Horse racing is a type of equestrian sport, a race between breeding horses. There are jumps on flat terrain, or smooth, barrier and with obstacles. Horse racing appeared in the XVII century in England. Some of the most famous races are held in the USA, England, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and France. The founders of equestrian sports rightly consider the English, among whom there is not a single person who does not know what a racetrack and tote is! Each year, the cash flow from horse racing in England is more than $ 15 billion, and London alone provides about 3,000 places where you can make bookmaker bets. Nowadays betting on horse racing is the inheritance of the elect. Many players are now interested in other, more popular sports: tennis, football, hockey, etc. In former times, bookmakers have always been associated with runs and jumps, as they were opened at racecourses, taking bets. Almost all the bookmakers’ revenues went precisely to the development of racing, caring for the horses and equipping the hippodrome. But there are still those who remain faithful to the tradition of bookmaking – to bet on horse racing.
Most countries follow the English tradition and conduct horse racing on turf-covered tracks. In the countries of North and South America, another option is common – with an earth surface. Equestrian competitions received great popularity in Japan and Hong Kong. Here, for each jump, bets are made with a total amount of hundreds of millions of dollars, which is significantly more than the sum of the bets of Europe and America. In Japan, for a long time only horses that were bred in this country were allowed to participate in races. The popularity of horse racing in Australia is great. Here the main event is the competition for the Melbourne Cup.
At the European races Arab Sheikhs Maktuma has been leading for a long time. Since the 1980s, they began to buy all the expensive horses of a thoroughbred riding breed, thanks to which they were able to win all major horse racing in Europe. In the spring, horse races are held in Dubai’s hometown of the sheikhs, where the Maktumi are setting up the biggest prizes. Horse racing is an exclusive pleasure. So it was, it is and it will be so. It is expensive, it is original and it is status, after all. There are practically no random people at the racetrack, with rare exceptions. The hippodrome (and especially the rich, modern, status hippodrome) is the meeting place of oil magnates, movie stars and pop stars, simply modest millionaires or supermodels.
Royal Ascot
One of the coolest and exclusive races is the Royal Ascot competition, which takes place in the UK in the summer, in June, for only five days in a row. They are remarkable, firstly, by their founder at the beginning of the eighteenth century – Queen Anne. And the second is by the fact that the modern Royal Ascot competitions are visited daily during these five days by the royal family. Visitors to these races are constant, familiar to everyone, and strangers are not welcome here, and do not like it for the time being. And this is not surprising. The spectators of these races – regular spectators, of course – are delivered to the place by helicopter, settled them exclusively in the suites of the prim hotel, and in the best Parade Ring restaurant each of them had their own table. No less, three and a half thousand American dollars a day was worth the lucky ones. But not everything is as simple as it seems: only at Royal Ascot are the most demanding rules regarding costumes. Royal Ascot is a bastion of style and fashion. And on the fourth day of competition between the ladies present at the event, the tacit battle begins. It’s battle of fashion and style.
It’s Old World: its rules, habits and traditions. And his supporters prefer jumps “Epsom Derby” (Epsom Derby, June 7). On the day this competition is scheduled, even the UK Parliament takes a day off! In the list of awards of the “Golden Crown” of Britain there is the main prize of the Epsom Derby. This is a classic and tradition, unshakable and unshakable. And to the fashionable details of the Epsom Derby, there is the entertainment event of the Prince \ ‘s Law Pavilion, where the most expensive champagne wine flows like water, and it is eaten with fresh strawberries, sometimes in chocolate. And more often it’s with cream or seafood.
France is also famous for such events (Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the first Sunday of October), and Switzerland (St. Moritz White Turf, 10th, 17th and 24th of February), Hong Kong (Audemars Piquet Queen Elizabeth II Cup , April), Ireland (Budweiser Irish Derby, June 29), South Africa (The J & B Met, organized between January 1 and February 2).
Grand National Aintree
Grand National Aintree (National Races) is a three-day stiplechay festival (barrier racing) that takes place in Aintree, the famous hippodrome not far from Liverpool. Difficult and high obstacles make the race very spectacular. About 100 thousand spectators gather in the stands. Their cries and shouts turn into a continuous deafening roar. And at TVs, millions of players are “ill”. At a distance of 4.5 miles, about 40 horses overcome up to 30 obstacles. There are frequent falls and injuries, so just to run to the finish line is already considered luck. The main prize of 975 thousand pounds sterling is awarded not to the jockey, but to the owner of the horse. Several tribunes have been built on the racetrack: the tribune of the Queen Mother, the princess, the Count tribune, etc. You can get on them only in strict accordance with the tickets, which are mostly guest tickets.
Glorious Goodwood
Glorious Goodwood (Glorious Goodwood) – smooth racing at the Goodwood racecourse. This largest of all historic estates is located 60 miles from the city of Chichester. Every year, in July, more than 100 thousand horse racing fans gather to plunge into the atmosphere of excitement and luxury. The prize fund can reach 250 thousand pounds sterling. The main prize is the Stewards Cub (Stewards’ Cup), for which 28 horses compete. Five days of the festival include a rich program of equestrian competitions, colorful shows and games for children and adults. The last three nights there is celebration of racing, dancing and music. Glorious Goodwood has a rather strict dress code, but this does not prevent visitors from all walks of life from displaying unusual and bold outfits.
Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby (Epsom Derby) – the most prestigious horse racing for three years in the city of Epsom, 30 km from London. Originally, Epsom was a resort with mineral waters, and for those having a rest in 1780 they came up with entertainment in the form of horse racing. The English aristocrat Derby founded the race for three-year-olds, in which only English purebred racers participate. Since then, the derby is the main race in the life of any three-year-old horse. 1.5 miles annual competitions are held on the first Saturday of June. 400 thousand spectators gather in the stands to watch the sharp struggle for a prize fund of one and a half million pounds sterling. The main and oldest prize is the Golden Crown. This event is so significant for England that the parliament suits itself a day off. There are 10 thousand seats in the stands, a VIP area for 625 people, the Royal and Grafskaya Lodge. The treadmill is arranged in the shape of a horseshoe, and in its center, on a hill, a flea market, a tote and bonfires for barbecues are organized.