Horse racing in the United States began in 1665. That year, Newmarket was founded in Salisbury, New York on Long Island. Richard Nicolls, the colonial governor of New York, was there to oversee the first race in the United States.
In 1868, The American Stud Book began to publish. This book lists a directory of thoroughbred racing horses across the country. The publication of The American Study Book prompted the beginning of an organized horse race in the United States. After the publication of The American Stud Book, horse races in the United States took off.
By 1890, there were 314 active horse racing tracks in the United States. Due to the rapid development of horse racing, the American Equestrian Club was founded in 1894.
American Equestrian Club is an important development for horse racing in the United States. To this day, the American Equestrian Club is the thoroughbred registry for thoroughbred horses in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. America’s J Racer Club helps connect owners, breeders and coaches with the ultimate goal of helping improve thoroughbred racing in the United States.
In the early 1900s, both the state and federal governments began to take strong anti-betting stances. As a result, many race tracks are closed forever. It was a blow to the American horse racing industry. Major races including Belmont Stakes have not been going on for years while the anti-betting focus is at its peak.
With the advent of Parimutuel betting, the popularity of horse racing in the United States began to grow again. Everything was going on until World War II. When that happened, the wind changed direction as the entire United States focused on the war. After the war, horse racing in the United States did not start to become popular again until the horse began winning The Triple Crown.