I SUPPOSE THIS is a kind of personal freedom. The article doesn't mention what those clerics think of this.

Baghdad, Iraq-AP -- Baghdad's racecourse has opened for the first time since the war began over two months ago.

Hundreds of people flocked to the races, generating brisk business for bookmakers, and providing a welcome diversion from daily life in the city.

Iraqis are passionate about horseracing -- it's thought the Arabian thoroughbred may have originated in Iraq itself.