Horse Racing Throughout the World

Horse racing takes place in many different parts of the world.

A lot of fans of the sport will be familiar with it in regions such as the United Kingdom, America and Australia, as these are home to some of the most important races.

Major races are held in a number of other nations too though, including France, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

On this page we have provided details of the racing in all of these regions, and more specifically focusing on the biggest races that take place.

Horse racing is a particularly important sport in all of these nations. As such we have produced dedicated guides to racing in each of these regions, covering several topics and including details of the major races that take place.

Please use the following links to view these guides:

There are several countries in Europe where racing is popular. These include among others, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. It’s France, however, that is the main racing nation in Europe outside of the UK and Ireland.

Most important of all is the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which is the richest race in Europe and the second richest turf race in the world. It’s held annually at the Longchamp Racecourse in Paris.

Horse racing is popular in several Asian nations and the continent is home to some of the world’s major races. Regions where racing is particularly prominent include Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong.

It also takes place in India, the Phillipines, Singapore, Malaysia and China.

There is flat and jump racing and also the unique Ban’ei style which features horses pulling sleds.

Racing is a big deal in the United Arab Emirates despite the fact that gambling is illegal. The Meydan Racecourse in Dubai is considered to be the largest racetrack in the world and is an amazing complex that also contains restaurants, a hotel, a theater and a museum.

It’s home to the Dubai World Cup, which is the richest horse race in the world with a purse of ten million dollars.

There is a long history of racing in Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club is one of the oldest sporting institutions in the region. It was formed in 1884 and is still responsible for promoting and governing the sport.

Despite there being only two courses in Hong Kong – Happy Valley and Sha Tin – nearly 700 races take place each year.

Africa is not famed for its horse racing but it is particularly popular in two regions – Mauritius and South Africa.

Indeed it’s one of the most popular sports in Mauritius and its only course, The Champ de Mars Racecourse, regularly attracts crowds of at least 20,000 and hosts a number of classic events each year.

Racing has taken place in South Africa since the beginning of the 19th century and its leading race, the Durban July Handicap, draws crowds of 50,000. Several other notable races take place in the region too, such as the Summer Cup and the J & B Met.