Horse racing is one of the most exhilarating sports in the world for spectators given the entertainment value and potential for shock results. There are no shortage of races of the highest caliber around the world, but which one stands out more than any other? We’ll now look at the top three horse races from both jumps and flat disciplines that capture the imagination of fans in all corners of the globe.
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is the signature event of Cheltenham Festival, which runs in the second week of March in England. It is one of the most lucrative horse races in the United Kingdom, with the purse of the race reaching up towards £450,000 ($609,000), but the prestige of the Gold Cup is the ultimate prize for owners, trainers and jockeys who aim to etch their names in the history of the jumps sport.
A Plus Tard will aim to join their company as the favorite at +333 in the 2022 Cheltenham betting odds. He will face stiff competition from Gold Cup legend Al Boum Photo along with the 2021 winner Minella Indo, who are both likely to feature in the Cheltenham tips for 2022. The Gold Cup is a true test of horse and jockey over the 22 fences and three miles, two furlongs and 70 yards of the contest, there are few atmospheres in racing that can match the event with 70,000 punters cheering on from the concourses at Prestbury Park.
Kentucky Derby
All eyes in the United States’ horse racing community and beyond are focused on the Churchill Downs in early May for the first of the Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby. The Derby has a proud history and dates back even further than the Gold Cup, holding its first race in 1875. The prestige of winning the Derby is arguably greater than the other two legs of the Triple Crown, while the prize money on offer reaches up to $1.8m for the winning party and a $3m overall purse.
Owners and trainers put their three-year-old thoroughbreds to the test against the cream of the crop from around the United States. You have to be a truly great competitor to triumph over the one-and-a-quarter miles of the race. Horses of the caliber of Justify and American Pharoah have thrilled spectators and punters with the standard of their performances. The race continues to provide drama and intrigue with every passing year and remains the gold standard for flat racing in the United States.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is arguably the most prestigious flat race in Europe and provides the most aesthetically-pleasing trophy for the winner of the race. The great and the good of European flat racing converge on Longchamp Racecourse in Paris for the event, which is worth up to €2,857,000 ($3.2m) for the triumphant owner along with a €5m ($5.71m) purse overall for the rest of the field. It is certainly worth placing your charge in the event, although it takes a special horse to compete for the crown over the one mile, three furlongs and 204 yards of the race.
The great Enable has set the standard for horses at the race in the modern era with back-to-back triumphs in 2017 and 2018 and fell narrowly short of a third win in a row in 2019 when she placed second behind Waldgeist. The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe always brings out the best in the elite competitors, which is why it is held in such high esteem around the globe.
