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is a game of skill. The challenge is to gather and
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and you will come out a winner. Remember, it’’s you against
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Jai
alai is a court game in which players use a long hand-shaped
wickerwork racket called “cesta” to
propel a ball against a wall. Each player’’s cesta is specially
hand-woven for him.

About
four centuries ago, in the Basque area of Spain’’s Pyrenees
Mountains, a game called “Pelota Vasca” or Basque
Ball developed. This simple game involved throwing a ball
into old church walls. This game was often played at local
festivals or ”fiestas” and were called Jai-Alai (Merry
Festival). The sport has changed very little since it originated
about 400 years ago. It has always been known for its fast
pace and exciting tournaments. The ball, or “pelota”,
has been clocked at speeds of over 180 mph.

The
first indoor fronton was built in 1798 in Marquena, Spain
while the the first jai-alai fronton in the United States
was built in Hialeah, Florida in 1926. A jai-alai court
is called a cancha. It has three walls that are made out
of granite as granite is the only material that can withstand
the impact of the pelota.

Jai
alai players don”t use their full names as their playing
name. They typically use only one name as their playing
names. Usually, they shorten their own name, use their
mother’’s maiden name, or choose a name based on the town
they are from. So if a player’’s name is Daniel Santos Francisco,
he could use “Daniel”, “Santos” or “Francisco” as
his playing name.

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Horse
racing is among the most widely attended U.S. spectator
sports. It is also a major professional sport in Canada,
Great Britain, Ireland, Western Europe, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, and South America. The most popular
form of the sport is the racing of mounted thoroughbred
horses over flat courses at distances from three-quarters
of a mile to two miles.

Horse
racing’’s beginnings can be traced back to the 12th century,
when English knights returned home from the Crusades with
Arab horses. Over the next 400 years, breeding between
imported Arab stallions and English mares produced horses
that combined speed and endurance.

Horse
racing became a professional sport as early as 1702 to
1714. Racecourses sprang up all over England and offered
large purses to attract the best horses. The British settlers
brought horses and horse racing to America, with the first
American racetrack built in Long Island in 1665. The development
of organized racing did not arrive to America until after
the Civil War. In 1894, the American Jockey Club was formed
to govern the sport.

The
introduction of pari-mutuel betting for the Kentucky Derby signaled a renaissance for the sport after stumbling badly
in the early 1900s. At the end of World War I, prosperity
brought spectators flocking to racetracks. The sport prospered
until World War II, declined in popularity during the 1950s
and 1960s, enjoyed a resurgence in the 1970s and declined
in the late 1980s. It is currently enjoying another renaissance,
thanks to the popularity of horses like War Emblem, Funny
Cide, and the legendary Seabiscuit.

Today,
thoroughbred tracks exist in about half the states in the
United States. Public interest in the sport focuses primarily
on major thoroughbred races such as the Triple Crown (Kentucky
Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes) and the Breeders” Cup.

Greyhound
racing is
one of the most popular animal racing sports in the world.
The greyhounds chase a mechanical lure, typically an artificial
bone, which
is traditionally called a hare. The hare is started about
half a circuit
behind the start. When it passes a point near the starting
traps, it automatically triggers the gate and releases
the dogs. Should the dogs catch or overtake the lure, the
stewards declare the race void.

Greyhounds
can cover 480 meters in approximately 28 seconds, twice
the speed of a typical athlete. The minimum age at which
a greyhound may run on all tracks is 15 months and will
usually be at its best when 2? to 3? years
old.

Although
the dogs are normally docile creatures, they become very
excited when they race, and there are times when a runner
may turn its head aggressively on another runner. It
is for this reason that the competitors wear muzzles
when they race so that they can”t do harm.

The
winner of a greyhound race is the dog whose nose
first reaches the winning line. The position of the feet
is
not taken into account. Greyhound racing finishes are
photographed and where the result is close the judge
examines the
negative or a print before declaring the order of the
finish.

The
most popular greyhound racing surface today is sand.
At one time, grass was the norm as this was both picturesque
and fast-running. However, it became too difficult and
expensive to maintain in a satisfactory racing condition
through the winter. Sand, on the other hand, is cheaper
and easier to keep in good condition.

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