Top Horse Racing Events in the UK Prize Money & More

Although even the richest horse races in the United Kingdom do not belong among the richest in the world, the G1 flat races are respected globally. Turf races in the UK traditionally generate true champions like Enable, who are also capable of big wins abroad. Still, the UK hosts the world’s most famous jumping races, which is indisputable as the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National Festival are unmatched spectacles. This article introduces the mentioned events later as we start with flat races due to their higher global prestige.

The Derby Festival at Epsom

The Derby is one of the most famous races in the world and the original “Derby.” It was first run in 1780 and soon after, the idea of the race spread worldwide. However, the distance of a mile and a half didn’t stick everywhere, as France and the US have their respective Derby races shorter. The turf race is open only to three-year-old colts and fillies, as they should be in their prime age at that point. 

As the legendary breeder Federico Tesio said, the breeding strategy for Thoroughbreds should be based on the wooden plank at the finish of the Epsom Derby. Until this day, winners of this race usually enter studs at the end of the season to become illustrious sires like Nijinsky, Mill Reef or Sea The Stars.

The Derby has always been a historically significant race that everybody wants to win as the prize money is luxurious. In 2024, the victorious team around City of Troy earned £882,407. Still, the prizes for other places are also attractive as the most successful trainer, Irish magician Aidan O’Brien, usually sends more horses to Epsom. He’s won the Derby ten times; however, the most notable triumph dates his first in 2001. Back then, phenomenal sire Galileo scored on his way to becoming one of the most influential stallions in history.

However, the entire Derby Festival isn’t comprised just of the Derby. Other rich races are on the cards as Friday offers The Oaks for three-year-old fillies and the renowned G1 Coronation Cup for four-year-old and older horses. This day is also called the Ladies’ Day.

Royal Ascot

Exactly £10 million is up for grabs at Royal Ascot Festival 2024, held at the Ascot Racecourse in June. The meeting spans over five days from Tuesday to Saturday, and there are always interesting Royal Ascot bet offers not only for eight magnificent G1 races. It could be said that Royal Ascot is sort of an international championship as horses compete over all possible distances on the turf surface. At the same time, it provides the two-year-olds with one of the first opportunities to score at the group level. It is also a meeting regularly attended by the reigning monarch.

On Tuesday, the card boasts three G1 races. This initial day of the Festival is a treat as the Queen Anne Stakes, the King Charles III Stakes, and St James’s Palace Stakes always attract big names. The Queen Anne Stakes is open to four-year-old and older horses and has seen some legendary winners like Frankel, Canford Cliffs, and Baaeed in recent history. The King Charles III Stakes is a race for older sprinters, and the St James’s Palace Stakes is meant only for three-year-old colts who cover the distance of a mile and usually welcomes winners of the 2000 Guineas. 

On Wednesday, the Prince of Wales’s Stakes is the most prominent race. The field of four-year-old and older horses run over a mile and a quarter, and the race belongs among the anticipated parts of the Festival. Thursday’s and Friday’s cards offer the ultra-long Gold Cup, the Coronation Stakes for three-year-old fillies, and the Commonwealth Cup over six furlongs that is open to three-year-old sprinters.

The final day of Royal Ascot boasts the concluding G1 race of the week with the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes that often welcomes international field of sprinters from Australia and the United States. In the past, legendary mare Black Caviar extended her unbeaten record there and proved to be able to score beyond Australia. However, it is a matter of time before a Japanese guest triumphs in this race.

Cheltenham Festival

The first jump meeting to cover is the Cheltenham Festival, which is perceived as the more prestigious one. It spans over four days, and it is a rather wealthy festival, given that all 14 G1 races of the meeting boast rich prizes. Although Cheltenham is in the United Kingdom, it is almost a rule that the Irish raiders take most of the prize and races, respectively, as the Irish have the most successful jump trainer to be alive, Willie Mullins.

His horses have already won most of the races of the Cheltenham Festival, including the G1s, but it is mainly the atmosphere why everybody adores this event. It’s a tradition, an icon, and the “Cheltenham roar” from the grandstands, vibrating throughout the whole course upon the start of the initial race, gets under the skin each time. The first race is always the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle for horses who are novices among the jumpers. 

The Arkle Challenge Trophy follows it for novices over fences, which are much bigger and sturdier than hurdles. It requires more jumping abilities, which phenomenal Arkle definitely displayed. He became a legend and earned a race run under his name. The first day sees other two G1s, as the Champion Hurdle is the pinnacle of the season for experienced hurdlers, while mares aim at the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle. The second day of the Festival attracts people mainly thanks to the Queen Mother Champion Chase for experienced steeples.

On Thursday, older hurdlers run in the Stayers’ Hurdle, a race longer than the Champion Hurdle, while the Ryanair Chase is meant for steeplers who prefer longer distances than the one in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Cheltenham Gold Cup is the gem of the Cheltenham Festival as it is the most treasured British race over fences and always welcomes the best of the best. It is run over a very long distance of three miles, and a bit more than two furlongs, often at a swift pace, and only true champions like Best Mate, Kauto Star, Denman, Al Boum Photo, and Galopin des Champs can strike a victory here.

Grand National Festival

The Grand National Festival and the race are slightly richer but less prestigious. Although it is more popular globally than the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Grand National is available to less classy horses who have an advantage in smaller carried weight over the better ones. Therefore, the chances should be as equal as possible and everybody should be able to win, which is why this demanding steeplechase is so beloved, as well as its winners like Red Rum, Aldaniti, Tiger Roll or Corach Rambler.

While the Grand National’s prize is £1,000,000, other interesting races are also held during the festival. Those who weren’t successful a month prior in Cheltenham can try their luck at Aintree, as the offer is wide. Novices have several options based on the preferred distances, while the same applies to experienced jumpers who can compete in the Melling Chase, Liverpool Hurdle, or Aintree Bowl.