Horse racing is one of the oldest competitions around the world which is constantly growing strong. For the horse lovers, it is a way to support their most favorite horse while sitting in thousand of a crowd. No doubt that you are already familiar with all the facts about this crowd favorite competition but there are still some facts which may you don’t know.
Life of a horse
Horses are a vital part of these competitions. You may wonder to know that the racehorse lives around thirty years. The interesting thing is that they got retired at half of their age at 15. None of the horse won any race that has over the age of 18.
Jockey Requirements
A player which rides the horse in racing is known as Jockey. Jockeys are famous for their heights. There is a weight limit of 126 pounds for them but it is not compulsory to have a proper height.
A huge betting
You may be unfamiliar with an annual betting amount. Every year more than $100 billion is spent as horse betting on horse racing.
Hurdling
National Hunt horse race is still most popular in Europe. Grand National of Aintree Racecourse is well known in the United Kingdom. The £1 million prices are given to the winner which makes it a unique race the entire continent.
The triple winners
American Triple Crown was achieved by only twelve horses. In 2015, the most recent horse becomes American Pharoah. It had been a long time since last winner & every horse race lover thought that cannot happen never again.
Great stages
Kentucky Derby is a very popular race in the USA while Triple Crown is a massive event. The history of Kentucky Derby is already famous in horse racing field. All the jockeys & owners do hard work to get the participation in Breeders’ Cup. It is a race series which organize every year. Tiznow was the only horse who won two of the classics.
The Melbourne Cup is another great race, held in Australia. Melbourne Cup Day is Australia’s best known horse racing event held on the first Tuesday of November every year. It is an annual public holiday in the state of Victoria. This event is popularly dubbed as “the race that stops the nation”.
Moneymakers
Pegasus World Cup in the United States is the highest paying event. Only in 2018, $16 million amount has been pursed. Mike E. Smith won the first race of this event in 2017. After a successful win by the help of 2016’s top horse, Mike went to Dubai world cup which was formerly the richest race before Pegasus.
The greatest winners
Mike E. Smith is a successful jockey who scored highest wins in Breeders’ Cup history. Mike has 26 wins in his career & earned $306 million huge amount. He is just second to John R. Velazquez who has highest earning record with $380 million total.
Interesting dates
Two races would occasionally run on the similar day when the idea of Triple Crown races came. The winners run tracks only one day of each other. Only fit or experienced jockeys win the races because that schedule prevents horses from winning the Triple Crown.
Low weights
In horse racing, the lowest weight brings you more wins. The lowest weight recorded in horse racing history is 49 pounds. Currently, Giovanni Porte is racing with his lowest weight which is 88 pounds.
