When you think of horse races, naturally, the fastest horse will win the race. All the racehorses start in a straight line, and the first one to cross the finish line is named the winner of the race.

Outside the U.S., it is a pretty commonplace occurrence for a major race to have a huge field. Historically, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe had a record 30 horses go to the post in 1967, and the Grand ...