CasinoMan Blog - Category Articles: horse racing

The Grand National Horse Racing Event

01 April 2009

Known as the world’s foremost steeplechase, The Grand National is the most valuable National Hunt horse race around. National Hunt racing is a UK specialty, and no event draws in the spectators and betters like the Grand.

Unlike regular horseracing, where a better or fan is interested in things like the horse’s speed, its power, and the statistics of the jockey, National Hunt racing is a different game entirely. Instead of a circular track that the horses sprint around, there are 30 obstacles in this horses’ path that must be cleared.

Obstacles in horseracing have given European racing a huge advantage over American racing. Throughout the race with the many hurdles and fences, the endurance of the horse and the skill of the rider are put to the ultimate challenge.

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Tags: grand national, aintree, the duke, maghull, gatwick racecourse, vincent o’brien, red rum, steeplechase,
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A history of the Kentucky Derby

15 October 2008

The Kentucky Derby is an annual horse race held in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May. This Grade 1 stakes race is for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, and it caps the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The total length of the race is one and a quarter miles and it is ran at Churchill Downs.

In the U.S.A., the Derby is coined “The most exciting two minutes in sports,” and it often considered being the primary horse race in the world. The Kentucky Derby, like so many other races, didn’t start out as prestigious. Although today the Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, it has rather humble beginnings.

The region of Kentucky slowly climbed to horse racing prominence in the 18th century. The Bluegrass Region was considered a breeding ground for great thoroughbred horses. In 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. traveled to England and visited the Epsom Derby, a famous annual horse race.

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Tags: kentucky derby, louisville, churchill downs, triple crown, thoroughbred racing, the bluegrass region, meriwether lewis clark, jr, epsom derby, grand prix de paris, louisville jockey club, aristides, col. matt winn, pimlico race course, preakness stakes,
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The King of Horse Races at Royal Ascot

13 September 2008

The Royal Ascot is the Kentucky Derby of England. Held over a five-day period in June, this British race is one of the most popular in the world, and definitely tops the English charts. The origin of the Ascot goes back to Queen Anne, daughter of King James II, who was an enthusiastic horse lover.

In the village of East Cote (which would later become known as Ascot), she spotted a beautiful flat field. Only a few miles south of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, Queen Anne felt this location would be ideal for a racecourse. The land was immediately turned into a racetrack, and the inaugural race was held on August 11, 1711. Queen Anne planned and attended the festivities.

The races at Ascot thrived for decades to come, but they weren’t the most popular races in England. In 1760, when George II was on the throne, the Royal Ascot was transformed and subsequently became the second most popular race in England. The most popular race in England at the time was the race at Epsom, which started back in the 17th century. With George II overseeing the annual event, the Royal Ascot gained a reputation for being the race of royalty.

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Tags: horse racing, royal ascot, queen anne, king james ii, epsom, ladies day, royal enclosure, coventry stakes, king’s stand stakes, queen anne stakes, jersey stakes, prince of wales’s stakes, ascot gold cup,
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A little about The Melbourne Cup, the leading horse racing event in Australia

20 August 2008

The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s largest annual thoroughbred horse race. It is one of the world’s top races, and completely brings Australia to a standstill. All three-year-olds and over are eligible to compete in the race, and it covers a distance of 3,200 meters. It is regarded as the most prestigious 2-mile handicap in the world, and is held on the first Tuesday in November by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

The race was originally held over two miles, but after Australia’s adoption of the metric system in the 1970s; the current race distance is 3,200 meters, knocking off the extra 18 which equaled the 2-mile mark. The record is presently held by Kingston Rule, who ran the race in 3:16.3.

The inaugural race was held in 1861 and was comprised of 17 horses competing for 170 in cash and a gold watch. It is rumored that the winner of the race, Archer, walked over 800km to participate in the race from Nowra, New South Wales. A crowd of over 4,000 watched the opening race, and the numbers would have been larger had it not been for the untimely death of explorers Burke and Wills.

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Tags: horse racing, melbourne cup, victoria racing club, flemington racecourse, kingston rule, etienne de mestre, briseis, vrc derby, peter st albans, phar lap, makybe diva,
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What are the top ten horse races in the world

28 July 2008

10) The Cheltenham Festival. This race matches Ireland against Britain in a race for pride. The Cheltenham Festival is the most prestigious meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar.

9) The Melbourne Cup. Since 1861, this Australian race has brought the country to a complete standstill. Said to be the most prestigious 2-mile handicap in the world, this race brings out crowns from every corner of the continent, and even some interested tourists.

8) The Dubai World Cup. A newer race than others on the list, the Dubai World Cup takes place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates annually. Since 1996, this race has been building a loyal following. Like the Kentucky Derby and Royal Ascot, the Dubai World Cup is as much about fashion as it is horseracing.

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