Nah, even if all animals had equal stats (which they probably should), I\'d say that the player would need to ride and control them. This way, the player would be the one who will bring in the variety. Consider yourself in a racing car. Even if the car would be absolutely identical to all others, you\'ll make mistakes and whatnot, so this shouldn\'t be a problem. After all, every single racing game works this way (i.e., all cars / whatevers are identical (if you wish), and the player\'s skill and luck determines the outcome).
So yes, I\'d love racing as well. Maybe we could also have normal races (i.e. without mounts). I\'ve proposed some additions for fleeing that could also be used in races like adrenaline rushes and forcing oneself beyond the usual limits, with appropriate after-effects.