In ancient Greece vast quantities of resources and attention were dedicated to games and sports competition, of which the Olympics were just a part. As a result, it is not uncommon for a city’s coinage to pay homage either to a victorious citizen or a particular sport on their coinage. However, one fascinating, yet overlooked artistic feature depicted through Syracusan numismatics is that of ancient horse and chariot races. Interestingly, on the obverse Nike is most often depicted crowning the “left hand” horse, that being from the driver’s perspective. This was due to a simple fact! These races were run counterclockwise. As a result, the left-hand horse faced the large challenge of slowing the chariot down enough to safely make the turn. This fact was not lost on the ancients, who honored these particular animals on their coins.