“Dubai World Cup at Meydan” (CC BY 2.0) by landrovermena
Horse racing is called the sport of kings for a reason. Huge riches are on offer for winning some of the premier events across the world. Flat racing, whether on turf or dirt, can have massive prizes for first place, as well as the overall pots in general. Here, we take a look at four of the most valuable horse races on the planet in 2019.
Dubai World Cup
Meydan Racecourse is the premier track in the Middle East. The season in the United Arab Emirates finishes with the Grade One Dubai World Cup over 2000 meters (about ten furlongs) on dirt during a big night of racing action at the end of March.
With a total prize fund of $12,000,000 – around $7,200,000 of which goes to the winner -eligibility for this valuable race depends on which side of the equator a horse hails from. Southern Hemisphere thoroughbreds can have entries as three-year-olds, but Northern Hemisphere horses must be four years old.
Thunder Snow won the Dubai World Cup for Saeed bin Suroor in Sheikh Mohammed’s famous Godolphin colors last year and is favorite with sportsbooks across the board to repeat his victory.
The Everest
Turf sprints don’t come any bigger than The Everest – a relatively recent addition to the global racing program. Horse racing in Australia used to be all about the Melbourne Cup; however, while that valuable staying handicap still garners much attention, the prize pot is larger for the 1200-meter dash at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
As The Everest was only introduced in 2017, it still has some way to go to match the rich history and prestige of other Australian horse racing events. With a $14,000,000 fund this year, rising to $15,000,000 in 2020, it’s currently the most valuable of turf races as the winner gets $4,500,000.
Redzel has scooped first prize in the two previous runnings of The Everest. Whether he’ll return to Royal Randwick and go for a third victory come October remains to be seen, but he heads the betting with most oddsmakers.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
“Danedream won the Arc back in 2011” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by CharlesFred
European horse racing has such class. Look no further than Paris, when the biggest race of the French Flat season, known as the Arc for short, takes place on Longchamp. Run over 2400 meters, the Group One contest for three-year-olds and up has gone to some star fillies in recent years.
Enable from John Gosden’s stable has won the last two editions of the Arc under Frankie Dettori for owner Prince Khalid Abdullah. Tipped as the potential winner for last year’s race by myracing, a free betting tips site, she confirmed that their faith was well-placed. Enable is a clear favorite in her bid for an unmatched three consecutive wins in the race, and it will be interesting to see if any other competitors can supplant her as myracing’s NAP of the day come October. Around $3,200,000 of the $5,600,000 prize fund is given to the winner, so keeping Enable in training for another year has an obvious attraction.
Breeders’ Cup Classic
While all the other valuable horse races listed here have a permanent home, the Breeders’ Cup moves around the USA and was even held in Canada once. The main event at this end-of-year extravaganza for American racing is the Breeders’ Cup Classic, raced on dirt over 2000 meters.
As horses have to try and win the race at two different tracks if they’re to retain the crown, it’s an extremely difficult challenge. Over $3,000,000 from a $6,000,000 prize fund goes to the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Like the Arc, it’s a Grade One weight-for-age race.
American thoroughbreds in their own backyard tend to go best in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Horses can punch their ticket to the race by winning select Breeders’ Cup Challenge events throughout the United States earlier in the year.
