Horse Racing Excitement Down Under
If you have recently joined one of the UK’s popular online race books, you may be entitled to free bets. It might be worth your while to consider using your free bets online to make wagers on some of the most exciting races in the universe. Those races take place on a daily basis in Australia, one of the most underrated horse racing destinations known to man. It might surprise one to find out the history of racing in the Southern Hemisphere is second to none. It includes great horse, jockeys and trainers who know a thing or two about running horses in the top races on the planet.
Facts About Racing in Australia
Arguably, the most famous name in horse racing history is Phar Lap and yes, most of his racing was done in Australia or New Zealand during the late 1920s and early 30s. Through decades of history, the Australian horse racing industry has developed into a first class destination for top class horses shipping in from all over world, including countries like England, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong and Japan. It has more racing venues than any other country, it ranks 3rd in total annual purses (A$421 million) offered behind the US and Japan and it has the second most horses in training behind only the US. Most if not all of the racing in done on turf for horses 2-years-old and up, and there are 67 Group 1 races run at distances ranging from 900m up to 3200m. By the way, they have great racing weather year-round.
The Tracks
There are a total of 10 racing jurisdictions throughout Australia with each one maintaining responsibility for their own set of tracks. As mentioned above, Australia has more racetracks than any other country in the world. While many of these tracks would be considered minor venues, there are several tracks that are considered on par with Royal Ascot or Newmarket. They include Flemington Racecourse, Caulfield Racecourse and Moonee Valley Racing Club in Melbourne, Victoria, and Royal Randwick Racecourse and Rosehill Gardens in Sydney, New South Wales.
Important Races
Of the 67 Group 1 events that are held throughout the year, there are three races that rank as one of the top 30 races in the world. What makes these races particularly special is the international flavor they bring to the industry because of entrants coming from all over the world. These three races include:
- Melbourne Cup – Held on the first Tuesday in November at a distance of 3200m for a purse of A$6,200,000 (2014), making it the second richest race in the world.
- Caulfield Cup – Held in mid-October at a distance of 2400m for a purse of A$3,000,000 (2014).
- W.S. Cox Plate – Held in late October at a distance of 2040m for a purse of A$3,000,000 (2014), making it the richest allowance conditioned race in the world.
The Pageantry
Through the scheduling of exciting racing events such as the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and MRC Spring Carnival, horse racing has become a favorite past-time for experienced and novice players throughout the country. Each carnival is run over several days with top races for each division included to make for a racing atmosphere on par with Royal Ascot or the Breeders Cup.
UK racing fans will be glad to know that many of the UK’s top horses will venture on occasion to Australia for some of these elite events. If you are interested in experiencing the excitement of horse racing in Australia, you should ask your favourite race book about free bets and use those free bets online to play top level races “down under.”
This article was written by John Hawthorne who is a big fan of horse racing from all over the world. His experience has led him to writing full time for a variety of websites that offer free betting.
