You don’t need to be a football fan to name the most prestigious soccer tournaments like UEFA Champions League or FIFA World Cup. You also don’t have to be a cyclist to know about the Tour De France. Yet when it comes to horse racing, only the interested ones can recall at least a couple of famous races that made history.
Could you name 5 of them? If not, no problem! We’ve prepared a bunch of interesting facts about 5 horse races that we consider to be the most prestigious in the world. Let’s dive in.
1.Epsom Derby
Horse racing is known since ancient times. The occurrence of horse racing events was documented in Greece, Egypt, Rome, Babylon, and Syria even before the Christ era. However, tens of centuries were needed to establish it as an official sport. For the first time, it happened in 17-century Britain at Newmarket and got popularized by King Charles II.
Thus, Epsom Derby, founded in 1780, was far from the oldest races in Britain. However, it grew into the most prestigious one over time and is now acknowledged as a classic race compared to those happening in other countries.
Today, Epsom Derby is run on the first Saturday of June and is visited by over 130,000 people annually. The race is open for min 3-years-old horses and has a distance of 2,420 meters. Prize money purse comprised £1,623,900 ($2,052,934) in 2019, making it the richest race in England, but not in the world.
Interesting facts you may not know:
- Charles Dickens was a frequent visitor of the Derby in the 1850s.
- A horse called Workforce has been holding the record for the fastest winning time (2 min 31 sec) since 2010.
- The max number of participants was 34 in 1862, while only 4 run the race in 1794.
- Lester Piggott is a jockey who has won the race 9 times on different runners.
2. Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby, as well as horse races in general, are very honored across the USA. Officials of most states even made an exception for horse race betting, which is legal in 41 out of 50 states. This is quite fascinating, since another online gambling form such as playing games and betting on online casino websites are allowed only in 4 states and are completely banned in all the rest.
American horse racing is known for the use of thoroughbred horses, and Kentucky Derby was one of the first races specialized exclusively on this breed after its establishment in 1875. The race takes place on the 1st Saturday of May and accepts three-year-old colts and fillies to conquer a 2 km Run for the Roses.
Kentucky Derby is ranked first in America in terms of attendance and can boast of the largest purse — $3 million. It’s also impressive because of the impressive betting budgets. In 2017, people have bet over $209.2M on race participants.
Interesting facts you may not know:
- Kentucky Derby is known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” in the US.
- The event was founded by Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of William Clark after he visited Epsom Derby in England.
- Most wins by a jockey are 5, the record is shared among Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack.
- The most popular drink on the event is mint julep, a bourbon-based cocktail associated with the American South. 120,000 mint juleps are served to the visitors every year.
3. Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
Did you know that the first organized horse race in France occurred because of a wager between two noblemen? For over a century, it was likely the only sport that originated from gambling and not vice versa. The first jockey club was founded during the reign of Louis XVI.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe or simply Arc is the analog of Tour De France in the world of horse racing. The race was founded in 1920, which is late compared to classic British races, yet finished second in the list of most respected European races. It’s also has a common feature with Kentucky Derby, accepting only thoroughbreds to participate.
The race has a standard distance of 2,400 meters and is the fall event held on the first Sunday of October. Arc has a higher purse then the previous two — €5,000,000 (estimated $5,500,000).
Interesting facts you may not know:
- Despite its richness, Arc is quite affordable. Tickets start from $10, while Kentucky Derby costs min $40.
- French horses dominate the race: 88 of them have done this, compared to only 15 from the UK.
- The record time was set by Danedream in 2011 and comprises 2 min 24 sec.
- The featured beverage of the weekend is champagne.
4. Melbourne Cup
Horse racing in Australia couldn’t exist earlier, as there were no horses on the continent until they were brought from South Africa. This occurred in 1788, while the earliest horse racing events took place at the beginning of the 19th century.
Melbourne Cup is the most well known Australian race founded in 1861. It’s notable for its distance — 3.200 meters is almost 1 km longer than the previous races we mentioned. The race is also a handicap event, where horses carry different weights to equalize their capabilities. Thus, each horse gets a nearly equal chance to win.
The Cup happens on the first Tuesday of November. Even though it may seem cold for an outdoor celebration, November is like May in Australia. So don’t let the weather discourage you if you ever decide to visit Australia and Melbourne in particular, where many major sporting events take place. Melbourne Cup is quite a prestigious one with a mind-blowing prize sum — A$8,000,000 (estimated $5,400,000)
Interesting facts you may not know:
- Along with the race, there is Fashions on the Field competition for the best-dressed men and women assessed by celebrities.
- The current record holder is Kingston Rule who crossed the finish line within a 3 min and 16 sec time frame.
- The most frequent winner of the cup is Makybe Diva. She won the race 3 times.
- In 1876, the race was won by a 12-year-old boy called Peter St. Albans on Briseis.
5. Dubai World Cup
The United Arab Emirates have not been into horse racing for that long, but this sport eventually became a national pastime in the middle of the 20th century. First horse races of the UAE was held in 1975 and evolved into a large industry later on.
2,000-meter Dubai World Cup was established in 1996, but despite its young age, this is the richest horse race on Earth. The prize purse of the event reached $12M in 2019 and has the potential to increase even more. It’s a thoroughbred race as well, but with different qualification rules for horses coming from Northern and Southern hemispheres. The first ones can participate after turning 4 years old, while the latter can do that at the age of 3.
The race is claimed to be the most important sporting event in UAE overall. Horse racing is probably the most popular sport in this country, overrunning all-time favorites such as soccer and tennis. Dubai World Cup occurs each year on the last Saturday of March and gathers around 60,000 of spectators at Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse.
Interesting facts you may not know:
- The old-time speed record of 2 min 1 sec was broken in 2018 by Thunder Snow.
- Each event is followed by a top star’s performance. In 2019, the headliner was Gwen Stefani.
- Thunder Snow also has the biggest number of wins — 2, which he obtained during 2018 and 2019 races.
- UAE citizens can’t bet on the event, as gambling is prohibited in the country.
