Horse racing is one of the most exciting sports in the world. There’s nothing more thrilling than watching a group of thoroughbreds make their way around the track, hooves thundering on the dirt.
One
of the reasons why horse racing is so exciting are the enormous amounts of
money involved. Not only are there gigantic
sums to be won through gambling, but top events also have enormous
purses.
In
case you don’t know, in the context of horse racing, a purse basically refers
to the prize money which can be won. Generally this is a flat fee which is
awarded by whoever has organized the race. Other times it is calculated
according to the amount of money that has been bet on the race. Here are some
of the biggest races and their purses:
Pegasus World Cup – $16 million.
This
is a race held in America, more specifically Gulfstream Park, Florida. It was first
inaugurated in 2017 where the purse was a whopping $12 million. In 2018 this
rose to $16 million but dropped down to $9 million in 2019. While this is a lot
of money, the entry fees are also steep and it will cost you between half a
million to a million dollars to enter.
Dubai World Cup – $12 million.
The Dubai world cup is officially billed as The World’s Richest Horse Race. Held
annually since 1996, this event comes with an official purse of $12 million. That
being said, it was rumoured that in 2020 this would rise to $20 million.
Unfortunately the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The
races first winner was American thoroughbred, “Cigar” and a plaque was erected
to honour this. Funnily enough, over the years race goers have also been
treated to another type of performance, namely those by pop stars such as Toni
Braxton, Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue and Janet Jackson.
Saudi Cup – $20 million.
This
is a second race held in the middle east and has a massive $20 million purse.
The horse which wins will get $10 million, while the next 9 will get a
diminishing share of what’s left over. The Saudi Cup was inaugurated in
February 2020 and was won by an American horse named Maximum Security. This
race is also neatly positioned between the Pegasus World Cup and the Dubai
World cup, occurring a month after and before each respectively.
The Everest – $10 million.
Held
in Australia, this race has quickly became the country’s richest since it’s
inauguration in 2017. In 2018 the purse was $4.5 million and in 2019 this rose
to $10 million. The Everest is also notable for having only one winner, Redzel
who won back to back titles and earned over $11 million for his owners. What’s
also special about this race is that it’s the world’s richest race on turf i.e.
grass.
Japan Cup – $6 million.
Japan’s
main racing event, held every year at the Tokyo racecourse. This is an
invitational event, open only to 18 horses who will compete for their share of
a $6 million purse. The track seems to favour home grown talent and since 2008
every winner has come from Japan.
Breeders’ Cup Classic – $6 million.
What’s
unique about this race is that it’s held in a different venue every year. These
venues are scattered across the US and the race has also been held in Canada.
This two day event has a purse of $6 million and is also considered part of
the, “Triple Crown” which includes the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and
Belmont Stakes.
