Few sports are able to capture a passionate audience as well as a novice crowd better than horse racing.
Racing events rank among the best days out for all social events, with the days at the track having the ability to be as popular among common racegoers as those that spend just one day at a course per year.
Therefore, it is no surprise that the popularity of horse racing festivals remains as high as ever before in this modern day, with major events continuing to attract record-breaking numbers to the course.
But, what are some of the biggest horse racing festivals across the world?
Breeders’ Cup
There is few more global horse racing events on the calendar than the Breeders’ Cup. Annually, runners from all four corners of the world descend on North America to run at the Breeders’ Cup, with the two-day racing event seeing action across a range of distances on both the turf and dirt.
It is unlike any other event in the world, with huge prize money on offer and connections able to earn their starting place in the world-renowned fields by winning a race on the prep schedule, which can be found here: https://www.twinspires.com/breeders-cup/prep-races/
Since 2007, the Breeders’ Cup has been a two-day event, with every edition of the World Championships being staged in North America. For the second straight year, the 2025 edition of the event will be staged at Del Mar. Sierra Leone will be aiming to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic for the second straight year, but the runner will face huge competition in the forms of talented three year olds Journalism and Sovereignty.
Cheltenham Festival
It could be argued that the most famous horse racing festival in the world comes in the form of the Cheltenham Festival. Across four days in March, the whole of Cheltenham is home to the finest jumps horses on the planet, with the event boasting the second-largest purse of any meeting on the National Hunt calendar.
The Cheltenham Festival was born in 1860 when the National Hunt Chase was run for the first time. However, it wasn’t until 2005 that a fourth day of the meeting was added. Therefore, in this modern day, the Cheltenham Festival consists of 28 races overall, with multiple Grade Ones staged on every day during the meeting.
The standout race of the meeting comes in the form of the Gold Cup, which sees the field compete over three miles and two furlongs. Inothewayurthinkin denied Galopin Des Champs his place in the history books in 2025, but the Irish stars will renew their rivalry in the Cotswolds in 2026.
Spring Racing Carnival
Horse racing is one of the most popular sports in Australia, meaning that there is little surprise that the nation is home to one of the most famous festivals on the international calendar. The Spring Racing Carnival runs between October and November, with Flemington Racecourse hosting the big races.
The majority of the Grade Ones on the Aussie schedule are held during the event in Melbourne, with record breaking numbers typically travelling to the track due to the fact that it is staged between the Australian football and cricket seasons. There are seven major race days during the Carnival, with each enjoying best attendance rates since COVID-19 restrictions in 2024.
The most notable race day during the meet comes in the form of the Melbourne Cup. It is known in Australia as the ‘race that stops the nation’, and it is the richest two-mile handicap in the world. In 2024, the Melbourne Cup was famously won by outsider Knight’s Choice for jockey Robbie Dolan.
Royal Ascot
There are few more glamorous racing events on the global calendar than Royal Ascot. The event is regularly attended by the Royal Family in the United Kingdom, with the track in Berkshire, England, hosting just under half of the 36 annual Group One races in the United Kingdom.
Not only is the event one of the most glamorous, but it is also one of the most prestigious, with the first Royal Ascot dating back to 1768. However, it has evolved throughout history, with the Gold Cup introduced in 1807. It is most famous for its connection to the Royals, with the iconic precession kicking off every day of the meet at 2pm.
The event is the most valuable racing meeting on the British schedule, with £7.3 million being awarded to race winners in the 2019 edition. It also has the power of being a massive economic event in the region, with over 7,000 temporary staff employed during the five days of Royal Ascot. As mentioned previously, the illustrious Gold Cup is the big race of the week, as a field of horses aged three and older compete over two miles and three furlongs.