Simplify the following text for a Grade 11 native English-speaking person.
Original: Distances for thoroughbred horse races in Australia were metricated in 1972 but in the United Kingdom , Ireland , Canada , and the United States , races are still given in miles and furlongs .
Simplified: Distances for thoroughbred horse races in the United Kingdom , Ireland the United States , and Canada are still given in miles and furlongs .