History UsefulNotes / HorseRacing

* '''Rich Strike''', winner of the 2022 Kentucky Derby. He gained entry when Ethereal Road scratched the day before the race and astonished the crowd by weaving through most of the field ''in the stretch run'', under an inspired ride by Sonny Leon. He went to the post at over 80-1 odds, meaning a $2 win bet on him returned over $160.

* And yes, to answer an obvious question that comes to the mind of most racing newbies, [[https://www.liveabout.com/naming-a-thoroughbred-horse-1880228 there are rules]] about what you can and cannot name a racehorse. Incidentally in the UK some of the joke horse names given on ''Series/{{Bottom}}'' and Franchise/AlanPartridge's sports reports on ''Series/TheDayToday'' have become ''almost'' as well known as real horses (although as of 2023, none of the eligible ones have become an AscendedMeme).

* And yes, to answer an obvious question that comes to the mind of most racing newbies, [[https://www.liveabout.com/naming-a-thoroughbred-horse-1880228 there are rules]] about what you can and cannot name a racehorse. Incidentally in the UK some of the joke names given in various Franchise/AlanPartridge sports reports on ''Series/TheDayToday'' have become ''almost'' as well known as real horses (although as of 2023, none of the eligible ones have become an AscendedMeme).

* The Eclipse Awards, given in February, honor American horses which have excelled in particular categories. A horse which wins an Eclipse is a "champion".

** The '''Kentucky Derby''' (1 1/4 miles) - "The Run for the Roses" or "The Fastest Two Minutes In Sports" - Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky - the first Saturday in May (the one everyone has heard of). According to Louisville native Creator/HunterSThompson, [[GonzoJournalism it is decadent and depraved]]. It and its sister race, the Kentucky Oaks, are also notable as the oldest continuously held sporting events in the US, both races having taken place every year since 1875.[[note]]Technically, the Derby is older; the first Derby was held two days before the first Oaks, although the Oaks has long since changed to being run the day before the Derby.[[/note]]

** The '''Belmont Stakes''' (1½ miles) - "The Run for the Carnations" or "The Test of Champions" - Belmont Park, Elmont, New York (Long Island, just outside UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity) – three weeks after the Preakness. The oldest of the US Triple Crown races, first held in 1867, though not held in 1911 or 1912 due to anti-gambling laws in New York State.

* '''Travers Stakes''' (1 1/4 miles) – The oldest race in the US specifically for three-year-olds, having been first held in 1864 (continuously since 1913). Run in late August at the historic Saratoga track in upstate New York, it's sometimes called the "Mid-Summer Derby". Some international sources rate this race higher than the Preakness, though lower than the Derby or Belmont. While the list of winners is filled with big names, it's equally famous for who ''didn't'' win; Saratoga is nicknamed "The Graveyard of Favorites" thanks to its penchant for producing surprise winners of big races.
* '''Jockey Club Gold Cup''' (currently 1 1/4 miles) – Currently held on Labor Day weekend in September at Saratoga, it has a rather interesting history and a veritable who's who of winners. For more than a century (1919–2020), it was the highlight of the fall meet at Belmont Park. Originally run at 1½ miles, it was stretched out two years later to a full 2 miles, making it a unique test of champions. It remained at that distance through 1975, after which it returned to its original distance of 1½ miles. After the 1989 edition, it was shortened again to its current distance. Unfortunately, it lost a good deal of its prestige in the following decades, mainly due to its proximity in time to the Breeders' Cup Classic. In 2021, it was moved to Saratoga and also rescheduled for Labor Day weekend with hopes of making it more attractive to owners and trainers aiming for the Breeders' Cup.

*** Breeders' Cup Classic (1 1/4 miles)

*** Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (1 1/4 miles or 1 3/8 miles, depending on track facilities) – females

** The highest honor is the "Horse of the Year" award. It is generally awarded to males, but some notable females (All Along, Busher, Azeri, Lady's Secret, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, and Havre de Grace) are on that roll[[note]]the ladies went an unheard of 3-for-3 beginning in 2009 with Rachel Alexandra, who was followed by Zenyatta (2010) and Havre de Grace (2011)[[/note]]. The incumbent (2022) Horse of the Year is Flightline.

* '''Cody's Wish''' had a very good racing career, winning 11 times in 16 races, including five Grade I races, two of which were back-to-back wins in the 2022 and 2023 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. However, he's ''much'' better known as the horse at the center of one of the most heartwarming stories in racing history. The bay stallion was named after one Cody Dorman, a Kentucky boy suffering from a rare genetic disorder that left him unable to walk or speak. The boy met and bonded with the horse at a Make-a-Wish event while the future champion was a 5-month-old foal who had yet to be named. He and his family would be present for many of the horse's wins, including both Breeders' Cup wins, as guests of the horse's connections. Cody Wish's final race, the 2023 Dirt Mile, turned out to be his namesake's last as well—Cody Dorman died the next day while returning home to Kentucky, a month shy of his 18th birthday. For more details, see [[https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2023-11-06/cody-dorman-dies-codys-wish-breeders-cup these]] [[https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/273214/heart-of-the-breeders-cup-cody-dorman-dies-at-17 stories]].

* The European equivalents to the Eclipse Awards are the Cartier Awards. The 2022 European Horse of the Year is the British-bred and -trained Baaeed.

* '''Forego:''' A [[LightningBruiser big]] bay gelding who was an afterthought in the 1973 US Triple Crown races—yes, the same year Secretariat was blowing the field away—he came into his own after "Big Red" was retired to stud, winning Horse of the Year honors the next three years (1974–1976). Won 34 of his 57 races, including 14 Grade I races, winning at distances from 7 furlongs to 2 miles, and frequently carrying over 130 pounds.

* Lanfranco '''"Frankie" Dettori''' (1970–): An Italian-born jockey based in Britain for almost his entire career, Dettori has won well over 3,000 races in his longtime home base, not to mention countless other races around the world. He has ridden winners of all British Group One flat races save one [[note]] the July Cup, if you're interested; the Derby eluded him until 2007, when he won it at his fifteenth attempt[[/note]]; nearly 20 British classics; eight French classics and six Arcs; 11 races at Dubai World Cup Night, including four in the Cup itself[[note]]plus one in a race that's now run on World Cup Night, but wasn't when he won it[[/nnote]]; and 14 Breeders' Cup races, just to name a few. Also notable for winning all seven British Champions Day races in 1996, and for his habit of performing a flying dismount in the winner's circle (even in his fifties). Was a team captain on ''Series/AQuestionOfSport'', although he quit in 2003 after another contestant asked him when he'd retired; not only had he ''not'' retired, he went on to be the Champion Jockey the following year. Has an MBE; he first announced he actually ''would'' retire (from riding) after the 2023 season, but changed his mind, instead announcing he would move to California and race in the States and in select international races.

* Lanfranco '''"Frankie" Dettori''' (1970–): Italian-born but British-based jockey who has won well over 3,000 races in his home base, not to mention countless other races around the world. Dettori has ridden winners of all British Group One flat races save one [[note]] the July Cup, if you're interested; the Derby eluded him until 2007, when he won it at his fifteenth attempt[[/note]]; nearly 20 British classics; eight French classics and six Arcs; 23 races at Dubai World Cup Night, including four in the Cup itself; and 14 Breeders' Cup races, just to name a few. Also notable for winning all seven British Champions Day races in 1996, and for his habit of performing a flying dismount in the winner's circle (even in his fifties). Was a team captain on ''Series/AQuestionOfSport'', although he quit in 2003 after another contestant asked him when he'd retired; not only had he ''not'' retired, he went on to be the Champion Jockey the following year. Has an MBE, and has announced he actually ''will'' retire (from riding) after the 2023 season.

* '''George Woolf''' (1910–1946): Another Canadian jockey who made his mark in the States, he rode Seabiscuit to several of his most famous wins while Pollard was injured. Woolf became one of the country's leading jockeys despite being a type 1 diabetic, a condition that would have been a death sentence only a few years earlier. Because diabetes management was much more crude in the '30s and '40s than now, he had to avoid severe dieting. Fortunately, he was talented enough to enjoy huge success despite riding a small fraction of the horses that other top jockeys would ride. Sadly, his career and life ended when he fell off a horse during a 1946 race, an incident believed to have been a diabetic complication. Woolf is the namesake of an annual award for outstanding US jockey, presented by jockeys themselves.

* '''Cody's Wish''' had a very good racing career, winning 11 times in 16 races, including five Grade I races, two of which were back-to-back wins in the 2022 and 2023 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. However, he's ''much'' better known as the horse at the center of one of the most heartwarming stories in racing history. The bay stallion was named after one Cody Dorman, a Kentucky boy suffering from a rare genetic disorder that left him unable to walk or speak. The boy met and bonded with the horse while the future champion was a 5-month-old foal who had yet to be named. He and his family would be present for many of the horse's wins, including both Breeders' Cup wins, as guests of the horse's connections. Cody Wish's final race, the 2023 Dirt Mile, turned out to be his namesake's last as well—Cody Dorman died the next day while returning home to Kentucky, a month shy of his 18th birthday. For more details, see [[https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2023-11-06/cody-dorman-dies-codys-wish-breeders-cup these]] [[https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/273214/heart-of-the-breeders-cup-cody-dorman-dies-at-17 stories]].

* '''Cody's Wish''' had a very good racing career, winning 11 times in 16 races, including five Grade I races, two of which were back-to-back wins in the 2022 and 2023 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. However, he's ''much'' better known as the horse at the center of one of the most heartwarming stories in racing history. The bay stallion was named after one Cody Dorman, a Kentucky boy suffering from a rare genetic disorder that left him unable to walk or speak. The boy met and bonded with the horse while the future champion was a 5-month-old foal who had yet to be named. He and his family would be present for many of the horse's wins, including both Breeders' Cup Wins, as guests of the horse's connections. Cody Wish's final race, the 2023 Dirt Mile, turned out to be his namesake's last as well—Cody Dorman died the next day while returning home to Kentucky, a month shy of his 18th birthday. For more details, see [[https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2023-11-06/cody-dorman-dies-codys-wish-breeders-cup these]] [[https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/273214/heart-of-the-breeders-cup-cody-dorman-dies-at-17 stories]].

* '''UsefulNotes/{{Melbourne}} Cup''' (3,200 m [[note]] (formerly 2 Imperial miles (3.218 km) until Australia went metric in 1972 [[note]] - "[[SeriousBusiness The Race That Stops a Nation]]". Traditionally a pure handicap, but in recent decades has changed to "quality handicap" conditions. Notably won by Makybe Diva three times running.

* The American '''Triple Crown''' consists of the following three races. Only 13 horses have won all three — before American Pharoah swept the series in 2015 (just when people were starting to wonder if winning the Triple Crown was just something that didn't happen anymore), the last to do so was Affirmed in 1978.

* '''UsefulNotes/{{Melbourne}} Cup''' (3,200 m, about 2 miles) - "[[SeriousBusiness The Race That Stops a Nation]]". Traditionally a pure handicap, but in recent decades has changed to "quality handicap" conditions. Notably won by Makybe Diva three times running.

Other types of horse racing include the steeplechase (racing on a turf course with regularly-spaced jumps), Quarter Horse racing (very short sprints for horses who maintain their best speed at distances of a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin quarter]] of a mile), harness racing (Standardbred or French Trotter horses trotting or pacing while attached to sulkies: light vehicles in which the driver rides, and arguably the modern form of the ancient sport of chariot racing), and ban'ei ([[WidgetSeries Japanese]] draft horses racing while pulling large weights). In the UK and Ireland, the term "steeplechase" refers exclusively to races run over large fixed obstacles; races that call for jumping over lower obstacles are called "hurdle" races, and both types are collectively called "jump" or "National Hunt" racing (although properly speaking, "National Hunt" also includes some flat races used to help prepare horses to eventually contest jump races).\\\

-->-- '''Commentator Trevor Denman''', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

* The '''Kentucky Oaks''' (1 1/8 miles), run on Churchill Downs on the day before the Derby. Restricted to 3-year-old fillies.

* '''Galileo''': An Irish-bred bay by Sadler's Wells out of Arc de Triomphe winner Urban Sea, Galileo had an excellent racing career, winning the Epsom and Irish Derbies plus the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2001. He became his father's successor as Coolmore's star stallion, producing over 50 individual Group 1/Grade I winners, and has been the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland every year but one since 2008. His most notable product is the undefeated Frankel (see below). At the time of his death in 2021, he had the world's highest stud fee.

* '''Zenyatta''': A [[LightningBruiser ''huge'']] filly/mare[[note]]17.2 hands, or 70"/1.78 m at the withers; the average Thoroughbred is about 16 hands[[/note]] who didn't start racing until late in her three-year old year, but more than made up for it by going unbeaten in her first ''nineteen'' starts, including victories in the Lady's Secret Stakes (which she won three times, and which has subsequently been renamed after her), the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (since reverted to its original name of Breeders' Cup Distaff) in 2008 and the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2009 (the first female to win the latter, also making her the first horse to win two different Breeders' Cup races). She had a habit of running at the back of the field until the home stretch, at which point she turns on the gas, going wide down the straightaway and flying past the rest of the field with ears pricked and tail streaming like a banner. She won 2009 Older Female Horse of the Year and returned for the track for the 2010 season. Her last race before retirement was the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic. She suffered her first and only defeat in a photo finish, losing by a head to Blame after rallying from last place. In a beautiful bit of irony, she won 2010 Horse of the Year honors over Blame - the only horse to defeat her on the track. Cool fact: Named after Music/ThePolice's album ''Zenyattà Mondatta''; she is owned by Jerry and Ann Moss, Jerry being co-founder of the band's label of Creator/AAndMRecords.

Thoroughbred racing is also popular in Australia, Great Britain (mainly England), Ireland, France, Japan and (increasingly) in Latin America and Dubai. English racing differs from American racing in several ways: the races are more likely to be on turf (grass); they tend to be longer, horses generally have longer racing careers, and fillies/mares are more often matched against males than they are in the U.S. Another big difference is in course layouts. All tracks in the US (and Canada) run counterclockwise (or left-handed), with all turns being to the left. On the other hand, Britain has both left-handed and right-handed tracks [[note]] some examples: Epsom (the home of the Derby and the Oaks), Doncaster (the St. Leger), Cheltenham (the Cheltenham Festival) and Aintree (the Grand National) are left-handed; Ascot (the Royal Ascot meeting) and Newmarket are is right-handed (although in the case of the latter, its most famous races, the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, are run on a very long straight) [[/note]]. Most but not all tracks in France are right-handed.[[note]]The most notable exception is Auteuil, a Paris track that hosts all of the country's top jump races. Steeplechase races are held on a figure-eight course; hurdle races run over lower fences are on a left-handed track.[[/note]] In Australia, the "handedness" of a track depends on the state. Queensland and New South Wales race right-handed, while all other states race left-handed. And then there's Japan, which is a complete mess regarding track handedness (there are 24 tracks across the country, 7 of which[[labelnote:*]]Tokyo, Niigata (which also holds some races on one big straight), Chukyo, Morioka, Funabashi, Urawa and Kawasaki[[/labelnote]] are left-handed; the rest, barring Ohi, are right-handed).[[note]]It doesn't help that 1. one Japanese racecourse, namely Ohi racecourse (originally right-handed), has started holding races in both directions starting from 2021 and 2. another one, the Nakayama Racecourse (an otherwise right-handed racecourse too), has a dedicated steeplechase course that has multiple turns in both directions.[[/note]]\\\

* Thoroughbred horses in the Northern Hemisphere have a universal birthdate[[note]]as in, the automatically age up on that day. The actual birthdays are registered (and celebrated by the fans) too.[[/note]] of January 1 in the year they were foaled. In South America, the date is July 1; in the rest of the Southern Hemisphere, the date is August 1. Most horses are actually born between mid-January and early June in the Northern Hemisphere, and mid-July/August to December in the Southern Hemisphere.

* And yes, to answer an obvious question that comes to the mind of most racing newbies, [[https://www.liveabout.com/naming-a-thoroughbred-horse-1880228 there are rules]] about what you can and cannot name a racehorse. Incidentally in the UK some of the joke names given in various Franchise/AlanPartridge sports reports on ''Series/TheDayToday'' have become ''almost'' as well known as real horses (although as of 2021, none of the eligible ones have become an AscendedMeme).

*** The third day of Royal Ascot is Ladies' Day, a day on which dressing smartly is ''de riguer'', with ladies being pretty much required to wear a fancy hat. The centrepiece is the '''Gold Cup''' (often erroneously referred to as the Ascot Gold Cup, presumably to differentiate it from the Cheltenham one), which is considered the most prestigious event for 'stayers' (horses which specialise over long distance); it's run over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (ie. just under 2½ miles) and is open to horses aged four and over.

*** The main feature is the '''Cheltenham Gold Cup''', run over a distance of 3 miles, 2 furlongs and 70 yards (and 22 fences) and regarded by many trainers and owners as being ''more'' prestigious than the Grand National (see below). Famous winners include Golden Miller (who won it five times in the 1930s and is one of just two horses to have won both this race and the Grand National [[note]] uniquely, Golden Miller won them both ''in the same year'', 1934; the other horse to have achieved this feat, L'Escargot, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1970 and 1971 and the Grand National in 1975[[/note]]), Arkle (a three-times winner in the 1960s [[note]] such was his perceived superiority before the last of these victories that he was given a starting price of 1/10 (meaning a £10 bet would have won just £1), which remains the lowest-ever starting price [[/note]]), Desert Orchid (a popular winner in 1989) and Kauto Star (whose 2009 victory made him the first horse to ''retain'' the Cheltenham Gold Cup, he having won it in 2007 and then lost out to his stable-mate Denman in 2008).

* UsefulNotes/{{Dubai}} World Cup (2,000 m, about 1 1/4 miles) – The world's richest horse race until the Pegasus World Cup came along, it still ranks high on the list with a $12 million purse. This has become the centerpiece of Dubai World Cup Night, which features multiple Group races, the most prominent of which are:

* UsefulNotes/{{Saudi|Arabia}} Cup (1,800 m) – Currently the world's richest race, with a total purse of US$20 million, with $10 million to the winner. Held on dirt in the country's capital of UsefulNotes/{{Riyadh}}.
* UsefulNotes/{{Melbourne}} Cup (3,200 m, about 2 miles) - "[[SeriousBusiness The Race That Stops a Nation]]". Traditionally a pure handicap, but in recent decades has changed to "quality handicap" conditions. Notably won by Makybe Diva three times running.
* W.S. Cox Plate (2,040 m, just over 1 1/4 miles) – While the Melbourne Cup has an outsized place in Australian culture, this race, run at a different Melbourne track, might have a higher reputation within the racing community. Unlike the Melbourne Cup, it's weight-for-age. Only seven horses have won the Cup–Plate double, among them Phar Lap and Makybe Diva. Winx, who won this race an unprecedented four times in a row, never entered the Melbourne Cup.
* The Everest (1,200 m, about 3/4 mile) – Held in Sydney and the world's richest turf race, with a purse of A$15 million.
* The UsefulNotes/{{Canad|a}}ian Triple Crown consists of the Queen's Plate, The Prince of Wales Stakes and the Breeders' Stakes.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese Triple Crown consists of the following races, all held on turf. Each is roughly equivalent to one of the English Triple Crown races.

* Japan Cup (2,400 m) – Probably the best-known Japanese race outside the country, it is one of the world's richest races. Held in November on turf in UsefulNotes/{{Tokyo}}.
* Arima Kinen (2,500 m, Nakayama) - If you don't consider the Japan Cup the best-known Japanese race outside the country, you most probably give this honor to Arima Kinen instead. It's notable in that the horses have to be voted for in a dedicated poll in order to participate. Also of note is that more money is bet on this race than any other in the world by a wide margin. It also marks the end of the racing season, being held at the end of December.
* Tokyo Daishoten (2,000 m on dirt, Ohi) - Dirt racing has historically enjoyed lesser prestige in Japan[[labelnote:trivia]]This has to do with horse racing in Japan being regulated by TWO organizations: JRA (which is in charge of larger racecourses that all have turf and dirt surfaces) and NAR (operating smaller racecourses often in more sparsely-populated areas, all of them - except Morioka - only have dirt courses.[[/labelnote]], making this race a less-attended dirt equivalent of Arima Kinen (minus the popularity poll).

** The flat season comes to a close with '''British Champions Day''' at Ascot in October. It's the richest single day in British horse racing, with around £4million available in prize money across six races.

* The '''Kentucky Derby''' (1 1/4 miles) - "The Run for the Roses" or "The Fastest Two Minutes In Sports" - Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky - the first Saturday in May (the one everyone has heard of). According to Louisville native Creator/HunterSThompson, [[GonzoJournalism it is decadent and depraved]]. It and its sister race, the Kentucky Oaks, are also notable as the oldest continuously held sporting events in the US, both races having taken place every year since 1875.[[note]]Technically, the Derby is older; the first Derby was held two days before the first Oaks, although the Oaks has long since changed to being run the day before the Derby.[[/note]]
* The '''Preakness Stakes''' (1 3/16 miles) - "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" - Pimlico Race Course, UsefulNotes/{{Baltimore}}, Maryland – two weeks after the Derby. It actually predates the Kentucky Derby by a year, but was not run from 1891–93.
* The '''Belmont Stakes''' (1 ½ miles) - "The Run for the Carnations" or "The Test of Champions" - Belmont Park, Elmont, New York (Long Island, just outside UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity) – three weeks after the Preakness. The oldest of the US Triple Crown races, first held in 1867, though not held in 1911 or 1912 due to anti-gambling laws in New York State.
** These three races comprise the Triple Crown of American Thoroughbred racing. Only 13 horses have won all three — before American Pharoah swept the series in 2015 (just when people were starting to wonder if winning the Triple Crown was just something that didn't happen anymore), the last to do so was Affirmed in 1978.

*** Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (5 furlongs or 6 1/2 furlongs, depending on track facilities)

*** Breeders' Cup Turf (1 1/2 miles)

*** Breeders' Cup Marathon (1 1/2 miles, dirt, 2008–2013)

* The '''flat racing''' season runs from late spring to autumn (these days, the jockeys' championship is decided by counting wins between the Guineas Meeting and British Champions Day, although there are a few meetings held before and after these ones). Many flat races specifically for two- and three-year-olds are for entire horses only, as the value of winners for stud purposes matters a great deal; the few races in this list that are open to geldings are specified as such. Restrictions on geldings largely disappear after age 3; essentially all races that are open to intact males older than three are also open to geldings.

** The '''Irish Derby''' (1 1/2 miles) is Ireland's most famous race, held at the Curragh in County Kildare three weeks after the Derby and often featuring many horses that ran there.

*** The third day of Royal Ascot is Ladies' Day, a day on which dressing smartly is ''de riguer'', with ladies being pretty much required to wear a fancy hat. The centrepiece is the '''Gold Cup''' (often erroneously referred to as the Ascot Gold Cup, presumably to differentiate it from the Cheltenham one), which is considered the most prestigious event for 'stayers' (horses which specialise over long distance); it's run over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (ie. just under 2 1/2 miles) and is open to horses aged four and over.
** Britain's most prestigious open-age flat race, as well as the most prestigious open to geldings, is the '''King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes''' (informally known as the "King George"), held every July at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (ie. just under 1 1/2 miles). It's nowadays the second-richest race in the country, with the prize money exceeded only by that of the Derby.

** Also held on Boxing Day is the '''Welsh Grand National''' at Chepstow in Monmouthshire, over a distance of 3 miles and 6 1/2 furlongs (and 23 fences). Over the years this race has become more prestigious, to the point where performance here is a good indicator for future performances at the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National. For example, Silver Birch won the Welsh Grand National in 2004 and went on to win the Grand National in 2007, while Synchronised (the 2010 winner) and Native River (2016) both went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup (in 2012 and 2018 respectively).

*** In 2020, the Cheltenham Festival was blamed for accelerating the spread of [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic Covid-19]] in the UK, it being the last major sporting event to take place before a national lockdown was imposed by the government.
** By far the best-known British jump race (and arguably the best-known British horse race full stop, these days) is the '''Grand National''', run over a gruelling 4 miles and 2½ furlongs [[note]] it used to be slightly longer, but the length of the race was reduced in 2013 due to safety concerns[[/note]] at Aintree in Liverpool in early April. For horses aged six and over, this race -- the longest National Hunt race in Britain -- covers no less than 30 jumps, including notorious ones like Beecher's Brook [[note]] where the landing side is several inches lower than the takeoff side, which can catch riders by surprise[[/note]], Canal Turn [[note]] which is immediately followed by a sharp 90-degree left turn[[/note]] and the Chair [[note]] the tallest fence on the course, and preceded by a six-foot ditch on the takeoff side[[/note]], resulting in the unseating of riders left, right and centre and killing a total of 58 horses over the 162 races so far. Winners of this race, often referred to simply as "the National", have deservedly gone down in racing legend, among them Red Rum [[note]] the only horse to win it three times -- in 1973, 1974 and 1977[[/note]], Foinavon [[note]] a 100/1 outsider who won it in 1967 after rest of the field fell, refused or were hampered in a mêlée at the 23rd fence, which has since been named Foinavon's Fence[[/note]], Aldaniti [[note]] the 1981 winner after coming back from a career-threatening injury, in addition to which his rider was a cancer survivor[[/note]], Mr. Frisk [[note]] who in 1990 set the record time for the race, which still stands even though the length of the race has since been slightly shortened[[/note]] and Tiger Roll [[note]] who in 2019 became the first horse since Red Rum to win it twice in succession[[/note]]. Even horses that ''didn't'' win it, like Devon Loch [[note]] who inexplicably jumped in the air and landed on his stomach while leading on the home stretch in the 1956 National, giving rise to the phrase "to do a Devon Loch", meaning to somehow contrive to lose at the last minute despite being in a seemingly unassailable position[[/note]] and Esha Ness [[note]] "winner" of the 1993 "race that never was"; see below[[/note]], are better-remembered than horses that were much more successful. Similarly, the voiding of the 1993 race (after 30 of the 39 riders not only began but ''carried on racing'' following a false start, with seven of them actually completing the "race that never was") and the postponement of the 1997 race (following the evacuation of the course due to an IRA bomb threat) were both ''huge'' news stories in the UK. This race tends to be the only one for which people who don't usually follow horse racing will place a bet, or at the very least take part in a sweepstake.

* '''Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe''' (2,400 m, about 1 ½ miles) – France's most famous race and the richest turf race in Europe, held in early October in UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}.

* Pegasus World Cup (1 1/8 miles) – The first major US race of the calendar year, it was for a short time the world's richest race. It's held in January at Gulfstream Park in the Miami suburbs, and launched in 2017 with a purse of US$12 million, which was raised to $16 million for 2018. However, the purse was greatly reduced after 2019, and is now only $3 million. It remains a prestigious race, with many competitors aiming for the Middle East's two mega-money races, the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup. The January timing allows retiring horses to have a last race (in the States) before heading to the breeding shed (the Northern Hemisphere breeding season starts in mid-February).
* The '''Kentucky Derby''' (1 1/4 miles) - "The Run for the Roses" or "The Fastest Two Minutes In Sports" - Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky - the first Saturday in May (the one everyone has heard of). According to Louisville native Creator/HunterSThompson, [[GonzoJournalism it is decadent and depraved]]. It's also notable as the oldest continuously held sporting event in the US, having taken place every year since 1875.
* The '''Preakness Stakes''' (1 3/16 miles) - "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" - Pimlico Race Course, UsefulNotes/{{Baltimore}}, Maryland – two weeks after the Derby
* The '''Belmont Stakes''' (1 ½ miles) - "The Run for the Carnations" or "The Test of Champions" - Belmont Park, Elmont, New York (Long Island, just outside UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity) – three weeks after the Preakness

*** '''The Derby''' (1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards, or just over 1 ½ miles) is Britain's richest horse race, in addition to which it's the best-known and most prestigious British flat race. It takes place in early June at Epsom in [[UsefulNotes/HomeCounties Surrey]] (often on the same day as the Belmont Stakes in the States). It dates back to 1780. The 1931 race was the first outdoor sporting event ever to be televised, transmitted in rudimentary fashion (by today's standards) by John Logie Baird's experimental system; in 1952, it was the subject of the movie ''Derby Day''. Very much part of the Season. Officially known as [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Derby Stakes]], it's usually referred to as the Epsom Derby in the USA to avoid confusion with the Kentucky Derby, but in Britain it is simply ''the'' Derby. The name derives from the fact that the race's original sponsor was the 12th Earl of Derby, a major patron of horse racing in the late eighteenth century; any other horse race with the word "Derby" in the title is named after this one.

Thoroughbred racing is also popular in Australia, Great Britain (mainly England), Ireland, France, Japan and (increasingly) in Latin America and Dubai. English racing differs from American racing in several ways: the races are more likely to be on turf (grass); they tend to be longer, horses generally have longer racing careers, and fillies/mares are more often matched against males than they are in the U.S. Another big difference is in course layouts. All tracks in the US (and Canada) run counterclockwise (or left-handed), with all turns being to the left. On the other hand, Britain has both left-handed and right-handed tracks [[note]] some examples: Epsom (the home of the Derby and the Oaks), Doncaster (the St. Leger), Cheltenham (the Cheltenham Festival) and Aintree (the Grand National) are left-handed; Ascot (the Royal Ascot meeting) and Newmarket are is right-handed (although in the case of the latter, its most famous races, the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, are run on a very long straight) [[/note]]. In Australia, the "handedness" of a track depends on the state. Queensland and New South Wales race clockwise (right-handed), while all other states race counterclockwise. And then there's Japan, which is a complete mess regarding track handedness (there are 24 tracks across the country, 7 of which[[labelnote:*]]Tokyo, Niigata (which also holds some races on one big straight), Chukyo, Morioka, Funabashi, Urawa and Kawasaki[[/labelnote]] are left-handed; the rest, barring Ohi, are right-handed).[[note]]It doesn't help that 1. one Japanese racecourse, namely Ohi racecourse (originally right-handed), has started holding races in both directions starting from 2021 and 2. another one, the Nakayama Racecourse (an otherwise right-handed racecourse too), has a dedicated steeplechase course that has multiple turns in both directions.[[/note]]\\\

* The '''flat racing''' season runs from late spring to autumn (these days, the jockeys' championship is decided by counting wins between the Guineas Meeting and British Champions Day, although there are a few meetings held before and after these ones). Many flat races are for entire horses only, as the value of winners for stud purposes matters a great deal; the few race in this list that are open to geldings are specified as such.