We may not have discussed a great deal of horse racing as a sport in Australia. But, it is a thing. Of course, the horses are being taken care of very well – even if some of us do not like animals to be put out there for a racing sport.
If you are totally unaware of the horse racing sport, you should definitely head for to the Wiki to get some ideas on what happens globally. In this article, we will talk about Australia in general – and will also mention some of the popular race events in the UK.
Let’s get right into it.
The Three Race Types
Not just Australia, but it pretty much works for every other region where horse racing is a sport. Basically, three types of racing that you would find:
- Harness Racing
- Steeplechase Racing
- Thoroughbred Racing
Harness Racing
It is also known as the trots, here. And, it involves a significant amount of investment through bookmarkers and Totalisator Agency Board. And, it is not just any minor event. There are almost 90 harness racing tracks – it is really fascinating.
In this type of racing, the horse pulls the rider who will be usually sitting on a two-wheel cart. It is indeed a very interesting concept and it can be quite challenging for the rider commanding a horse while on a cart instead sitting right on it.
Steeplechase Racing
Steeplechase Racing is more common and it involves the horse jump obstacles and fences. By obstacles, I mean, ditches, and a variety of fences. Even though the most popular race even for this type of racing is held in Liverpool, England. It is quite popular in Australia as well.
A long history for this kind of race does exist for Australia. To start with, it wasn’t a good sport in the early days. And, then, for the safety of horses, the obstacles were scaled down for the greater good.
However, now, the Racing Victoria has approved everything necessary along with the safety standards for steeplechase horse racing sport.
Thoroughbred Racing
Thoroughbred racing is one of the most popular spectator sport. It could be a flat race or a race with fences. There are generally two types of these racing sport. Of course, even if I mention about betting in the later section of this article, you should know that gambling on horse races – especially these, is very popular.
Fret not, it is totally legal and the amount is usually huge that is being wagered.
Betting on Horse Races
I just recently mentioned about how big the gambling/betting market for the horse racing sport is. So, accordingly, you can choose to spectate the race and then go on trying to put some bets on. Of course, it isn’t advisable for everyone – so you should research on that before taking a decision – that is what I would suggest.
In addition, I did mention that we will also get to know about some of the biggest horse racing events worldwide, so here they are:
Cheltenham Festival
This is just around the corner (March 12), you can get an overview and tickets on the jockey club as well. It is the second biggest national hunt racing event that happens in the UK. The prize money is huge and also second to the Grand National, which we will talk about as you read on.
You can find some Free Bets for Cheltenham Festival online if you are curious to bet on one of the biggest events of this sport. Of course, be on the lookout for what you choose and if it is the right one. There’s a reason we call it gambling, eh?
Grand National
A handicap steeplechase racing help in Liverpool. As mentioned, this comes with the biggest prize money and the stakes are higher here. An epic racing event that’s worth watching with the highly skilled riders and horses.
Wrapping Up
There’s a long history of what we’ve come so far with the horse racing sport all over the globe and Australia in particular as well. It is the spectators and the gamblers that keep sport alive for what it’s worth for.
If you are still curious about more, do stay tuned for more such updates.
