Horse racing in the United States Horses and inspired their name. With the exception of the longer, distance contests, Quarter Horse races are run flat out, with the horses running at top speed for the duration. There is less jockeying for position, as turns are rare, and many races end with several contestants grouped together at the wire. The track surface is similar to that of Thoroughbred racing and usually consists of dirt. The traditional high point of US horse racing is the Kentucky Derby, held on the first Saturday of May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Together, the Derby; the Preakness Stakes, held two
Discovery Handicap Discovery Handicap The Discovery Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the latter part of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Grade III event open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one and one eighth miles (nine furlongs). In its 72nd running in 2016, the race honors the great Discovery, the 1935 American Horse of the Year owned and raced by Alfred G. Vanderbilt II. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine, Discovery ranks 37th. Based at Aqueduct,