Russia has been celebrating the 230th anniversary of its famed horse breed, the Orlov, tracing its line back to the time of Catherine the Great. To mark the event, equestrian enthusiasts gathered at Moscow’s Hippodrome for an afternoon’s betting.

Legend has it that one of Catherine’s many lovers – Count Grigory Orlov – declared he would breed a “superhorse” to draw her royal carriage. That’s a disputed story, though, since historians say it was not Grigory but his brother, Aleksey, who founded the breed.

Count Orlov crossed Arabian, Scandinavian and European breeds to create a horse that could stand Russia's severe climate and cope with traveling long distances.

The story has it that all Orlov horses are descended from a silver-grey stud called Smetanka.

Today's Orlov's are primarily used as trotters – to race with carriages. The purest-bred can cost about $30,000, the price of a good car, the breeders muse.