The Top Horse Races in The World

Horse Racing

Barrie Jarrett
December 12, 2020 9:57 am

Known for its exhilaration and unpredictability horse racing has increasingly become accessible to the masses and spread worldwide as a sport.

Ancient in its traditions it has modernised in recent years and allowed itself to become more popular again. The simplicity of the sport allows horse racing to appeal to many across the globe who are both spectating and competing and create exhilarating moments worldwide. We are going to look at the top races in the world, those that give horse racing news that fans can’t get enough of.

Europe

Britain and Ireland are known for their illustrious past with horse racing and this has continued into modern day racing. With a huge market for sports betting and historic courses Brits have been allowed to enjoy the races for decades. Britain is home to a few of the top races in the world.

The oldest is the Epsom Derby which started in 1780. This race was created by royalty and remains a huge royal occasion with a healthy cash prize. The derby is a race with huge amounts of tradition and class and easily the most prestigious race in Europe. On the flip of this is the Cheltenham festival which has recently been modernised and appeals to many punters because of this.

The 4 day long festival’s main event is the Gold Cup which is the biggest cash prize race in Britain. But when it comes to British horse racing the big one is the Grand National.

The national is actually one of the biggest races in the world. The show stopping 30 fence steeplechase attracts everyone to it, even those who aren’t fond of horse racing. Notoriously complex for jockeys and horses alike this race always provides upsets, drama and can bulk out your wallet if you pick a winner.

The other big race in Europe currently is the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe held in France. This huge flat race is shrouded in class and honour. It is known to be the second most prestigious race in Europe. So much so that its slogan is ‘It’s not a race, it’s a monument’. This sums up just what this race means to those who spectate, compete and enjoy it.

America

You would be a fool to have a list of the top races in the world and not involve the infamous Triple Crown in America. This trio of races include the biggest race in the world, the Kentucky Derby. Drawing in a huge $2million prize pot, punters and sportsmen alike crowd the Louisville racetrack. Known as the most exciting 2 minutes in sport the ‘run for the roses’ has historically thrown huge bouts of entertainment and continues to do so. A huge event in both the American and the worlds, horse racing calendar. Indeed, the other 2 legs of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes also prove popular and have recorded outrageous records over the years. The combination of this trio of races is the stars of the US horse racing show.

Rest of the World

Horse racing has taken its time in recent centuries to reach the same level of popularity in other areas in the rest of the world but in recent decades it has taken off.

Australia has always had close ties to horse racing throughout its history and the Melbourne Cup is the epitome of this. Known as ‘the race that stops the nation’, this famous horse race is a national holiday in Australia and draws in an outrageous amount of punters as such. It is one of the biggest races in the Southern hemisphere and by proxy one of the top races in the world.

In Japan and the UAE have been a bit later to the horse racing party but are more than willing to make up for that in recent years. The Japan Cup has rose to prominence and started attracting huge names both in terms of horses, jockeys and celebrities to its racetrack. Known to throw and upset this race is establishing itself worldwide as a fan favourite. Additionally, the UAE has pumped a lot of money into the sport. This new age oil-money combined with the historic ties of racing with horse betting has made the sport hugely lucrative in the modern age. Indeed, the Dubai Cup prize pot now sits at a huge $10million. These races are only starting to garner success but are easily the top races in the wonderful world of horse racing.