A horse race refers to any contest with a close outcome and a slim margin of victory, such as elections or competitions with limited margins of victory. It’s most commonly used in political discourse but can also refer to closely-contested competitions in business such as succession processes pitting executives against each other to become their organization’s next CEO – though some corporate governance experts might disagree with its use as an effective method of selecting top leadership.

A claiming race is a type of horse race which allows horses who have just broken their maiden to compete against one another. These races usually include various claiming levels which correspond with weight assignments for horses – the higher the level is, the more costly running in one will be.

The Grand National is an infamously dangerous horse race where horses must navigate an intimidating course containing massive fences that could kill them without careful stepping. Every year several horses die during this marathon event held over approximately 4.5 miles. Their front legs are especially susceptible to injury when traversing these impossibly high obstacles; many even experience broken backs or necks from jumping these impossibly tall obstacles; plus physical exertion from running can increase heart rates ten-fold and lead to death by fatigue.

Though some might object to using the term ‘horse race’ to refer to business contests, its usage has become commonplace within media reports and can be applied to various tight contests. Presidential horse races in particular often come across as chaotic affairs where real issues become lost amongst all of the noise of partisan politics.

At horse races, racing secretaries or track handicappers assign each horse an amount of weight according to its past performances and with the intention of giving every entrant equal chances to win the race. This could involve giving better horses additional weight or offering class relief to horses with lesser records in order to create an acceptable risk-reward scenario.

Some individuals view horse race in business context as unethical and exploitative, prioritizing profits over ethics. Furthermore, betting on the outcome of horse races has been linked with suffering and abuse of racing horses; to protest this exploitation of animals by boycotting this form of betting – instead opting for sports like football or soccer and boycott the sport completely to end the profit-driven racing industry from exploiting these intelligent beings.