Horse racing is one of the most popular sports in the world today, inspiring fans worldwide to passionately follow and have fun placing bets using Royal Ascot Betting Offers, or other sources for betting. In this post I’ve decided to share more about the most popular horse races in the world and why these races are so popular.
Grand National
The Grand National is the most famous and prestigious steeplechase in the world, and its winners over the last 50 years have been some of the greatest horses to ever grace a racecourse: Red Rum (1973), Amberleigh House (2001) and Rule The World (2013).
The Grand National may only attract around 30 runners every year but it’s a big deal for punters since they have to place bets on all of them at once – there’s no picking one runner as your favourite! The steeplechase itself involves horses jumping obstacles up to 4 feet high while galloping at up to 40mph along 2 miles and 4 furlongs of harsh terrain.
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race held annually at Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, UK. It is the second of two races to be run on consecutive days at the festival, the first being the Champion Hurdle on day two, which is also known as Ladies’ Day due to its female-only attendance policy; men are not permitted to attend unless accompanied by a woman (this includes those who have been given a special “Ladies’ Day Ticket”).
Saudi Cup
The Saudi Cup, also known as the King Abdullah Sports City Cup or Jeddah Racecourse Cup, is a horse race held annually in Saudi Arabia. It is run at the King Abdullah Sports City track in Jeddah over 2,000 meters (about 1¼ miles) and attracts some of the best horses from around the world. The event was first held in 1985 and has been held every year since then except for 1990 and 1991 during Gulf War I.
The race is recognized as Group 1 by The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), placing it among the top 20 most prestigious races worldwide for Thoroughbreds.
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is one of the most famous horse races in the world. It’s held every May in Louisville, Kentucky and it’s a race for three-year-old horses that are Thoroughbreds.
The winner gets a garland of roses plus $2 million!
The Kentucky Derby is sometimes called “the greatest two minutes in sports” because it lasts only two minutes flat, but those two minutes can be thrilling to watch as these beautiful animals sprint down the track towards victory.
Melbourne cup
The Melbourne Cup is held on the first Tuesday in November each year, and attracts a crowd of around 300,000 spectators. It’s the richest handicap horse race in the world – meaning that horses of all ages and abilities are allowed to compete.
The race itself is run over 3,200 meters (about 2 miles) or 3 miles (5 kilometers), making it one of the longest races on offer. The track itself is characterised by its sharp turns and narrow straightaways which makes for an exciting finish!
The first Melbourne Cup was run at Flemington Racecourse in 1861 – making this event 141 years old! Today it’s worth $6.2 million AUD to the winner – quite a prize for such a short distance!