In the American colonies, horse racing's appeal was evident in the 17th cent. As early as the 16th cent., prizes were awarded in English racing, but the 12th Earl of Derby originated (1780) the first event held on a sweepstakes basis (whereby the winner 'sweeps' the stake offered) at his estate in Epsom known as the Epsom Derby or English Derby, it continues to be held annually. The first public racecourse opened at London about 1174, and the 'sport of kings' became a staple of fairs. The resultant breed drew proud owners into informal wagers and races to determine the superior horses and riders.

In 12th-century England, Henry II mated the offspring of the speedy Arabian stallions bred in the 9th–11th cent. The constant and widespread desire for faster and stronger horses for work, military use, and sport led to the development of several specially bred strains. In the Roman era the chariot race became an entertainment for the masses the Circus Maximus seated over 200,000 spectators. The roots of harness racing extend back at least to early Greece, where chariot races were a part of the Olympic games. Horse races, today popular throughout most of the Western world as well as in other areas, were probably contested as early as 1500 B.C. It includes races among harnessed horses with one of two particular gaits, among saddled Thoroughbreds (or, less frequently, quarterhorses) on a flat track, or among saddled horses over a turf course with obstacles to be jumped (steeplechase). Horse racing, trials of speed involving two or more horses.

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