- In harness racing, there are two types of races: pacing and trotting. In a pace, the two left legs of the horse stride at the same time followed by the two right legs. In trotting, the front left leg and the right rear leg move together followed by the front right leg and the left rear leg. There are many more pacing races than there are trotting races.
- Nearly all harness races are exactly one mile long. Since the horses are pulling large and bulky sulkies behind them, they cannot come out of a starting gate the way thoroughbreds do. Instead, the horses start behind a pacing car with a large gate behind it. When the car reaches the starting line, it speeds away and automatically folds its gate up so the horses can begin the race.
- In most harness races, the horses will run along the inside rail and try to gain position and save ground. Because of the size and width of the sulky, a harness driver needs his horse to save ground if it is going to have any finishing kick left as the race nears its conclusion. While many horses will try to go for the lead at the start of the race, most drivers will drop back in order to save ground if they can't get to the lead. If they can do this, they should have plenty of energy left for the finishing kick when the race gets to its climax.
- Harness-racing horses are usually not considered to be the same type of athletes as thoroughbred horses because they don't run quite as fast. However, many harness-racing fans get just as excited about their sport as thoroughbred fans are about theirs. The nature of the race--horses and drivers biding their time before going at full speed once the finish line is in sight--makes for consistently exciting finishes
- The backbone of harness racing--just like thoroughbred racing--is gambling. Fans get to bet on which horse will win the race as well as which will place and show (second and third). Bettors can also try to pick the first two finishers (perfecta), first three finishers (trifecta) and first four finishers (superfecta). These are called "exotic" bets and often lead to spectacular payouts that may reach $5,000 or more for superfectas. While the races are exciting to watch, it's the betting that drives the sport.
