Horseracing of the 1920s
Horseracing was even faster and more nerve wracking in the 1920s than it is today. It was the decade of the wonder horses; they raced around the track like flying bullets leaving only their hoof prints behind in the dirt. The automobile allowed people to travel all around the country to see the famous horses and their riders.
The radio allowed people who couldn’t afford it and people who didn’t have the time to go to listen to the exciting races and be a part of the action. With the Great War finally over there was more leisure time. This meant more time to go and watch the races, thus making horseracing one of the most popular sports of the decade. With the people of the 1920s using the automobile more and more they were allowed to travel far and wide to see the races. The tracks didn’t have to be close to where the people’s homes were. If you lived in Connecticut you could go to the Kentucky Derby in your car and see the race even though it was far away.
The racehorses could also travel in trailers so it was easier for the horses to get to far away tracks. With easier ways to travel the Triple Crown could be created. Since the races were in different states, the horses could get to the races easily. The radio was another new invention that allowed people who couldn’t afford to go to the races to listen in on all the action. Since it was so exciting to listen to races on the radio, this was a very popular form of entertainment.
With people listening the horses and riders had a large number of supporters. With the horses so well known they became bigger than life heroes; people looked up to them. The Great War had just ended. People who had been working many hours in the war effort now found themselves with free time. The answer? Go watch sports; and horseracing was one of the sports that the people of the Twenties decided to see. The rich were able to place bets and win money, and the excitement of it all was just plain fun.
With the additional free time horseracing became one of the many pastimes that people loved to take part in. With all the ways to watch and listen, horseracing quickly became one of the main sports of the 1920s. There wasn’t really an excuse not to hear or see it, and that’s why horseracing in the 1920s was one of the greatest sports of the decade, earning itself a spot with baseball as the unofficial American pastime in the ‘20s.
