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Photo attribution: Chris Phutully Flickr
From eccentric owners to a glamorous dress code, horse racing is well known for its extravagance.
With a number of prestigious locations all around the globe, horse racing is undoubtedly one of the most exclusive and luxurious sports in the world. Beyond your run of the mill events and meetings, there are a select few elites races and locations which possess that certain je nais sais quoi and belong in a category all of their own. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of some of the most exclusive and expensive horse racing events: just in case you come into a little bit of money or want to treat yourself to a long haul city break.
The Everest
Since its inception back in 2017, The Everest has become the richest turf race in the world, with around $10 million of prize money on offer. The event surpassed the previous richest race in Australia (The Emirates Melbourne Cup) by a cool $3 million and has stolen the limelight from the so-called “Big 3” spring majors which includes the Caulfield Cup, The Ladbrokes Cox Plate and of course, the aforementioned Melbourne Cup. All in all, to be more than a mere punter at The Everest Race, you have to be either really well off or very important. And, while a whole bunch of super-rich billionaires – think Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg – have been shown to have some pretty frugal spending habits, such races are often very popular with the wealthy and famous and there’s plenty of evidence of celebrities who have frequented the event in the past.
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The Dubai World Cup
Known as the City of Gold, Dubai is the perfect location for a lucrative horse racing event and organizers have been obliging since the advent of the competition back in 1996. With a staggering purse of around $10 million (USD), the World Cup is the richest horse racing event in the world and runs from the Meydan Racecourse, southeast of the city centre. The Group 1 flat race runs over 10 dirt-based furlongs and has enough room for around 70,000 spectators in the grandstand.
Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe
In terms of meeting the glam Parisian quota, the Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe ticks all the boxes. The event takes place just off the banks of the Oise River and has been in existence almost every year since 1920. With such high stakes, only the most expert riders, trainers and breeders take part. With a number of luxurious hotel packages available and VIP tickets floating around the venue, it, therefore, follows that the audience itself is also packed with the crème de la crème.Â
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Horse Racing Is Still a Sport for All
It’s important to remember that the aforementioned races are examples of only the most expensive and out-there meets on the planet. The average person can still attend the large majority of events and have a whale of a time without having to break the bank or take out a very large loan. However, those who like to flash the cash and have plenty of it could do much worse than take an extended break at a number of exclusive horse racing venues around the world.
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Jack Timms is an independent writer with 8 years experience in writing sports articles for various magazines and newspapers. Most of his work is on horse racing or football, and he has written for magazines such as Thoroughbred Racing and Luxuria Lifestyle. Jack lives in York with his dog, Poppins.
