Ranking the World’s Biggest Horse Races

Source: Wikimedia

From the prestigious to the rich, the world’s biggest horse races are incredibly popular events that fans anticipate each year. Whether it’s the Melbourne Cup or the Cheltenham Festival, every corner of the world now hosts a race. But which is most deserving of the moniker of world’s biggest horse race? Should it be the richest or the most historic?

With the Pegasus World Cup fast approaching, there are no prizes for guessing the richest race in the world. Last year’s inaugural race had a purse of $12 million USD, and this year, the purse has increased to $16 million USD. Big money that just can’t be beaten, although there’s a chance that the Dubai World Cup will at some point regain its mantle as the world’s richest race.

But no matter how hard the organizers of both races try, neither will ever match up to the world’s more traditional and historic races and festivals. In the U.S., it’s the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup while in Australia, it’s the Melbourne Cup. Over in Europe, we have the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and quite a few races in the U.K.

For history and fame throughout the world, the Breeders’ Cup is hard to beat. Each year, a large amount of money goes on the race, and for many U.S.-based trainers and jockeys, winning it is the highlight of their career. The same too can be said for both the Melbourne Cup and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

The Melbourne Cup is a big day on the Australian social calendar with anyone who is anyone taking the time to head to the races for at least one day of the festival. Over in France, the newly sponsored Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is also a hugely popular race. In fact, did you know that in Japan, they routinely bet more money on the French showpiece than the entire nation of France does? Yes, it is that popular, but it’s still nowhere near being the world’s biggest race.

To find the world’s biggest race, we need to look beyond prize funds and consider prestige, history, and tradition, and where better can you find all three than in the U.K. As Wimbledon is the home of tennis, so too is England the home of horse racing, and as such, it plays host to three of the world’s most prestigious races.

We’ll start off with the Cheltenham Gold Cup. This is a race for pride and the most historic of the National Hunt season. It often pits the Irish against the British and for this reason, it’s a hugely popular festival for racegoers from both sides of the Irish Sea. This year’s Gold Cup is just a couple of months away, and although it’s early, BetStars has already installed Might Bite as the 10/3 favorite.

Next up, it’s the Royal Ascot. As the most formal racing festival in the world, it’s no surprise that it’s often associated with the upper reaches of society, but it’s more than a chance for the wealthy to show off their fine tailoring. Founded in 1711 by Queen Anne, this is a prestigious event with Queen Elizabeth, the guest of honor.

But the U.K.’s biggest race has to be The Grand National. It’s a day when the entire nation grinds to a halt as the public takes the time to choose a horse and sit down to watch the race. It’s a historic race with many trainers and jockeys gearing their whole season toward it. But is it the world’s biggest race? Yes, but it will have to share the accolade with our own Kentucky Derby.

The Derby and The Grand National are two of the only races in the world that can generate such passionate interest from the public. Like The Grand National, even people who have no interest in racing stop what they’re doing to watch the Derby. And if we’re honest, there’s nothing that can beat that.

You can raise your purse to whatever astronomical figures you like. You can even hold your races on public holidays, but one thing is certain. There are no bigger events on the racing calendar than The Grand National and the Kentucky Derby. For their history, prestige and the ability to cause such a stir, these two are the biggest races in the world.