Arlington International Racecourse kicked off their racing season in unusual fashion last weekend – with a card that included exotic animal races.
In addition to the usual thoroughbred horses, racegoers at the Illinois course were shown several ostrich races.
We didn't know ostrich racing was a thing but it is hilariously awesome.https://t.co/fKrZw6uL4B
— AtTheBuzzer (@TheBuzzerOnFOX) May 9, 2016
There were also camel and zebra races staged over the weekend, but it looks like the ostriches captured most attention.
Ostriches have long necks and legs and can reportedly run up 70 km/h – their long legs can cover up to 16ft in just a single stride.
Ostrich and camel races....really. @Arlington_Park pic.twitter.com/Tz6zDEMtUS
— Phil Voorhis (@niuatc) May 8, 2016
There was an ostrich race at Arlington Race Track today... Wtf!
— Brittany Coyner (@britcoy) May 7, 2016
Ostrich racing is quite common in South Africa and pops up in parts of the United States – the news station found it highly entertaining.
However many regard the practice as cruel. ABTA, a leading association of travel agents and tour operators, advise tourists against participating in any attempt to ride ostriches.
“The ostrich skeleton is not designed to support a jockey’s weight on its back and this practice is likely to harm the physiology of the animals and have negative welfare implications.”
So we were quite pleased to see that most of the birds managed to unseat the jockeys within seconds.
That should teach them to stick to horses in future.
