Horse Racing Moments

Though most of the focus in horse racing has come to be placed in the United States, horse racing in Great Britain cannot be overlooked today.  It is still one popular activity over there for many people of all ages.  Today, there are around 59 racecourses all throughout Britain.  These racecourses vary widely to suit each and every taste and budget.

The numerous racecourses are broadly categorized into the following groups:

•    Members (also called Club or Premier) Enclosure
This is the high end option for going to the horse races.  Racecourses which fall under the Members Enclosure category often offer the best viewing and other facilities.  Though the name may be misleading, anyone can book a ticket for a Members course.  It’s just that the members of the course carry a badge that allow them more access.

•    Tattersalls (also called Grandstand or Paddock) Enclosure
The largest enclosure of the bunch.  You would expect this place to be crowded and buzzing with activity all throughout the day.  More than betting, you can find other activities such as eating and drinking and socializing.

•    Silver Ring (also called Course or Park) Enclosure
Known to be the least formal and least expensive of them all.  Perhaps one reason is that from this enclosure, you cannot see the Parade Ring or the Winners Enclosure.  Still, you get to see the horses on the racecourse and for many, that is all that they want.  You can also get food and drink in this enclosure but the trend is to bring along food for a picnic.

Let’s look at some more aspects of British horse racing in the next posts.

Horse racing being one of the most popular spectator sports in the US, there are countless horse racing tracks to be found all over the country. Yet there is a handful that the general public would consider to be the best. Here are the 5 top horse racing tracks in America today.

Churchill Downs
Undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, horse racing tracks in the country today. Located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, this horse racing track is most well known for being the annual host of the Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875. This was the same year that the Kentucky Derby was first held. Aside from the popular Kentucky Derby, the Breeders’ Cup has been held at Churchill Downs six times already, the most recent one being in 2006.

Belmont Park
Located in Elmont, New York in Nassau County on Long Island, this thoroughbred racing facility features a main track a mile and half long. It is in fact the longest dirt track in thoroughbred racing. First opened in May 4, 1905, Belmont Park is known all over the world as the home of the Belmont Stakes which is the third leg of the Triple Crown.

Hollywood Park
Located in Inglewood, California, this race course was opened in 1938 by the Hollywood Turf Club. It was also host to the first Breeders’ Cup in 1984. There is a one and one-eighth mile dirt track and a one mile turf track. Ten thousand people can be seated at a single time.

Santa Anita
Another track in California, Santa Anita offers some of the most prominent races during autumn and winter. This track went into operation in 1934 and is a proud host to the Santa Anita Derby and the Santa Anita Handicap. It has a one mile dirt track with an inside turf track measuring 9/10s of a mile. It also has a unique hillside turf course which crosses the dirt, one of the few in existence in the US.

Saratoga
Located in Saratoga Springs, New York, this race course opened in 1863. A year later, a tradition was started with the first Travers Stakes. This race course has earned two monikers over the decades – The Spa and The Graveyard of Favorites, the latter due to the large number of upsets that have occurred here. There are three different tracks at Saratoga.

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