Question 1

True or false: Horse Racing's Triple Crown consists of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.

Accepted Answer

True. The three races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds form the American Triple Crown, first won in 1919 by Sir Barton.

Question 2

True or false: Horse Racing's jockeys are required to wear silk hats.

Accepted Answer

False. Jockeys wear protective helmets, not silk hats. Silk refers to the colorful racing jackets, not headgear.

Question 3

True or false: Horse Racing's Secretariat set the Kentucky Derby record time of 1:59 2/5 in 1973.

Accepted Answer

True. Secretariat's 1973 Kentucky Derby time of 1:59 2/5 remains the official track record at Churchill Downs.

Question 4

True or false: Horse Racing's term 'dark horse' originally referred to an unknown horse that wins a race.

Accepted Answer

True. The phrase entered politics after being used in horse racing to describe a little-known horse winning unexpectedly.

Question 5

True or false: In US horse racing, horses race clockwise.

Accepted Answer

False. In the United States, horse racing is conducted counterclockwise, while some countries like England race clockwise.

Question 6

True or false: Horse Racing's Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1972.

Accepted Answer

False. Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973, not 1972. As of 2018, there were 13 Triple Crown winners.

Question 7

True or false: Horse Racing's Kentucky Derby was canceled during World War I.

Accepted Answer

False. The Kentucky Derby has been held annually since 1875, including throughout World War I and World War II.

Question 8

True or false: Horse Racing's Secretariat had a heart estimated to weigh 22 pounds, a documented anomaly.

Accepted Answer

True. Autopsy reports showed Secretariat's heart was about 22 pounds, nearly twice the size of an average thoroughbred's heart.

Horse Racing Trivia Questions