History UsefulNotes / HorseRacing

* 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]].

* The '''Belmont Stakes''' (1 1/2 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

* Jockey Club Gold Cup
* Travers Stakes

*** '''The Derby''' (1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards, or just over 1 2&frac12 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.

* '''Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe''' (2,400 m, about 1 1/2 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) – Was for a short time the world's richest race, held in January at Gulfstream Park in the Miami suburbs. It launched in 2017 with a purse of US$12 million, which was raised to $16 million for 2018, but 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 one last race before heading to the breeding shed (the Northern Hemisphere breeding season starts in mid-February).

* 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 mid-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.

* 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; 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 mid-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.

* '''Flavien Prat''' (1992–): Started his career in his homeland of France, where he was the country's champion apprentice jockey in 2009 before going on to decent success there. His career took off after he moved to the US full-time in 2015, with well over 60 graded stakes wins so far, including a Kentucky Derby, a Preakness, and four Breeders' Cup races. Most notable as the rider of Flightline for all six races of his unbeaten career.

** 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 (2021) Horse of the Year is Knicks Go.

* '''Flightline''' is the most recent American horse to draw comparisons with the legendary Secretariat. Unlike most prominent horses, he didn't race as a 2-year-old due to a series of freak injuries. He started his career in 2021 by blowing away the field in a maiden race, only to suffer a foot bruise that kept him out of the Triple Crown races. He won his remaining two races that year, the last a Grade I race, by equally large margins.[[note]]His closest margin that season was 11½ lengths.[[/note]] As a 4-year-old in 2022, he suffered yet another injury that kept him out of training until mid-year, but came back with a vengeance by dominating the field in three Grade I races. His performance in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar was especially stunning, winning by 19 1/4 lengths in near-track-record time and earning him the highest rating ever assigned by the World's Best Racehorse Rankings to a runner on dirt, only one point behind WBRR's record rating of 140 to Frankel. He would end his racing career with a runaway win in the Breeders' Cup Classic, with a record victory margin for that race (8 1/4 lengths), and is all but certain to be named 2022 US Horse of the Year.

* 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]].
* The '''Preakness Stakes''' (1 3/16 miles) - Pimlico Race Course, UsefulNotes/{{Baltimore}}, Maryland – two weeks after the Derby
* The '''Belmont Stakes''' (1 1/2 miles) - Belmont Park, Elmont, New York (Long Island, just outside UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity) – three weeks after the Preakness

* '''Pot-8-Os''': Mostly known for his amusing name (sometimes spelled "Potoooooooo"), he was actually a son of Eclipse and a great champion in his day (though never the leader). Most Thoroughbreds descended from Eclipse in the male line do so via Pot-8-Os and his son, Waxy.

* '''Pot-8-Os''': Mostly known for his amusing name (sometimes spelled "Potoooooooo"), he was actually a son of Eclipse and a great champion in his day (though never the leader). Most Thoroughbreds descended to Eclipse in the male line do so via Pot-8-Os and his son, Waxy.

PETA hates this sport, claiming that the horses in question are too young to be competitively racing.\\\

** The above races are three of the five flat races collectively known as the Classics; the other two, both of which are open to three year-old fillies only [[note]] which has given rise to the Fillies' Triple Crown, which consists of these two and the St. Leger -- although this was traditionally not considered a true Triple Crown because the best fillies would often run alongside the colts in the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, this is no longer the case, which means that nowadays, the Fillies' Triple Crown ''is'' comparable to the original; the last horse to complete it was Oh So Sharp in 1985 [[/note]], are:

*** 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 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.

** The '''King George VI Chase''' is run on Boxing Day at Kempton Park in Surrey, over a distance of 3 miles (and 18 fences) and is open to horses aged four and over.

** By far the best-known British jump race (and indeed the best-known British horse race) 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.

* The European equivalents to the Eclipse Awards are the Cartier Awards. The 2021 European Horse of the Year is the French-bred, Irish-trained St Mark's Basilica.

* The '''flat racing''' season runs from late spring to autumn (these days, 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.

* The '''flat racing''' season runs from late spring to autumn (these days, 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 matters a great deal.
** The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, also known as the British (or English) Triple Crown, consists of the following three races, all of which are for three year-old colts and fillies, although the entrants these days are mostly colts; geldings are most definitely ''not'' allowed. The last horse to win all three was Nijinsky [[note]] known in the States as Nijinsky II, because when he was retired to stud there, a Thoroughbred was already registered there under that name[[/note]] in 1970.

*** '''The Derby''' (1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards, or just over 1 1/2 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.

** The Triple Crown races are three of the five flat races collectively known as the Classics; the other two, both of which are open to three year-old fillies only [[note]] which has given rise to the Fillies' Triple Crown, which consists of these two and the St. Leger -- although traditionally not considered a true Triple Crown as the best fillies would often run in the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, as this is no longer the case, it is nowadays comparable to the original; the last horse to win it was Oh So Sharp in 1985 [[/note]], are:
*** The '''1,000 Guineas''' is run at Newmarket on the Sunday after the 2,000 Guineas, and over the same distance.

** By far the best-known British jump race (and indeed the best-known British horse race) 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, sometimes known 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.

** By far the best-known British jump race (and indeed the best-known British horse race) is the '''Grand National''', run over a gruelling 4 1/2 miles at Aintree in Liverpool in early April. For horses aged six and over, it covers no less than 30 jumps, 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, sometimes known 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.
** The '''Irish Grand National''' is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Grand National's Irish counterpart]], run over 3 miles 5 furlongs (and 24 fences) at Fairyhouse in County Meath on Easter Monday. Several winners of the Irish Grand National have also won its English counterpart, but none in the same year; the most recent were Bobbyjo and Numbersixvalverde, both of which won the English race (1999 and 2006 respectively) the year after they won the Irish one.

* The '''flat racing''' season runs from late spring to autumn. Many flat races are for entire horses only, as the value of winners for stud matters a great deal.

'''Eleswhere'''

* '''Frankel''', a British stallion who went unbeaten in his 14-race career from 2010 to 2012, including nine Group 1 wins in consecutive starts. Only the aforementioned Winx has more, with 10. Equally notable for receiving the highest rating ever awarded (in flat racing) by two separate rating organizations—the British publication ''Timeform'' (operating since 1948) and the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings Committee (which began rating horses in 1977). He is a son of Galileo, and a grandson of both Sadler’s Wells and Danehill.

* 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; nearly 20 British classics; eight French classics and six Arcs; 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 mid-fifties). Has an MBE.
* '''A.P. "Tony" [=McCoy=]''' (1974–): Northern Irish jockey who won a record 4,358 races (including just about every major British and Irish jump race there is) and was National Hunt Champion Jockey ''for twenty consecutive seasons'',[[note]]While Gordon Richards was British champion flat jockey 26 times, his longest streak of championships was 12.[[/note]] in addition to which he's the only jockey ever to have won the [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] Sports Personality of the Year (in 2010, the year of his only Grand National win [[note]] he won it at his fifteenth attempt, in the process avoiding equalling the record for the most rides in the National ''without'' winning[[/note]]); he also won the Creator/{{RTE}} equivalent three years later. Has three entries in ''Literature/GuinnessWorldRecords'' -- for the most jump race wins in a season (289 in 2001-02), the most consecutive Champion Jockey titles (see above) and the most career wins in jump racing (see above). Awarded the MBE in 2003, the OBE in 2010 and knighted in 2016.

*** 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 NiceHat. 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.

* The '''National Hunt''' season takes place during the winter months when the softer ground makes jumping less dangerous. The horses are much cheaper, as the majority of them are geldings and have no breeding value. They are therefore not retired at as young an age as many of their flat racing counterparts (the more successful of whom are destined for the stud farms), and as a result National Hunt racing tends to be more popular as the horses become familiar to the racing public over a number of seasons.

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]]For some examples, Ascot (Royal Ascot meet and British Champions Day) is right-handed; Epsom Downs (the Derby and the Oaks) and Doncaster (St Leger) are left-handed; Newmarket is right-handed, but its most famous races, the 1000 and 2000 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 Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, also known as the British (or English) Triple Crown, consists of the following three races, all of which are for three year-old colts and fillies, although the entrants these days are mostly colts; geldings are ''not'' allowed. The last horse to win all three was Nijinsky [[note]] known in the States as Nijinsky II, because when he was retired to stud there, a Thoroughbred was already registered there under that name[[/note]] in 1970.

*** The third day of Royal Ascot is "Ladies' Day", a day in which ladies are pretty much required to wear a 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.

* The '''National Hunt''' season takes place during the winter months when the softer ground makes jumping less dangerous. The horses are much cheaper, as the majority of them are geldings and have no breeding value. They are therefore not retired at as young an age as their flat racing counterparts (the more successful of whom are destined for the stud farms), and as a result National Hunt racing tends to be more popular as the horses become familiar to the racing public over a number of seasons.

** The most prestigious race meeting in the National Hunt calendar is the '''Cheltenham Festival''', which takes place over four days in March at Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. 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). 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 indeed the best-known British horse race) is the '''[[http://www.10bet.com/sports/horse-racing-betting/grand-national/ Grand National]]''', run over a gruelling 4 1/2 miles at Aintree in Liverpool in early April. For horses aged six and over, it covers no less than 30 jumps, 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, sometimes known 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.

In the UK, horse racing is sometimes known as the "Sport of Kings" due to the Royal Family's long-term interest in the sport; UsefulNotes/CharlesII was an avid patron, and his niece Queen Anne founded Ascot racecourse near Windsor. This continues to this day — for UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, horses were a lifelong passion and she was particularly keen on breeding Thoroughbreds for racing. Racehorses owned by her have won over 1,600 races, including every high-profile British flat race bar The Derby [[note]] she was the British flat racing Champion Owner — the owner whose horses have won the most prize money during a single season — twice; her father (George VI) and her great-grandfather (Edward VII) both won this once each[[/note]]. Apparently she did not gamble, although she was said to read the ''Racing Post'' over breakfast every morning.\\\

** The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, also known as the British (or English) Triple Crown, consists of the following three races, all of which are for three year-old colts and fillies, although the entrants these days are mostly colts; geldings are ''not'' allowed. The last horse to win all three was Nijinsky [[note]] known in the States as Nijinsky II; when he was retired to stud in the U.S., a Thoroughbred was already registered there under that name[[/note]] in 1970.

*** The '''St. Leger''' (about 1 7/8 miles) is the oldest and longest of Britain's classic flat races (having been first run in 1776) and the last one run each year -- typically in September, and as such it is said to mark the end of the English summer. It's held at Doncaster. These days, most 2,000 Guineas and Derby winners aren't entered for the St. Leger because the British stud market has become less favourable to long(er) distance runners, favouring speed over stamina; the only horse in recent decades to even attempt a Triple Crown was Camelot in 2012, who finished second in the St. Leger after winning the 2,000 Guineas and The Derby.

** The '''Irish Grand National''' is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Grand National's Irish counterpart]], run over 3 miles 5 furlongs (and 24 fences) at Fairyhouse in County Meath on Easter Monday. Several winners of the Irish Grand National have also won its English counterpart, but (due to the two races' proximity in the calendar) none in the same year; the most recent were Bobbyjo and Numbersixvalverde, both of which won the English race (1999 and 2006 respectively) the year after they won the Irish one.

** Also held on Boxing Day is the '''Welsh Grand National''' at Chepstow, 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).

** The '''Coral Gold Cup''' is held at Newbury in Berkshire in late November or early December over a distance of about 3 miles, 1 furlong and 214 yards (and 21 fences). Known as the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup until said brandy distiller stopped sponsoring it in 2016, it -- like its Irish counterpart (see below) -- is an important trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup; nine horses that have won this race have gone on to win the latter.

* The '''Irish Grand National''' is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Grand National's Irish counterpart]], run over 3 miles 5 furlongs (and 24 fences) at Fairyhouse in County Meath on Easter Monday. Several winners of the Irish Grand National have also won its English counterpart, but (due to the two races' proximity in the calendar) none in the same year; the most recent were Bobbyjo and Numbersixvalverde, both of which won the English race (1999 and 2006 respectively) the year after they won the Irish one.

** The Irish Gold Cup is held at Leopardstown, just south of Dublin, in February. Formerly known as the "Irish Hennessy" after its long-standing (until 2015) sponsor, it's run over 3 miles, 1 furlong and 214 yards (and 21 fences), and has long served as a high-profile trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup (see below).
** The most prestigious race meeting in the National Hunt calendar is the '''Cheltenham Festival''', which takes place over four days in March at Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. 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 [[/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). 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.

* '''Desert Orchid''': A grey steeplechaser in TheEighties, much loved for his front-running attacking style, iron will and extreme versatility. Four-time winner of the King George VI Chase, and also won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Irish Grand National once each.

* Flat racing

** The Triple Crown races are three of the five flat races collectively known as the Classics; the other two, both of which are open to fillies only [[note]] which has given rise to the Fillies' Triple Crown, which consists of these two and the St. Leger -- although traditionally not considered a true Triple Crown as the best fillies would often run in the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, as this is no longer the case, it is nowadays comparable to the original; the last horse to win it was Oh So Sharp in 1985 [[/note]], are:

*** '''The Oaks''' is run at Epsom in late May or early June over the same length as the Derby. It's named for the country estate of the afore-mentioned Earl of Derby, and was first run in 1779, the year before the first Derby.
** 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.

* National Hunt races
** The most prestigious race meeting in the National Hunt calendar is the '''Cheltenham Festival''', which takes place over four days in March at Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. It features four Grade I races -- the '''Cheltenham Gold Cup''' (which is actually regarded by many trainers and owners as being ''more'' prestigious than the Grand National), the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Stayers' Hurdle. 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 indeed the best-known British horse race) is the '''[[http://www.10bet.com/sports/horse-racing-betting/grand-national/ Grand National]]''', run over a gruelling 4 1/2 miles at Aintree in Liverpool in early April. For horses aged six and over, it covers no less than 30 jumps, 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 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.

** The '''King George VI Chase''' is run on Boxing Day at Kempton Park in Surrey, over a distance of 3 miles (and 18 fences) and is open to horses aged four and over.
** Also held on Boxing Day is the '''Welsh Grand National''' at Chepstow, over a distance of 3 miles 6 1/2 furlongs (and 23 fences). Over the years this race has become more prestigious, to the point where performance in it 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).

*** The '''2,000 Guineas''' (1 mile) – The first of Britain's classic flat races to be run each year, in late April or early May at Newmarket in Suffolk -- a place considered to be the birthplace and global centre of horse racing.
*** '''The Derby''' (1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards, or just over 1 1/2 miles) - Britain's richest horse race, and the best-known and most prestigious flat race. Held 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 [[note]] 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 [[/note]], and any other horse race with the word "Derby" in the title is named after this one.
*** The '''St. Leger''' (about 1 7/8 miles) is the oldest and longest of Britain's flat racing classics (having been first run in 1776) and the last one run each year -- typically in September, and as such it is said to mark the end of the English summer. It's held at Doncaster. These days, most 2,000 Guineas and Derby winners aren't entered for the St. Leger because the British stud market has become less favourable to long(er) distance runners, favouring speed over stamina; the only horse in recent decades to even attempt a Triple Crown was Camelot in 2012, who finished second in the St. Leger after winning the 2,000 Guineas and The Derby.

** The '''[[http://www.10bet.com/sports/horse-racing-betting/grand-national/ Grand National]]''' (4 1/2 miles)- 6-year-olds and up, held at Aintree in Liverpool in early April. This is the best-known British jump race, covering no less than 30 jumps, 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 have 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 is traditionally part of the London high society Season, and thus a likely setting for any work featuring British aristocrats or (before a certain era) politicians. It's also the best-known race in Britain, being 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).

* '''Native Dancer:''' Nicknamed "The Grey Ghost," he won 21 of 22 races over three years in TheFifties and is generally considered to be horse racing's first major television star. Not a Triple Crown winner because his only career loss came in the 1953 Kentucky Derby, where he only lost by a nose despite being bumped twice and generally having a terrible ride (it was said afterward that his jockey took him "everywhere on the track except the ladies' room"). He won Horse of the Year honors twice, and became the first horse to win that award as a two-year-old.

* '''Lester Piggott''' (1935–2022): Winner of nearly 4,500 races, including 33 British classics, 11-time British flat racing champion jockey (spanning [[LongRunner 1960–1982]]), and also notable as the rider of Nijinsky, the last British Triple Crown winner to date (1970). Like Archer before him, Piggott was unusually tall for his profession at 5'8" (1.73 m), and had almost as many problems with weight as Archer. Received an OBE, but was stripped of it after being convicted of tax evasion (serving a year in prison). Initially retired as a jockey in 1985, but came back in 1990, winning one Breeders' Cup race and the last of his British classics before retiring for good in 1995. The Lester Awards, a series of high-profile awards which are presented annually for achievements in British racing, are named after him.

* '''A.P. "Tony" [=McCoy=]''' (1974–): Northern Irish jockey who won a record 4,358 races (including just about every major British and Irish jump race there is) and was National Hunt Champion Jockey ''for twenty consecutive seasons'',[[note]]While Gordon Richards was British champion flat jockey 26 times, his longest streak of championships was 12.[[/note]] in addition to which he's the only jockey ever to have won the [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] Sports Personality of the Year (in 2010, the year of his only Grand National win [[note]] he won it at his fifteenth attempt, in the process avoiding equalling the record for the most rides in the National ''without'' winning[[/note]]); he also won the Creator/{{RTE}} equivalent three years later. Has three entries in ''Literature/GuinnessWorldRecords'' -- for the most jump race wins in a season (289 in 2001-02), the most Champion Jockey titles (see above) and the most career wins in jump racing (see above). Awarded the MBE in 2003, the OBE in 2010 and knighted in 2016.