Every horse racing year contains a whole host of top class horse racing events full of spectacle, socialising and splurging. Many of those meetings date back for hundreds of years and are among the oldest organised sporting occasions in the world.
2023 is going to be very special with another set of unforgettable runnings. Here is just a taste of what racegoers can look forward to.
The Cheltenham Festival
Held across four days in March, the Cheltenham Festival is the most important meeting in the National Hunt calendar. It’s also one of the most well-attended events and it provides something of a gateway to a spectacular spring and summer of sport.
There are a number of top class group one races across the festival, but the most important of these is the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Traditionally held on the final day, the Gold Cup was first contested in 1924 and many of the biggest names in the sport have lifted the trophy.
It’s a testing run with many fences to jump along three miles, two furlongs and 70 yards of the Cheltenham course.
In 2023, the Cheltenham Festival will run from Tuesday March 14th to Friday March 17th. The fact that the final day falls on St Patrick’s Day is certain to guarantee a big Irish contingent in the crowd. Cheltenham odds can be found on hundreds of sportsbooks, showing how popular the event truly is.
The Grand National
Aintree’s Grand National has to be the most spectacular of all the race meetings in the UK. This is a real test of skill and endurance with horses having to negotiate no fewer than 30 fences across four miles and 514 yards of the course.
The Grand National is another historic horse race and the first edition was runway back in 1839. It is also one of the busiest days in the calendar for the horse racing betting industry. This is a time when serious bettors are joined by casual punters who may be staking their one bet of the year.
Horse racing betting markets are made available months in advance of the meeting, and this is a time when the industry is at its most competitive with excellent odds and a few promotions. The drama and thrills supplied by the race is behind this particular phenomenon.
The Grand National is generally held on the first Saturday in April but, in a break with tradition, 2023’s edition has been pushed back to the fifteenth of that month.
The Melbourne Cup
While the UK hosts many of the biggest races on the calendar, it doesn’t have a monopoly on the top meetings. Australia is another country where the sport has a huge following and the highlight of their racing year is the Melbourne Cup.
The significant prize purse on offer makes this the richest two mile handicap in the world and it’s one of the most lucrative races of any kind. The Melbourne Cup was first run in 1861 and it’s known in the present day as the Race that Stops a Nation.
The Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne is the destination as the race produces the highlight of Victoria’s Spring Carnival. Expect more thrills when the Melbourne Cup returns on November 7th, 2023.
The Epsom Derby
This, in the opinion of most horse racing enthusiasts, is the most important flat race on the calendar. The Epsom Derby is also the oldest race on this list with records confirming that the first ever running took place in 1780.
The Derby is a race for thoroughbred three year olds and the list of previous winners reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of horse racing. Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Benny the Dip and Shergar have all claimed the trophy.
It’s a short event, held over one mile, four furlongs and six yards, but this is an undulating surface and a true test for the runners. In 2023, the Epsom Derby will take place on Saturday June 3rd.
The Kentucky Derby
It’s over to America now for one of the most highly anticipated events on the horse racing calendar. First held in 1875, this must be an exceptional race because it has two nicknames.
The Run for the Roses or, the Fastest Two Minutes in Sport is a ten furlong sprint which has given us some memorable winners such as Secretariat in 1973 and American Pharoah in 2015.
It’s a stunning two minutes of sprinting with the 2023 edition of the Kentucky Derby being held on May 6th.
Read: 5 tips for planning a trip to Lexington, Kentucky
The Best Of The Rest
These are just five of the biggest races to look forward to in 2023. Aside from these renewals, there are a host of other highly anticipated Group Ones on the way over the next 12 months. Racegoers should also look out for the Prix de l’arc de Triomphe, the St Leger, the Oaks, Royal Ascot, the Dubai World Cup and the Belmont Stakes to name just a few.
It will be another thrilling year with all of these meetings hopefully providing a major highlight.