Horse racing is the second most popular spectator sport in the UK. It is second only behind football. There are more than 6-million loyal racing fans in Britain alone. The fan base is almost equally split between men and women. Horse racing has been going on in Knavesmire for more than 280-years. However, the Romans held their races in the York area more than 2000 years ago.
Further afield, horse racing is very popular in France, Australia, the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. In Japan, fans have been known to sleep in a queue while waiting for big events. Attending these events is more than just fun, they are an annual tradition.
Place your bets
People enjoy betting on horse races. Part of this could be due to the constantly changing odds. Similar to the odds of winning the lottery. Anytime you are betting on a race, you are betting on the performance of a live animal and a human being. The way they feel, think, react, and behave changes the odds from race to race and even from moment to moment. Everything that breathes is affected by the things around them. Every living creature gets tired, distracted, or makes a split-second choice that changes everything. There are great odds and probabilities, but never a sure thing. Even a superior animal can stop if you anger or frighten him.
Major Horse Racing Events Summer 2021
The following events are scheduled through the remaining summer months of 2021. These are the biggest and most profitable events of the year. You won’t want to miss them.
Glorious Goodwood, Goodwood, Sussex, 27-31 July 2021
Prizes: Sussex Stakes – £1,000,000
Glorious Goodwood is a five-day festival like no other. The superb racing combined with the Sussex sunshine makes it a staple of the UK horse racing fixtures calendar. Last year star sprinter Battaash eclipsed his own track record at this meeting as he claimed the King George Stakes for the fourth consecutive year in just under 56 seconds.
Ebor Festival, York, Yorkshire, 18-21 August 2021
Prizes: Juddmonte Stakes – £1,000,000
The Ebor Festival is a major four-day event and one of the major UK horse racing meetings of the Flat season. The festival begins withac Group 1 Juddmonte International, a race won by the legendary Frankel and is followed by the Yorkshire Oaks the next day. Friday’s feature race is the Nunthorpe. Battaash has won the feature race for the past two years.
St. Leger Festival, Doncaster, Yorkshire, 8-11 September 2021
Prizes: St. Leger – £700,000
The feature race of the St. Leger Festival is the world’s oldest classic horse race. Leading stables from across the country bring their finest and best. This race features some of the greatest horses in history. This is another of the British Classics. Last year’s winner Galileo Chroma gave trainer Joseph O’Brien the honor of becoming only the second man in history to have won the race as both a jockey and trainer.
British Champions Day, Ascot, Surrey, 16 October 2021
Prizes: Champions Stakes – £1,300,000
We round off the action back at Ascot, the iconic UK horse racing venue, for the final day of the British Flat season. There’s less actual royalty on this occasion but that doesn’t mean that the equine royalty doesn’t turn up. The kings and queens of the turf arrive to battle over one of the most valuable days of racing in Britain, with four Group Ones up for grabs it really is the perfect finale.
You have already missed the spring performances. The 2021 summer season promises to be one to remember. Even if you cannot make all the races, be sure to show your support for the two in Yorkshire! Make plans to attend these great festivals and races for an unforgettable experience. Just think, you may go home a big winner! For sure, you will have a lot of fun.