RACING & WAGERING

Horse Racing

“And they’re off!” Horse racing of all types is found in our racing section, including Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Harness, Steeplechase and Arabian racing.

Want to get lucky? Take a look at the Wagering to help guide you. Keep track of upcoming horse races and racing events in our Calendar of Events for Horse Racing.

Want to live the dream of owning a racehorse? Check out the Breeding, Partnerships, Sales & Bloodstocks sections where you can help yourself be a force in the Sport of Kings.

Need a place to train your baby and help develop his successful career? You will find both training facilities and professional racehorse trainers in our Training section. See you in the winners’ circle!

Popular Racing Sites

Horse Racing - General Information

In national hunt racing, the dawn of a new year means but one thing – the Road to Cheltenham. The four-day festival is the climax of the jumps racing season in the UK and Ireland, acting as a kind of finale to all that has preceded it in the months beforehand. Sure, there are other big events like the Aintree Grand National and the Punchestown Festival (IRE), but ask any top trainer or jockey where their thoughts are right now, and they will all tell you the Cheltenham Festival (14th-17th March, 2023).

As with all major racing festivals, the cauldron of action allows new stars to be born. But there will also be many returning heroes wanting to consolidate their status as Cheltenham legends. Below, we want to pick out a mélange of those, looking at five horses who could be making headlines at Cheltenham 2023.

Constitution Hill

At the time of writing, Constitution Hill boasts the shortest odds in the horse racing betting for any race at the Festival. That just happens to be one of the key races – the Champion Hurdle. Odds of just 1/3 in the ante-post markets tell you just how highly-rated this horse is. Trained by Nicky Henderson, Constitution Hill was stunning in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2022, winning over the brilliant Jonbon by 22 lengths. He was close to perfect in reappearing over the winter months, and he looks to have the world at his feet. The closest thing we have to a sure winner at Cheltenham this year.

Galopin Des Champs

Sometimes in horse racing you just have to stand back and admire greatness. Is Galopin Des Champs there yet? No. But the horse looks like he is something special, very special. He duked it out with Bob Olinger at Cheltenham last year, beating his rival before inexplicably falling at the final fence. While that defeat obviously taints his record, his reputation was enhanced – something akin to a supreme boxing performance falling to a sucker punch. He is favorite for the biggest race at Cheltenham – the Gold Cup – and from what we have seen, he deserves to be there.

Bangor on Dee at the National Hunt - (photo courtesy of Flickr)

Horse racing has a long and storied history in the United Kingdom, with the first recorded races dating back to the Roman occupation of Britain in the 1st century AD. However, it wasn't until the 18th and 19th centuries that horse racing really took off as a popular and organized sport in the UK.

In the 18th century, horse racing became increasingly popular among the aristocracy, and the first organized races were held at Newmarket, a small town in Suffolk that became known as the "home of horse racing." These early races were often informal affairs, with wealthy landowners and noblemen pitting their horses against one another for sport and betting.

The 19th century saw the rise of organized horse racing, with the establishment of the Jockey Club in 1750 and the creation of the modern stud book in 1853. The Jockey Club, which is still in existence today, is responsible for setting and enforcing rules and regulations for horse racing in the UK, including the standards for breeding and training racehorses. The stud book, which is a comprehensive record of all Thoroughbred horses in the UK, is maintained by the Jockey Club and is used to determine the pedigree and eligibility of horses for racing.

During this time, horse racing became a major spectator sport, with large crowds attending races at some of the UK’s best horse racing tracks, like Ascot, Epsom, and Goodwood. These races were not just a chance to see the finest horses and riders in the world, but also a chance for the upper class to showcase their wealth and social status. The Royal Family, in particular, played a major role in the popularity of horse racing, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert often attending races and even breeding their own racehorses.

Horses are beautiful creatures we all love to ride, but do you know much about them? Well, some surprising facts about horses will make you think twice about how much you actually know.

Yes, they might be excellent companions and champions at competing in sports events, but they’re also fascinating creatures. Horses are amazing animals, and learning about their unique features is sure to captivate you. This article will provide some interesting facts about horses you may not have known before.

Horses' eyesight

Horses' eyes are on the side of their heads, which gives them an almost 360-degree field of vision. Here are a couple of fascinating facts about horses' eyesight.

They have little vision in front of themselves

You’ve probably heard that a horse has a blind spot directly in front of its nose. This isn’t quite true. Horses have a blind spot, but it’s actually called “monocular vision,” which means they can see only one object at a time with either eye. When a horse looks at something with its left eye, it won't be able to see anything directly in front of it with its right eye at the same time.

This is because horses have binocular vision for objects within about 30 meters or so—anything farther than this distance has to be very large and close up before your horse can identify what it is they're looking at.

It's not surprising that some people think horses don't have any vision directly in front of them—but they do. It's just not as good as our own because they simply don't need such sharp focus when they're grazing on grass all day long.

December 7, 2022, New York – EquineInfoExchange.com has decades of expertise in all aspects of equestrian life and is unparalleled in publishing in this sector. We offer the most comprehensive coverage of all things horse related from wagering and gaming to racehorse sales. Our content focused on Horse Racing includes: Arabian, Quarter Horse, Harness, Steeplechase and Thoroughbred racing. We have specific sections for Racehorse Partnerships, Breeding, Sales and Bloodstock Agents and of course Wagering and Gaming.

Get these benefits from EIE where your content:

Will be shared on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. EIE has a strong social media presence with a monthly reach of over 2,500,000.
Will be indexed by Google and permanently remain on our website.
Will include up to 3 authority links.

“Our engaged global audience seeks out EIE daily as a source of relevant and exciting content. Our readers rely on our recommendations and invest in all aspects of racing and wagering. We continually seek and represent entertaining and informative content. We always welcome new products, ideas and companies with a high level of integrity.” – Cindy Springer, SVP Equine Info Exchange.

Here are examples of recent articles:

Our Rate Card is available with information for sponsored content. Reach out to us at info@equineinfoexchange.com and leverage our popularity and highly targeted audience for your own business.

Statue of Secretariat Long Island: Belmont Park (Photo courtesy of Wally Gobetz on Flickr) — Statue of Secretariat, Long Island, NY: Belmont Park (Photo courtesy of Wally Gobetz on Flickr)

When it comes to Horse Racing, there are few races more famous and prestigious in the history of US horse racing than the Preakness Stakes. The race was established at the Pimlico race course in Baltimore, Maryland. The former Maryland Governor in 1873 named it after the American thoroughbred racehorse Preakness who won the Dinner Party Stakes on the opening day of Pimlico Race Course on October 25th 1870. For a few years between 1890 and 1908, the race was run from the Morris Park Racecourse (1890) and the Gravesend Race Track (1894-1908) before it returned to Pimlico in 1909 where it has run ever since.

About The Preakness Stakes

The race itself is specifically an American Thoroughbred horse race, and it is held every year on Armed Forces Day which is the 3rd Saturday in May. The race is 9.5 furlongs which is 1 and 3/16 miles or 1900m. The race does not use hurdles and is run on a flat dirt track and the record for the race is held by world-famous thoroughbred Secretariat at 1:53.00, a record held since 1973. Though the prize money back then wasn’t even close to what it is now, Meadow Stable won $250k in 1973, while the prize won this year by Klaravich Stables horse Early Voting, was $1.5m!

One of the many things that make the Preakness Stakes such an important race in the horse racing world is that it is part of something bigger. Not only is it an incredible and exciting race on its own, but being the second jewel in the world-famous Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing makes it mean so much more. The Triple Crown consists of 3 races. Jewel One, the Kentucky Derby, is held two weeks before Jewel Two, the Preakness Stakes, followed three weeks later by Jewel Three, the Belmont Stakes.

We’ve already mentioned the 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, but he isn’t the only famous horse to ever run and win in the Preakness Stakes. Who could forget Smarty Jones who won the 2004 Preakness Stakes in an impressive 1:55:59. Smarty Jones was one of the most memorable Triple Crown contenders of the early 2000s and went into the Preakness Stakes on a 7 race winning streak which extended to 8 after the race in Maryland. Still, unfortunately, he couldn’t quite replicate his 11 and a half length win at Pimlico Race Course and claim the Third Jewel in the Triple Crown, missing out by just one length to Birdstone, putting an end to the Triple Crown dream.

The nights are drawing in, the weather has taken a chilly turn, but for some of us it's the best time of the year. Not just because Christmas is on the way but because The Ladbrokes Christmas Festival is almost upon us, with horse betting odds already available for horse racing fans.

The National Hunt horse racing season is the best thing about dreary winter weather for punters, horse lovers and anyone who enjoys a day out in the country. Watching every single one of these magnificent creatures fly over fences and thunder past the winning post is truly exhilarating, but there are two horses who have stood out from the rest over the years, Desert Orchid and Kauto Star.

These horses proved time and time again that they had that star quality. We're going to take a look back at exactly what made them so very special to this festival and how the festival has immortalised them in return.

King George VI Chase

Without a doubt the race that made these horses so very famous is The King George VI Chase. It's the most anticipated race of the festival and the second richest in the jump racing calendar, next to the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Whilst any horse over four years old can enter this three-mile challenge, there are two horses who have records that far outshine anyone else's, Kauto Star and Desert Orchid. Desert Orchid first flew over the eighteen fences back in 1986, taking the prize money with him. The great grey horse would achieve the same feat again in 1988, 1989, and 1990, making him the first horse ever to win four times, stealing three-time winner Wayward Lad's thunder.

His connections were keen to see him take the title of his fifth race in 1991, but it wasn't to be. The bold, front running grey made a real go of it, but fell. Seeing him struggle was not something that any of the people who love him wanted, so they called it a day and retired Dessie.

There wouldn't be another horse to even come close to challenging Desert Orchid's reign until Paul Nicholls entered the up and coming 6-year-old into the race in 2006. Nicholls had trained the double winner See More Business already, so knew what it took to win the race and had a lot of faith in the lightly raced Kauto Star. It turned out he was exactly right, Kauto Star took to the testing course like a natural and came home victorious. What nobody could have predicted is that Kauto Star would repeat the feat four times in a row.

Photo courtesy of the EIE Editorial Team

Horse racing is one of the most thrilling and beloved sports currently in existence.

Many annual racing events occur all over the world — each with its own set of distinct rules and regulations that separate it from the rest. Yet one thing stays the same: the types of horse racing terms that are used.

Horse racing can seem a little bit daunting and complex given the sheer amount of things that you need to know. But, fortunately, there are only a handful of specific terms you must familiarize yourself with.

If you want to learn more about horse racing, let’s jump right in!

Allowance

In horse racing, an allowance is the weight deduction that a horse must carry. This may be a direct result of the gender or age of the horse. It may also be judged depending on the type of jockey.

Ante-Post/Futures Bet

A phrase used to describe the act of placing a bet in the days, weeks, or months before the race day occurs. It also happens before any runners are confirmed at the final declaration stage.

Before you make a bet, ensure that you understand what it truly means. We’d recommend reading through this horse racing odds overview to find out a little bit more.

Horse racing’s most significant events – stakes races – are ranked on a scale by grade. Grade 1 is the highest, followed by Grade 2, Grade 3, listed, restricted, and ungraded races. Join us as we highlight the most important dates for the Grade 1 2022 fall meetings in the United States. It’s been a thrilling 2022 at the races thus far; let’s dive into what remains.

Breeders’ Cup

When: November 4 & 5, 2022.

Where: Keeneland racetrack in Lexington, Kentucky.

Not only is it the most popular US horse racing event of the Autumn months, but the Breeders’ Cup is also one of the most sought-after meetings for horse fans to watch from the calendar year. And it isn’t just North American runners who partake in the event, as the competition focuses on America’s best horses and the most talented runners from across the globe.

Horse racing has been described as the sport of kings – and we would not argue with that. This regal sport has produced jockeys and horses that have become true stars of the sports world. But there is one aspect of the sport that sometimes gets overlooked.

Online sportsbook reviews might help you find a place to bet and horse racing reporters can tell you who should win the biggest races in the world. But the setting is sometimes just as glamorous as everything else on show. So here are five racecourses that we think are the best in the business.

Ascot, England

Home to one of the most prestigious and famous race meetings in the world, Ascot has long been a byword for elegance in the sport. Over 300 years old, Ascot has held a strong relationship with the Royal family of the United Kingdom ever since it was opened during Queen Anne’s reign.

The Royal Ascot meeting is the obvious highlight of the year, as high fashion meets horse racing for five glorious days. Ascot is home to meetings throughout the year, however, and the course is overlooked by a majestic main stand that perfectly aligns with the surrounding English countryside.

No other sport provides a better spectacle than horse racing, which is especially very popular in Europe and America. It is one of the oldest sports and even now is regarded as one of the most popular pastimes to watch and bet on.

For horse racing enthusiasts, nothing is more thrilling and exciting than going to the races. That’s why, they are always looking for information about the Melbourne Cup tickets.

1- Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is also called ‘the fastest two minutes in sports’ and is enormously popular in the world. Also known as ‘Run for the Roses’, it is the most eagerly awaited race among horse racing enthusiasts and punters. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to Churchill Downs in May every year to witness some of the best sporting spectacle. Some of the best three-year thoroughbreds compete over a distance of 1 ¼ miles.

The most famous horses in the history of this race are Secretariat and American Pharoah. Its inaugural race was run in 1875 and it carries a purse of $3 million.

2- Breeders’ Cup Classic

The Breeders’ Cup Classic is regarded as one of the most prestigious races in North America. It constitutes the fourth and final leg of the horse racing’s Grand Slam. Only one horse in history, American Pharoah, has managed to win this Grand Slam in 2015.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic also boasts one of the highest attendances in the US.

Whoever wins this race mostly also go on to win the Eclipse Award for American Horse of the Year as well.