A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consisting of 2, 3 or 4 boats compete together in a team race, with their results being combined.In horse racing it has historically been a format used for one-off events, but in 2009 IMRA, the International Match Race Association, was created to enable anyone to enter a one-on-one horse race in all-terrain half-mile loops.