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The Blue Book is a publication of The Jockey Club (U.S.) which lists the highest standard of thoroughbred horseraces in the world, which are collectively known as Group races. Its publication is overseen and approved by the International Cataloguing Standards Committee (ICSC) of the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers (SITA). The ICSC plays a central role as regulator of international stakes quality, and provides a process for requests to have races sanctioned as Group races.
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Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in the UK and steeplechasing in the US. Jump racing can be further divided into hurdling and steeplechasing.
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been mostly unchanged since at least classical antiquity.
Thoroughbred horse racing is a spectator sport in Australia, and gambling on horse races is a very popular pastime with A$14.3 billion wagered in 2009/10 with bookmakers and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). The two forms of Thoroughbred horseracing in Australia are flat racing, and races over fences or hurdles in Victoria and South Australia. Thoroughbred racing is the third most attended spectator sport in Australia, behind Australian rules football and rugby league, with almost two million admissions to 360 registered racecourses throughout Australia in 2009/10. Horseracing commenced soon after European settlement, and is now well-appointed with automatic totalizators, starting gates and photo finish cameras on nearly all Australian racecourses.
Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern race system introduced in 1971 and monitored by the European Pattern Committee. To attain or maintain a Group One status, the average rating for the first four finishers in the race must be 115 or higher over a three-year period. The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities works to ensure consistent international standards. Group One races may only be restricted to age groups or a stipulated sex: they should not be restricted to horses bred in a certain country. Group One (G1) races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia, but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply.
Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Europe, the Melbourne Cup in Australia, and the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup races in the United States. Victory in these races marks a horse as being particularly talented, if not exceptional, and they are extremely important in determining stud values. They are also sometimes referred to as Black type races, since any horse that has won one of these races is printed in bold type in sales catalogues.
The Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (LWBRR), known as World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) before 2012, are horseracing's equivalent to World Rankings by other major sporting organizations such as ATP Tennis Rankings, World Golf Rankings, FIFA World Rankings for soccer and IRB Rugby World Rankings. The Longines Rankings are based on the rating earned by horses running worldwide from North and South America, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Asia through to Australia and New Zealand.
International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSC) are data sheets intended to provide essential safety and health information on chemicals in a clear and concise way. The primary aim of the Cards is to promote the safe use of chemicals in the workplace and the main target users are therefore workers and those responsible for occupational safety and health. The ICSC project is a joint venture between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) with the cooperation of the European Commission (EC). This project began during the 1980s with the objective of developing a product to disseminate the appropriate hazard information on chemicals at the workplace in an understandable and precise way.
ICSC can refer to:
A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level is then assigned to the race, based on statistical analysis of the quality of the field in previous years, provided the race meets the minimum purse criteria for the grade in question. In Canada, a similar grading system is maintained by the Jockey Club of Canada. Graded stakes races are similar to Group races in Europe but the grading is more dynamic in North America.
Tom Harris is a Canadian mechanical engineer, executive director of the climate contrarian International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) and former executive director of the Natural Resources Stewardship Project. Harris has 30 years’ experience working as a mechanical engineer, project manager, and in science and technology communications. From May to September 2006, he was Ottawa operations director of the High Park Group, a public relations and lobbying firm active in creating debate over global warming.
The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. Founded in 1961, the TOBA's stated mission is to "improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders."
The International Cataloguing Standards Committee (ICSC), formed in 1981, is an organization in Thoroughbred racing which aims at achieving uniformity of cataloguing standards throughout the world during the internationalization of thoroughbred breeding, racing, and marketing.
The FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes In Reality division is the fifth leg of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' & Owners' Association (FTBOA) Florida Sire series. It has been run on dirt over a distance of six furlongs since inception. The race was named in honor of the Florida-bred champion stakes winner and sire In Reality who was often referred to as a "sire of sires." The In Reality Stakes has been run in two divisions on two separate occasions in 1983 and 1986.
Horse racing in Ireland is intricately linked with Irish culture and society. The racing of horses has a long history on the island, being mentioned in some of the earliest texts. Domestically, racing is one of Ireland's most popular spectator sports, while on the international scene, Ireland is one of the strongest producers and trainers of Thoroughbred horses. The Irish horse racing industry is closely linked with that of Great Britain, with Irish horses regularly competing and winning on the British racing circuit.
The FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Susan's Girl division is a thoroughbred horse race run annually at Gulfstream Park, in Hallandale Beach, Florida, for two-year-old fillies sired by FTBOA registered stallions at a distance of seven furlongs on dirt. It is part of the eleven-race Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' & Owners' Association (FTBOA) Florida Sire series of which seven races are hosted by Gulfstream Park and four by Tampa Bay Downs.
The Florida Sire Stakes Desert Vixen division is a thoroughbred horse race run annually at Gulfstream Park, in Hallandale Beach, Florida, for two-year-old fillies by FTBOA registered stallions at a distance of six furlongs on dirt. It is part of the eleven-race Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' & Owners' Association (FTBOA) Florida Sire series of which seven races are hosted by Gulfstream Park and four by Tampa Bay Downs.
The FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes My Dear Girl division is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Gulfstream Park, in Hallandale Beach, Florida for two-year-old fillies by FTBOA registered stallions at a distance of a mile and a sixteenth on dirt. It is part of the eleven-race Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' & Owners' Association (FTBOA) Florida Sire series of which seven races are hosted by Gulfstream Park and four by Tampa Bay Downs.
King Abdulaziz Racetrack, officially named King Abdul Aziz Equestrian Square is a horse racing venue in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. The current track opened in January 2003. The richest thoroughbred horse race, the Saudi Cup, is held at the track.