According to the latest horse racing news, 2023 is shaping up to be another exciting year for enthusiasts, with a host of major events filling the calendar and providing ample opportunities to soak up the excitement and indulge in a little bit of sports betting whilst you take in the trackside action.
Horse racing is one of the most lucrative sports in the world, with the global market currently valued at upwards of $300 billion. With eye-watering amounts exchanged for the best racehorses and prize purses at some of the biggest annual events reaching into the millions, it’s unsurprising that it also attracts an affluent crowd, with even royalty often in attendance at the likes of the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot each year.
If you’re one of the wealthy individuals planning on doing the rounds in 2023 and packing in as much horse racing action as you can, then these are the events to add to your calendar.
Cheltenham Festival (March)
Ever a highlight of the British horse racing calendar, the Cheltenham Festival returns in March, and promises a week of unmissable action and plenty of opulence to enjoy if you’re taking advantage of its VIP hospitality packages, too. True test of agility and athletic ability, the festival attracts upwards of 260,000 spectators each and every year, making it one of the top ten most attended events in the UK, and is a place where records are often broken, and rising stars are discovered.
Bringing in more than £100 million in revenue to the region, the Cheltenham Festival is a big money business in every way, so book your private box now to ensure you get a slice of the action. The festivities are as much fun as the races themselves, and if you enjoy a flutter then there’s no better place.
Randox Grand National (April)
Running since 1839, the Grand National is one of the most historic events in the horse racing calendar and continues to attract over 150,000 attendees each year and a further nine million viewers on TV. This Aintree classic is a controversial event in many ways, yet its popularity has never faltered, with a seemingly unrelenting eagerness amongst fans to see competitors take on the main race’s famous fences like Becher’s Brook and The Chair.
Part of a three-day event where you can watch several other races besides, the Grade One Betway Aintree Hurdle and the JLT Melling Chase are also exciting competitions that are worthy of a watch.
Coral Scottish Grand National (April)
The Grand National has long been a key event in the English sporting calendar, but if you’ve yet to attend the Scottish version then 2023 is the year to do it. Held just after the Randox Health Grand National, you can expect to see many of the top performers from Aintree in attendance and taking on a treacherous course of fences at high speed in front of crowds of more than 20,000.
To date, the only horse to have won both the English and the Scottish Grand Nationals is the legendary Red Rum, but you never know – in 2023, that could be about to change. So, to see some of the greatest names in horse racing offering up some truly edge-of-your-seat action, be sure to book your tickets.
Royal Ascot (June)
Another of the UK’s most iconic horse racing events takes place during the summer months, and Royal Ascot is the highlight of the English Flat summer season. A festival known as much for its high fashion spectators as for its on-track action, it’s a place to see and be seen, with eye-watering bets placed by affluent attendees across the week. And, as a highlight of the social season, guests turn out in formal attire including gowns, suits and fabulous hats and fascinators in order to enter the luxurious Royal Enclosure.
The event, which features a total of 15 group races and a prize purse of more than £3.5 million over five days, culminates in the traditional Gold Cup race, which is run on day three, and sees competitors taking on a two-mile course in pursuit of the title. But the Queen Anne Stakes, Golden Jubilee Stakes and the St. James’s Palace Stakes, as well as the Prince of Wales Stakes, are all unmissable races.
Of course, these are just a taster of some of the top horse racing events happening in 2023, and if you’re a die-hard fan, you’ll have little trouble finding events to fill your spring and summer. But if you live a busy lifestyle and have to pick just a few, then these are the ones you won’t want to miss – where excitement, opulence and adrenaline are all guaranteed.
