Race horse

The Thoroughbred is a breed of horse developed in England for racing and jumping. In 95% of modern Thoroughbred racehorses, the Y chromosome can be traced back to one stallion born in 1700, Darley Arabian. This bay Arabian horse was bought in Aleppo, Syria, by Thomas Darley in 1704 and shipped back to Aldby Park in England, as a present for his brother. The other two Thoroughbred founders were Byerly Turk (1689) and Godolphin Arabian (1728).

The Darley Arabian stallion painting by John Wootton

Thoroughbreds originate from the Arabian breed, who had been developed by the Bedouin people of the Middle East specifically for stamina over long distances, so they could outrun their enemies.

The first Thoroughbred to arrive in America was a stallion named Bulle Rock, by the Darley Arabian. He was imported to Virginia in 1730 by Samuel Gist.

In 1757, Janus, a grandson of Godolphin Arabian, was imported and became the founder of the Quarter Horse breed.

In 1919, Sir Barton became the first horse to win the Triple Crown, which consists of three prestigious horse racing events: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. However, the term "Triple Crown" was not widely used at the time, and it wasn't until Gallant Fox's victory in 1930 that the term became popularized.

Sir Barton's Triple Crown victory began with the Kentucky Derby on May 10, 1919, followed by the Preakness Stakes on May 16, 1919, and concluded with the Belmont Stakes on June 11, 1919. By winning all three races, Sir Barton achieved a historic feat in American horse racing.

Nijinsky became in 1970 the first horse to win over £100 000 (in fact, £159 681) in a single British flat racing season. His wins included three Classics - the Derby, 2000 Guineas, and St Leger.

Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. When he won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths on June 9, 1973, he achieved the first American Triple Crown victory in 25 years. He was such a dominant race horse partly because his heart weighed roughly two and a half times that of an average horse's. Secretariat's ample girth, long back and well made neck contributed to his heart-lung efficiency.

US Triple Crown winner Secretariat during his retirement in the 1970s. Wikipedia

Shergar (3 March 1978 – c. February 1983) was an Irish-bred, British-trained racehorse, and winner of the 202nd Epsom Derby (1981) by ten lengths – the longest winning margin in the race's history.
The great race horse was kidnapped from Ballymany Stud, near the Curragh in County Kildare, Ireland in February 1983. No trace of the horse has ever been found.

American Pharoah is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who in 2015 became the first horse to win the "Grand Slam" of American horse racing —the Triple Crown plus the Breeders' Cup Classic. He completed the quadruple by winning the 2015 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on October 31, 2015, setting a track record with a time of 2:00.07 and breaking the old track record by more than five seconds.

American Pharoah & jockey Victor Espinoza win the Belmont Stakes. Wikipedia

Always B Miki is a Champion American Standardbred pacer who at age five set a world record of 1:46 at The Red Mile on October 9, 2016. This broke the previous race world record of 1:46.4 held by four horses (Somebeachsomewhere, He's Watching, Warrawee Needy and Holborn Hanover). It also broke the time trial world record of 1:46.1 set in 1993 by Cambest.

All Thoroughbred racehorses in the United States celebrate their birthday on January 1st. This is due to the rules of the Jockey Club, which is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States. The Jockey Club requires that all Thoroughbred foals be given a birthday of January 1st in the year following their birth, regardless of the actual date of their birth. This system makes it easier to track the ages and racing records of horses, and is also used in other countries that follow the rules of the Jockey Club, such as Canada and Japan.