Why are races anti-clockwise?

Greyhounds the Same  , I did know but have forgotten

kempton, Ascot, Sandown, Mussleburgh to name but 4 that don't

I must say, running track at school as a lefty I always wanted to run the other direction lol

oh ok northanlite, I'm not a horse fan, just remember the ones I had watched being like that.

North correct

tbf i think all the race tracks in the USA are left handed, certainly the vast majority.

Horses can go right handed on some tracks, certainly NH is that not clockwise

I am a bit confused?

Greyhounds always go anti clockwise as case money said

yes, lots of right handed (clockwise) tracks. then you have really odd tracks like fontwell where
they go left & right in the same race

yes a bit confusing Fontwell

Add Beverley, Carlisle, Exeter, Goodwood, Hamilton, Hereford, Huntingdon, Leicester, Ludlow, Market Rasen, Newmarket, Perth, Ripon, Salisbury, Taunton, Towcester, Wincanton, Windsor and Worcester.

NH courses Fontwell and Windsor (defunct) went both right and left.

But in answer to the opening question, athletes, greyhounds, motor racing and most horseracing go anti clockwise because:

"As the heart is on the left side, for humans and animals, running anticlockwise makes the centrifugal force in the body to act from left to right. ... Clockwise running tires people".

n1 mac - had I ran the opposite direction I'd always have a slower PB and never be any the wiser! and be DQ'd

Well seen who Mac is related to.

heart more central than left
body mirror image

It`s the inherited genes Aka

Same with formula one racing. Think I’m right in saying that only the Brazil track goes on the opposite direction. This fact is from 20 years ago playing on my PlayStation one so not sure about the newer racing tracks.

it is natural in the minds eye, for the same reason in golf a putt that breaks right to left is a little easier to make than one that is left to right

if you are right handed as you stand over a putt,  a left to right putt is uphill, and right to left is down hill.

do you mean as a tv camera sees the putt?...if they showed it from other side the putt break is reveresed!

i never found either break harder than the other,

Most people are right handed, and a right-handed person feels more comfortable turning to the left. Or should do.

I expect that's why more race tracks turn to the left than to the right.

Horses can lead with their left or with their right.

If they favour leading on one side, that could affect their performance depending on which way the track turns.

lots of spiral staircases in castles were built to give defenders the advantage
of leading with their right hand

donny if you hit the putt straight it will roll to your left
That as you know is a right to left putt
It’s a little easier

The putt is neither uphill or downhill in that sense

The ground slopes downhill from right to left
But the putt could be uphill or downhill or perfectly flat

I'm pretty certain all the USA courses are left-handed. Don't know why tbh given there are a substantial number of GB courses that are right-handed and indeed a majority in Ireland are.
I bet on N American racing a lot so am used to them always going left-handed. A year or two ago after a few drinks I switched on Woodbine (in Canada but normally the same as the US ) and they were going the wrong-way round. I nearly swore off booze but found out eventually they were experimenting with a few races going right-handed. Don't think they have persisted with the experiment this year.

lfc1971    06 Dec 18 11:14 
The ground slopes downhill from right to left
But the putt could be uphill or downhill or perfectly flat


unless you're at (clockwise) Towcester, in which case all putts would be uphill.