Brief History
The Sport of Kings has been around since humans learned to train and ride horses. Some of the oldest race tracks still active in America have been open since the mid-1800s. The Kentucky Derby, the most famous race in the US, at Churchill Downs, the most renowned race place, has been running every year since 1875.
Horse Racing Main Events During the Year
Horse Racing’s biggest races revolve around the three-year-old crop with three races known as the Triple Crown. All the biggest horse racing legends you know have won this first race, the Kentucky Derby.
The Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May. Horses run in qualifiers to be a part of the race known as the “Run for the Roses” which houses the most talented 18-20 horses in their age group.
Preakness Stakes
The second jewel of the Triple Crown is the Preakness Stakes held at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland. This race always takes place two weeks after the Kentucky Derby. Nowadays, horses do not regularly run within two weeks of their last race but if the winner of the Kentucky Derby feels like becoming a legend, they come back and run.
Belmont Stakes
The third and final leg of the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York. Known as the “Test of Champions,” what is unique about the Belmont is the distance is 1 ½ miles. This is the longest all of these horses will ever run in one race and that is why if a horse wins the first two legs, they’re truly a champion if they win the last. Only 13 horses have ever accomplished the feat.
Horse Racing Championships
Breeders Cup
The Breeders’ Cup Championships are held yearly in November and host 14 different races based on age, sex, distance, and different racing surfaces. Juvenile and two-year-old races are held on Fridays while the Championships for three-year-olds and up are held on Saturdays. The Winner of the Breeder’s Cup Classic, the final and biggest race of the meet, is usually awarded the Horse of the Year.
