Horse racing is a centuries-old sport that has fascinated and captivated audiences around the globe. It has been the subject of legend and fairy tale, and has played a significant role in art and culture. It has also been a powerful symbol for many of the world’s great civilizations. Archaeological records show that it was practiced in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Babylon, and Syria and Egypt. The sport has long been a source of fascination, entertainment, and betting, both for the aristocratic elite and the common people.
Today, horse racing continues to attract spectators and gamblers, but it is also the scene of a horrific and deadly exploitation of horses. While wealthy patrons wear fancy outfits and sip mint juleps, horses are pushed beyond their limits to sprint over short distances and often sustain injuries and even hemorrhage from their lungs. They are then subjected to cocktails of legal and illegal drugs that mask or enhance their performance. Many of these racehorses end their lives in slaughterhouses that charge arbitrary, sometimes outrageous ransoms to take them off the hands of independent nonprofit rescue organizations.
The for-profit horse racing industry needs to change if it wants to have a future in a society that increasingly recognizes animals as having fundamental rights and the ability to thrive in a free market. That process starts with addressing the current state of racing, which is full of corruption, drug abuse, and tragic breakdowns for horses. Then it needs to develop an adequately funded industry-sponsored wraparound aftercare solution for all retired racehorses.
A CHANCE TO WIN
The classic succession “horse race” pits several recognized candidates against each other in an overt contest to be the next chief executive officer (CEO). This approach is a time-tested, proven strategy for identifying and selecting high-quality CEOs, and it has been employed at some of the most highly regarded companies in the world. Despite its effectiveness, some executives and governance observers are uncomfortable with this approach, fearing that a protracted succession race will jeopardize company momentum and lead to a loss of business value. Companies that are most successful with the horse race model have a deep understanding of their leadership capability, a clear candidate selection criteria, and a well-defined time frame to select the new leader.
The final race of the day began in the darkening light, with War of Will hugging the inside rail and McKinzie and Mongolian Groom tussling for the lead. As they moved through the backstretch, the three horses sped up to their strides, running with huge strides and hypnotic smoothness. As they neared the top of the stretch, Vino Rosso surged into a lead, leaving the other two in his wake. The crowd erupted into cheers and shrieks. This was the end of a spectacular and exciting horse race.