Category: Races

There is often much excitement generated by the Aintree Grand National, and the same applies to the regional races. The Scottish Grand National is no ‘bolt on’ event either, in fact it first took place in 1858 when it was called the West of Scotland Grand National and consisted of 32 stone wall jumps.

Nine years later the race was moved from Houston, Renfrewshire to Bogside racecourse near Invine. After Bogside closed in 1965 the race moved to its current home in Ayr. At its now home the course is a little longer than it previously was at 4 miles.

Much like with the Welsh Grand National, a win in the Scottish National handicap race is often indicative of wider success. The legendary Red Rum ‘did the double’ in 1974 by winning both the Scottish Grand National and Aintree Grand National. Others achieving this feat (though not in the same year) include Earth Summit and Little Polveir.

Aside from what winning might indicate in a wider context, the prize money alone for the Scottich National is impressive, with the total prize pot at £215,000 in 2018, with £122,433 of that going to the winner. The Festival prize money in total stood at £714,000 over the 15 races held over two days making this the richest jumps event in Scotland and a highly entertaining spectacle. It’s no surprise then that leading trainers and jockeys alike are drawn here to compete.

The 2018 Scottish Grand National winner was 9 year old Joe Farrell (yes, that’s a horse’s name!) ridden by Adam Wedge and trained by Rebecca Curtis. Another trainer that has excelled here in recent years is Paul Nicholls who trained the 2016 and 2017 winner Vincente, with Sam Twiston-Davies riding.

All Grand National events have a special feel about them, and the Welsh Grand National is certainly no exception to the rule. The race was established in 1895, when the race was held at Ely racecourse in Cardiff. Now taking place at Chepstow racecourse on 27th December, this Grade 3 event understandably has the tagline ‘The Biggest Race in Wales’. The date of the race ties it in nicely with the Christmas season making it a magic event both on course and to watch at home.

There are seven races on the card, and a distinctly Welsh feel throughout (including a performance of the Welsh National Anthem) but the emphasis from both a betting and spectator point of view is on the main event which has a very healthy £150,000 prize. The prize pot ensures that the event, which is for horses aged four and above,  attracts plenty of racing talent.

The Welsh Grand National handicap race is run over a distance of 3 miles and 5½ furlongs and features twenty two fences. The first winner at Chepstow in 1949 was Fighting Line ridden by the legendary Dick Francis. David Nicholson holds the distinction of making it three in a row by riding back to back winners in the 1959, 1960 and 1961. Trainers of the winners of the Welsh National over the years reads like a who’s who of racing greats, Martin Pipe, Jenny Pitman, Paul Nicholls, the list goes on.

Fast forward to the present day, and the 2017 event was a real stand out, with James Bowen winning the race at just 17 years of age on Raz De Maree, a 17-1 shot . Bowen’s brother Sean is a very talented jockey too and James, who was signed by Nicky Henderson, is often described as learned beyond his years and a wise head on young shoulders.

Success in the Welsh National is often an indicator of further accolades to come. Bindaree and Silver Birch won both the Welsh and Aintree Grand National races, and success for Native River in 2016 led to the Irish trained thoroughbred winning the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Japan Cup, first held in 1981, has established itself to be one of the most reputable and distinguished horse races in Japan with a purse of 476 million yen. Tokyo being the venue for the race is one of the fascinating features as the capital city is an intiguing mix of tradition, excitement and technology. The Japan Cup attracts a wide pool of local talent and international runners making for a unique occasion.

During the initial commencement of the race in 1981, horses trained in Japan, Australia, USA, New Zealand, Canada, and India were invited to participate in the race. This trend changed the following year when elite horses from anywhere around the world were invited to take part making the Japan Cup a complete Invitational event.

Horse racing generates unrivaled excitement for Japanese people attending this exciting occasion as is evidenced in the trumpets and loud roars of applause from the enthusiastic fans heard at the start of the Japan Cup race. The on-track attendance at the event was 109, 956 in 2014 and 88, 865 in 2016. The drop in attendance wasn’t related to a lul in interest, but instead due to extreme weather conditions.

The first Japan Cup was won by an American Mare Mairzy Doates trained by John Fulton and Cash Asmussen, triumphing over Frost King trained in Canada. The 2018 race was won by Kitasan Black making it the second horse to gain victory twice in the event. Gentildonna was the first horse to triumph twice in 2013 and 2014, a back to back victory for the first time in the history of the race.

The Japan Racing Association Racing Museum was opened in 1991 inside the Tokyo racecourse which is free of cost for paying race attendants. The gift shops make it possible to keep the legends in the racehorse alive with the purchase of souvenirs in the form of animal replicas. With the emergence of new champions routinely in the race, every proponent is being immortalised in this style due to the profile of this event.

The Belmont Stakes is a Grade I race held in Beltmont Park, Elmont, New York, US. The location of the race is in the heart of New York City. The race is of interest to racing fans both in the United States and around the world due to its stellar reputation for racing excellence. The race track is 12 furlongs long and 3 year old horses are eligable to take part. It’s a real test of champions.

The history of Belmont Stakes started in 1867 in the Jerome Park Racetrack in the Bronx. The track was in fact specially built by stock market analyst Leonard Jerome, and the financer was August Belmont Sr, and thus the race got the name of Belmont Stakes. A century and a half back, in 1867 a filly called Ruthless won the first historic race.

Since that time the race was gone from strength to strength, in 2002 over 100,000 attended, a record for US sports. The 2015 race was a real stand out because American Pharaoh, attained the privileged Triple Crown (winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in the same year!), the first horse to do so in 37 years when Affirmed claimed the accolade. On June 9th , 2018, Belmont Stakes completed 150 years of racing.

The 107th year of the race was held in 2018. The crowd was a healthy 90,327. Justify came first and the runner-up was Gronkowski. The race was tight with two high spirited horses but Justify won the day. Unbelievably, Justify also claimed the Triple Crown title that year, solidifying something of a golden age for American horse racing.