Buzz
Humans are naturally driven to compete. The thrill of victory excites them. Those who can race do so; those who cannot, train animals to race on their behalf. While it’s unclear when the first animal races took place, they likely originated long ago. It’s probable that stakes were involved in those early races.
In modern times, you can bet on a wide range of animal races. Here are ten of the most outlandish races you can find.
10. Oxford Cambridge Goat Race
The Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race is one of the highlights of the British sporting calendar. The rivalry between these two prestigious universities began in 1829 along the Thames, with nearly 250,000 spectators lining the riverbanks. A lesser-known but equally exciting event is the Oxford Cambridge Goat Race.
Every year at Spitalfields City Farm, two goats race against each other for their university’s honor. One is draped in Oxford's regal blue, while the other sports the distinctive blue of Cambridge. Since goats aren't easily controlled, a person with a bucket of food leads them down the track.
Interestingly, the Oxford and Cambridge Goat Race isn't the only goat competition. In Tobago, you can witness multiple goats trotting in a race the Tuesday after Easter. Originally held on the streets, the event has since moved to a $100 million sports arena.
9. Tortoise and Hare
Aesop, one of the ancient world’s greatest storytellers—if indeed he existed—left us a treasure trove of fables. His name is synonymous with timeless stories like The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the Sour Grapes, and The Town and Country Mice. These simple tales always come with easy-to-understand lessons. The Tortoise and the Hare is no exception: slow and steady wins the race.
But not everyone is content with just reading a good story. Some have decided to reenact the race between the slow tortoise and the quick hare. Many videos online show these races, and strangely enough, Aesop's moral seems to hold true. In most real-life races, the tortoise inches its way to victory as the rabbit loses interest and stops to munch on the grass.
8. Ostrich Races
Ostriches can reach speeds up to 45 mph (70 kph). They are the tallest and heaviest of all living birds and can deliver a powerful kick if threatened. This makes ostrich racing even more peculiar. Not only do the birds race against each other, but jockeys ride on their backs as well.
In the past, ostriches were harnessed to small carts, pulling a driver along. Today, however, the jockeys ride directly on the birds, holding onto their feathers, which likely doesn’t please the ostriches. Many jockeys don’t even make it to the finish line.
7. Yabby Races
If you’re frustrated by not being able to eat the animals at the end of their race, there’s a sport in Australia that might appeal to you. Yabbies, a type of crayfish native to Australia, are tasty when boiled or grilled. They also make for an entertaining race.
In each race, ten yabbies are placed in the center of a ring drawn on the ground. To tell them apart, they are marked with numbers using white-out. The race concludes when one yabby manages to place its claw outside the ring.
Bets on the race are placed through an auction-style process. Bidders announce the number and the price they are willing to offer. All money collected goes into a pot (since losers might be entered later), and the owner of the winning yabby takes home all the cash.
6. Makepung Buffalo Races
The most entertaining games often come from moments of boredom. One day in Bali, farmers were working the rice fields with their buffalo and decided to turn it into a race. That’s how Makepung was born.
Two buffalo are hitched to a cart, with a rider standing on it as they race down a track. The buffalo are adorned for the event with painted horns, jewelry, and garlands. While it might not be the most enjoyable experience for them, the drivers encourage the buffalo to reach top speed by twisting their tails and whipping their backs.
The victors receive a kind of reward. The bulls that win can be sold for significant sums and will spend the rest of their lives as stud bulls, fathering future racing champions.
5. Ban’ei Races
Thoroughbred horses typically seen in regular races are lean and muscular, with glossy coats. But looks are only part of the equation. In Japan, there are races that challenge both the speed and endurance of horses. Ban’ei races feature draft horses pulling heavy sleds across a track filled with hills and dips. A jockey stands behind them, urging them on. These sleds can weigh as much as a ton.
These races originated from agricultural needs, with horses initially racing while pulling in crops or transporting equipment. Due to the weight of the sleds, the races often include a break after the first hill, giving the horses a chance to rest before tackling the second incline.
Although the sport was on the brink of fading away, the rise of gambling on these races has brought it back into the spotlight.
4. Cane Toad Racing
Cane toads are considered a nuisance in Australia. These creatures were initially brought over from America to combat the cane beetle, which was devastating sugarcane crops. However, the solution turned out to be worse than the problem. The cane toad population grew uncontrollably, wreaking havoc on the ecosystem, while the cane beetle population remained largely unaffected.
Efforts to eradicate the toads have had only limited success. Some people are looking for ways to repurpose the toads, such as turning them into fertilizer or using their skin to make leather. Others have taken a more unusual route: turning them into a competitive sport.
In cane toad racing, the toads are adorned with ribbons for identification and placed in the center of a ring. They are then released, and the first to hop out of the ring wins the race. Similar to yabby racing, the toads are sold in an auction, with the winning bidder receiving a portion of the total funds raised. A portion of the prize pool is often donated to charity, usually one that works to eradicate cane toads.
3. Monkey Jockey Greyhound Race
In the world of animal races, it might seem unfair to include events where humans are involved. To balance this out, here's an event that features not just one species, but two. Greyhounds are typically seen in racing competitions, but adding monkeys as jockeys riding on their backs is a bit more unusual.
This unique race began in the 1920s in Australia and gained popularity in the 1930s in the United States. The monkeys were securely fastened to the greyhounds, dressed in miniature silks resembling those worn by human jockeys. In 1933, a patent was filed for a special saddle and harness designed for the monkey riders.
The monkey jockey trend was short-lived. Many criticized the sport as being cruel to both the monkeys and the greyhounds involved. Today, the sport is only remembered through old, grainy footage from its brief time.
2. Shetland Pony Grand National
Have you ever wanted to see a horse race, but felt the horses were too big? Enter the world of Shetland pony races, where the horses are fun-sized. These sturdy little ponies were originally bred to pull small carts and were even used in mines for their ability to fit into narrow shafts. Nowadays, most Shetland ponies are kept as pets, though some still serve as guide animals.
In Shetland pony racing, both the ponies and their jockeys are smaller than typical. The riders are usually children because an adult on a Shetland pony would likely cause the pony to collapse. Children can participate until they reach a height of 5 feet (1.5 meters).
The Grand National is the UK’s most esteemed horse race, and the Grand National Shetland Pony race mirrors it in every way except for its size. The jumps are appropriately cute to match the equally adorable ponies.
1. Snail Racing
While most races are fast-paced and full of excitement, snail racing offers a much more laid-back experience. It's one of the few animal races that can take place on a tabletop, meaning it can be enjoyed just about anywhere by anyone.
Typically, the common garden snail from Europe is chosen for the race. It can be hard to distinguish the competitors, so the snails are often painted in bright colors to make them easier to identify. They are then placed in the center of a ring around 12 inches wide, and the first to reach the edge wins.
Congham, England, hosts the longest-running snail race. To put the speed of snail racing into perspective, the fastest winner ever took just two minutes to complete the race.
