Horse racing is the second-biggest sport in the UK, right behind football. Though few might actually take part in it, many head along to the racecourses or switch on their TVs to watch some of the biggest events as they come around each year. Here are some of the biggest horse racing events in the UK.
The Grand National
The Grand National is one of the most famous races in the world. It takes place at the Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool each year. This is a steeplechase run that measures four miles and two and a half furlongs in length, a distance of almost seven kilometres.
The length is not the only difficult aspect of this course. The jumps the riders and horses need to cross are very high and there are some obstacles which are very close and difficult to navigate. For this reason, the Grand National is often also considered to be one of the most difficult racecourses for a horse and rider to take on. Many of the obstacles in this course are even famous on their own.
The Royal Ascot
The Royal Ascot is one of the big highlights of the British racing calendar. If you are a fan of racing in all its forms, from the big meets such as these to the games you can find at betting sites like the NetBet casino online for example, the Ascot will be one date that you always want to have marked in your calendar.
There has been a race at the Ascot racecourse for centuries, having first been set up by Queen Anne. The current generation of royals still enjoys the Royal Ascot immensely and can always be found visiting – with Queen Elizabeth II’s horses even winning a few times.
The Derby
The Epsom Derby (or just the Derby as it is often referred to) is one of the most prestigious horse racing events in the world. A derby is restricted to three-year-old horses in general, and the ones that you can see running here are some of the best that the sport has to offer.
This course always attracts a lot of interest when the main meet comes around, though there are plenty of other races throughout the year. If you want to see some of the best racing in the world, you need truly look no further than the Epsom course.
These are just three of the UK’s main horse racing events, but they are definitely some of the biggest. If you want to learn more about why this sport is so loved in the UK, checking out some of the races here is definitely going to be the way to do it. Learn a little about each of the races and their heritage and history. This is an old sport with a lot of prestige threaded through it, and there is a lot to learn! These are the biggest and most prestigious horse races in the UK for a reason.
