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The UK is famous for introducing many sports to the world, which are now extremely popular in most countries. Among the most popular traditional sports that come from the UK is horse racing, which has deep roots in this country.
Nowadays, horse racing is the second biggest sport in the UK, in terms of spectators. It is responsible for generating £3.39 billion directly and indirectly into the British economy. In this article, we will go back in history so you know how horse racing became the Sport of the Kings.
The first traces of horse racing in the UK date back to the Roman era. But, no one knows whether the Romans introduced the sport or not. Either way, the first-ever organised horse race was in Yorkshire around 200 AD.
We have the earliest written proof of horse racing in the UK dates back to the 9th or 10th century in a record of Hugh (from the French House of Capet). In it, the author mentions someone gifting a racing horse to King Athelstan. During this time, there was also a ban on exporting horses from England.
As for the first ever recorded horse racing meeting, it took place in Smithfield, London during a horse fair somewhere after 1174. This event took place during the reign of Henry II.
Horse-breeding improved and horseback races become very popular during the Crusades. King John even introduced a stud at Eltham, Kent. There are certain writings that reveal races taking place around the same time, during the reign of Richard I.
For the upcoming 3 centuries, there are many records that show English Kings breeding running horses. Because of the royal involvement in horse racing, we refer to it as the Sport of Kings.
Even today, the connection between horse racing and the members of the royal family remains strong. There are several exclusive clubs and horse racing events that the royals often visit.
During the 16th century, Henry VII introduced several laws about the breeding of horses. Around the same time, the winners of the horse racing events started claiming trophies. Also, kings and queens began attending these races, which remains a tradition to this day.
The popularity of this sport continues to rise in the following centuries. There was a lot of interest in spectating, riding, and training the horses. Everything was rising except bookies accepting horse racing bets, which are a fairly new thing in the country.
Horse racing reaches a new peak during the 19th century in the UK with the appearance of today’s Grand National and Cheltenham Festival. Below we will describe these extremely popular horse racing competitions.
Every horse racing fan has heard of the Grand National, as it is one of the most prestigious events in the world. It takes place annually in April every year at the Aintree Racecourse, Merseyside, England. This horse racing event began in 1839 and it is one of the oldest competitions in the sport.
This is a handicap steeplechase horse racing event that features a distance of around 4 miles and 2.5 furlongs. Horses need to jump over 30 fences during two laps. It is also worth mentioning that it holds the largest prize money in Europe, which is set at £1 million.
The Grand National horse races attract many fans from all around the world. Or to be exact, between 500 and 600 million fans from over 140 countries are watching the races every year.
There are over 20 races at this festival, which take place over the course of 3 days. Some of the biggest races that take place at the Grand National are the following:
Next up, we have the Cheltenham Festival, which takes place annually every March. It dates back to 1860 when the Market Hardborough first organized the National Hunt Chase. This horse racing competition features the second biggest prize money, only behind the Grand National.
It is a four-day festival that features 14 Grade 1 races including the popular Cheltenham Gold Cup, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Champion Hurdle, and Stayers’ Hurdle.
Over 260,000 spectators gather every year to witness these spectacular races. You should know that Irish jockeys are dominating the Cheltenham Festival for a longer period of time.
At these horse racing events, fans can try out exquisite foods and drinks as well as wear sharp suits and dresses. The Cheltenham Festival is also one of the biggest horse racing events when it comes to gambling. People tend to wager hundreds of millions of pounds during the course of a week.