two consecutive races), exactas (picking the first two finishers in a race in exact order), trifectas (picking the first three finishers in a race in their exact order), and superfectas (selecting the first four finishers in a race in exact order). Also other combinations such as Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 6.

Answer: Yonkers

Yonkers Raceway in New York State is famous for it's harness track. Located at Central and Yonkers Avenues in Yonkers, New York, Yonkers Raceway has been the home of the historic Empire City Trotting Club since 1899. The Hamblitonian was held there in 1943.

Answer: Special horseshoes

Bends come away gradually from the bottom of the hoof at open end of the shoe. They differ from turn-downs, which come away more perpendicularly to the bottom of the hoof. They allow for extra traction on the racing surface.

Answer: Torque

Odds are determined by how much is being wagered on any horse. The more that is wagered on a horse, the lower its odds. The easiest way to compare them is to divide the number after the colon into the first. A horse with 3:2 would actually be 1.5 to 1, 7:5 would be 1.4 to 1. So of these, the lowest would be 7:5; the highest 3:1. Of course, the favorites don't always win and if a horse with higher odds wins, it pays more.

Answer: Steeples

Steeplechases originated from the sport of fox hunting. In a steeplechase, the horses run much like in a flat track race, but also have to jump over obstacles such as fences, hedges and water. The name originates from the early races ran between towns where usually the most noticeable buildings in the area were the church steeples that could be used for orientation.

Answer: As soon as a horse unseats a jockey, it is disqualified

A riderless horse is disqualified no matter in which position it crosses the finish line; it's as if it wasn't in the race. Often a riderless horse will slow down and drift out of the race anyway and be retrieved by track hands.