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Are race horses male or female?

Best Answers

Can you think of one sport where men and women compete against each other as equals? Stumped? Try horse racing, where female jockeys regularly jump in the hot seat alongside their male counterparts. But it's not just the riders facing-off as they thunder down the track. read more

In Thoroughbred racing, there are races for female horses (fillies and mares) only. (A female Thoroughbred is a filly until she turns 5, and then she is a mare.) Male horses, including geldings, race against each other, but with few exceptions, their races are also open to females. read more

In British flat racing, 63% of horses are male, while 37% are female. It's a similar story for the overwhelming number of male winners -- 67% compared to just 33% for the girls. Even in America's most prestigious horse race -- the Kentucky Derby -- only three fillies have won in the competition's 138-year-history. read more

Both male and female horses race, and yes they can race against each other. An entire male (still with both testicles) horse under the age of 5 is a colt and a female horse under the age of 5 is a filly. Once they reach 5 years of age they become a horse and a mare. read more