Horse racing has been a popular form of entertainment since 700 BC, long before sports like basketball, baseball, and football were created.
With several races run practically every day and almost three hundred dirt track or grass courses operating throughout the world, the "Sport of Kings" is one of the most watched and wagered upon diversions all year long.
Numerous people gather to the racetrack because of some horse races since they are more prestigious, lucrative, and popular than others. The "race that stops a nation" and the "fastest two minutes in sports" are among the eight biggest horse races in the world to bet on, which are detailed below.
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby (G1), often known as "the Run for the Roses" and "the fastest two minutes in sports," is the most awaited horse race of the year and the longest continually held athletic event in America.
On the first Saturday in May, hundreds of thousands of spectators, including some of the most well-known celebrities in the world, converge on Churchill Downs to see three-year-old thoroughbreds compete in the 1 1/4-mile race on dirt that serves as the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Breeders’ Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic, a Grade 1 weight-for-age race for thoroughbreds three and older, is one of the most important races in North America. It is also the fourth and last leg of the Grand Slam of horse racing, which has only been accomplished by one Thoroughbred, American Pharoah in 2015.
The Breeders' Cup Classic, which originally had a $6 million purse, is frequently among the most popular horse racing occasions in the United States, behind the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Preakness Stakes, and occasionally the Belmont.
Gold Cup At Ascot
The Gold Cup at Ascot Racecourse, another race suited for royalty, is the nation's most prestigious contest for "stayers," or horses who excel over long distances.
The Royal Family frequently visits Ascot, which is only six miles from Windsor Castle. The Queen, who owns and breeds Thoroughbred horses, has triumphed at Royal Ascot numerous times, including in the 2013 Gold Cup with the Irish-bred filly Estimate.
Dubai World Cup
The Dubai World Cup is a Group 1 flat race on dirt that is run over a distance of 2,000 meters, or roughly ten furlongs, for Thoroughbreds from the Northern Hemisphere who are four years old and older and from the Southern Hemisphere who are three years old and older. It is a component of the Dubai World Cup Night of Races.
The purse for the Dubai World Cup has been $12 million starting in 2019. Eight Thoroughbred races and one Pure Arabian race featured a combined $30.5 million in prize money on Dubai World Cup Night in 2022.
Preakness Stakes
The U.S.'s second leg The Triple Crown, which is the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes, is typically behind the Kentucky Derby. It is also the thoroughbred stakes race in North America with the second-highest attendance.
The Pimlico celebration, often known as "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans," has seen thirty-six Kentucky Derby winners who won the Preakness, although twenty three of those did not win their Belmont Stakes start.
Belmont Stakes
One of the top five most popular racing occasions in North America each year is the Grade 1 race for thoroughbreds, which is particularly well-liked by racing fans when the Triple Crown is at stake.
The Belmont Stakes is referred to as "The Test of the Champion." stretch three-year-olds for 1 1/2 miles on dirt, and from Sir Barton in 1919 to Justify in 2018, 13 colts have won the Triple Crown.
Prix de L’Arc De Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, which is named after the Arc de Triomphe memorial from World War I, is the most prestigious horse race in Europe and the fifth-richest turf race in the world, behind three Australian races and one in Dubai.
The top horses from Germany, France, Ireland, UK , and the rest of the world will compete for the top prize of €2,857,000, or more than $3.1 million, in the 2,400-meter Group 1 weight-for-age flat race, which is open to three-year-olds and older but not geldings.
Melbourne Cup
The annual Melbourne Cup, termed "the race that stops a nation," is the most well-known Thoroughbred competition in Australia. It is a 3,200-meter turf handicap for horses three years old and older. After “The Everest”, it is the second-richest turf race in the world.
The Victoria Racing Club hosts the occasion as a part of the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival. Also, because it is significant to the region, Melbourne Cup Day is made a public holiday for all employees in metropolitan Melbourne and some regions of Victoria.
Final Thoughts
Horse racing will surely exist for as long as people have ridden horses. As mentioned, it is called the “Sports Kings” since it’s the only sporting event in the world that stars the strongest racehorses. Thus, when you find an interest in betting on horse racing games, head on to the top races mentioned above to earn significantly and join the fun.
