The UK’s Most Prestigious Horse Racing Events
Horse racing remains one of the most popular sports in the UK, with Britain recognised worldwide as the sport’s home. Therefore, many prestigious events take place on the horse racing calendar in the United Kingdom each and every year.
And they’re not something fans of the sport should be missing out on, especially if they want to witness the action unfold live, up close and personal, at some of the best racecourses the country has to offer.
The Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival runs every year in March and is a four-day event that takes place at the iconic Cheltenham Racecourse.
There are twenty-eight races in total over the four days, with the final day when the legendary Cheltenham Gold Cup is run.
Nowadays, betting on horse racing online has become as common as on-course betting, and the Cheltenham Festival often sees record numbers across both, especially on Gold Cup day.
For British and Irish horses, their owners, connections and trainers, Cheltenham is very much the be-all and end-all, and it can also be the stage where horses are propelled to greatness for evermore.
The Grand National
The Grand National is not only the next prestigious horse racing event on our list but the next on the calendar, too, as it follows the Cheltenham Festival by taking place in April.
The Grand National is a three-day event at Aintree Racecourse, but the Grand National race is the most significant draw.
It draws in millions of viewers, is run over a distance of two laps of a four-and-a-half-mile course that consists of thirty fences, and has a prize pot of £1 million available.
The race, as everyone knows, is wildly unpredictable, with danger lurking for the runners and riders. And there can often be some shocks in terms of the winner, too, adding to the unparalleled excitement.
The Epsom Derby
The Epsom Derby is arguably the greatest racing spectacle to come out of the UK, and it’s watched globally. With the Epsom Derby, what you also get is the history, as the race was first run way back in 1780.
The Epsom Derby, or just The Derby, as many call it, is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse, and there are over 100,000 people usually in attendance, with celebrities and royalty included.
The big race, which features on a card of seven, really tests the runners and riders to the max because it requires everything to be on point, especially speed and balance, with the course one of the fastest to run.
Royal Ascot
Royal Ascot is the final entry on our list, and it takes place in the summer month of June. Royal Ascot is called Royal Ascot due to its royal connections, with late Queen Elizabeth II someone who loved the meeting and attended regularly.
What you see take place at Royal Ascot is excellent horse racing combined with fashion and celebrity. The race meeting has been running since 1839 and is regarded as the most valuable events to take place in the whole of the UK, thus making Royal Ascot racing tips extremely sought after. The total prize money available exceeds the £7 million mark.
The four race meetings mentioned above are by far and away the most prestigious horse racing events in the UK.
And what’s more impressive is that they’ve gone on to inspire horse racing events of a similar magnitude in other countries, especially in the Middle East, where the sport has become incredibly prominent and wealthy too.
Meetings that include mega races, such as the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, are a prime example.
