Wikipedia
Flat racing is a form of horse racing which is run on a level racecourse. It is run over a predetermined distance from up to and is either test of speed, stamina or both, whilst the skills of the jockey is determined by his ability to restrain the horse or impel it. Flat racing does not require horses to jump over any obstacles such as is required for hurdling or Steeplechase. It differs from harness racing where horses are pulling a sulky and wear a harness. While in many countries flat racing is the most common form of horse racing, in Britain and Ireland it is used to describe the racing season that comes after the Jumps racing which is traditionally held over the winter period.
Many different horse breeds are used in flat racing worldwide, but the Thoroughbred is the most dominant. The races take place on track surfaces suitable for horses. Worldwide, the most common is a natural grass surface, called "turf". In North America, the most common surface is a harrowed "dirt" surface, often based primarily on a mixture of sand and local soil. Most winter flat races in Britain and other parts of the world are run on a synthetic or all-weather surface, generally a blend of sand with synthetic fiber and/or rubber, often coated with wax or a similar substance.
Usage examples of "flat racing".
Grown finally too heavy for flat racing, I had switched entirely to steeple-chasing the season before we married, and I wanted to be champion jumping jockey.
In the Flat racing season, Pat's box was retained full time by another Pixhill trainer with a phobia about sharing journeys with other trainers' horses.
I asked him to call back to my mobile number and repeated it, and then sat in an armchair watching racing on television - Flat racing at Ascot.
When I was still light enough for Flat racing and hadn't taken to steeplechasing.
And I'd found out later that he closed the restaurant every year towards the end of November and took off to the West Indies, returning in late March when the Flat racing stirred back to life.
In no time at all he was down to his underwear, and then he was out of range of their cleverness, hitting the waters surface in a flat racing dive, churning the water till he reached the spot where hed seen the bubbles, then diving, eyes wide, barely noticing the burn of the chlorine.