Imo, I dont think it is.

I dont consider jockeys to be athletes either.

But this is my opinion, what is yours?

Is motor racing a sport?

Pugwash said...

Is motor racing a sport?

Very good question, as I love motorsport, but dislike horse racing. I really dont like horses in general but thats another story altogether.

Motorsport seems alot different to horse racing as its more of a spobsor thing where as horse racing seems like its just out for your dollar. same same really but the latter seems tainted to me.

Only when you win

Ive had one horse race bet in 10 years...it paid me $500 for $20 outlay' I am still

trying to find another to invest on...I think it to be an investment sport

Horse racing only exists for betting. REAL sports have amateur levels,juniors etc. Why not just have "betting" it doesn't really matter on what your betting on.

Enter Edgar Britt. I saw Edgar every other morning from 2002 to 2008. Edgar lived at South Avalon Beach, and I lived at North Avalon. But our daily schedules usually met up at North Avalon Beach. Edgar is the nicest guy you'll ever meet. In 2004 at the age of 90, he was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. I'm surprised it took so long.

Edgar Britt did his duties for World War II as a Jockey, as entertainment for the troops when they were on leave. He told me he rode in India for a chunk of that time.

He's a short man, as you would be being a professional jockey for three decades. Was Edgar an athlete? I would say so. Were most of the horses that Edgar rode "athletic"? I would say so.

I'm surprised that Edgar's page on Wiki is so short. I could write a much better page myself. And since I am an editor and contributor at Wiki, I will go forth and update Edgar's info and profile.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Britt


Edgar was also a source for some old Australian Cockney Rhyming Slang.
Scroll down to "E" for Edgar... I'm off to take an Edgar Britt (sh!t). Gold !!
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Australian_English_rhyming_slang

Edgar walks with bowed legs like an Old West Ranger. Seriously!

manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/jockey-edgar-britt-rides-off-into-the-sunset/

This is Edgar, as I will always remember him.



Edgar unknowingly set a benchmark for a long-lived jockey career at elite level. He's a truely great Australian. He will have a massive State Funeral one day. A living legend.

Is horse racing a sport? Absolutely. Is it an "industry", yes. Is it a corrupt betting machine these days...? Maybe, but I'm not close enough to it to know...

Edgar still states that Phar Lap was the best horse he ever saw running. His descriptions of Phar Lap running and comparisons to Makybe Diva were amazing to hear. Edgar saw Phar Lap race in Sydney. I don't think Edgar saw Phar Lap at Melbourne Cup though. But he is one of only a very small handful of people who saw both of these amazing horses running around.

I have little to no doubt that Edgar would agree that Horse Racing and Jockeying is a sport.

---

Get that one up ya Doggie !!
But I know where you were coming from... I agree with where you were coming from...

Tomorrow morning, I will have an Edgar Britt. Thank you, and good night!

doggie said...

Imo, I dont think it is.

I dont consider jockeys to be athletes either.

But this is my opinion, what is yours?

yes it is, I am a race horse analyst and I can say horse racing is a sport and jockeys are athletes..:)

Gwendy said...

A famous man once said "There are only 3 sports. boxing, motor racing and bullfighting. All the rest are games."

Wish I could remember the dudes name.

motorsport is sport in the purest definition of the word.

People trying to beat each other to a leather balloon is fun to do if your athletic enough and good to watch, Is it truly sport?

I worked for Tony Santic when his horse Makybe Diva won all those Melboune Cups. I couldn't then and still now don't see the big deal in it. Completly devoid of anything closely resembling sport.

Might go for a quick surf before it gets dark.

Wish it was windy

Would that be sport?

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games,”

Apparently it was Ernest Hemmigway, but there is no direct quote of him actually saying or writing it.

Horses= Land Lice

stuk said...

Would people still race horses without betting involved, Doggie let me give you this insight.

I own 7 horses, my wife and daughters ride dressage. I would estimate that over the past 5 years with the cost of horses,dressage arenas,stables,floats,saddles, I could go on and on but well over 100k.

What do they compete for, well prestige and a ribbon. Thats it,thats all.

There is money in turning over horses, breeding etc but fundamentally it is for the self satisfaction of doing well with their horses.

Not a lot different to surfing really, though in surfing the term is stoked (which I always think sounds a bit corny).

So if there was no betting, well people will always like to think that their horse is faster that someone elses, and I "bet" thats where it started in the first place.

But your not thrashing you horses to make money and I bet they are treated more like pets than a comodity.

highnoon said...

It is for the horses
But for the rest It's a gamble

Could/should we gamble on windsurfers ?
That would be definitely fun and
scariest moment to watch our favorite jibing

According to the Federal Government Department of Agriculture approximately 40,000 horses are slaughtered each year in Australia for human consumption and the pet food industry primarily for overseas markets, the largest of which is Japan but also include France, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg. [9]



Moreover it is estimated that between 60-80% of the horses slaughtered in Australian abattoirs (for human consumption) and/or knackeries (for pet food and other uses) are young Thoroughbreds from the racing industry, most less than 7 years old, and many only 2 or 3 year old youngsters

Thats two sensible statements in a row doggie whats going on, mate wheres that sh!t stirrer that we know and love,
well loves going a bit too far

weiry said...

Thats two sensible statements in a row doggie whats going on, mate wheres that sh!t stirrer that we know and love,
well loves going a bit too far

Funny thing is that I dislike horse racing so much that this thread was sh!t stir.

But not my usual SUP style stir