Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in the UK and steeplechasing in the US. Jump racing can be further divided into hurdling and steeplechasing.
Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, and one of the longest established, with a history dating back many centuries. According to a report by the British Horseracing Authority it generates £3.39 billion total direct and indirect expenditure in the British economy, of which £1.05 billion is from core racing industry expenditure, and the major horse racing events such as Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Festival are important dates in the British and international sporting and society calendar.
Conditions races are horse races in which the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving weight from older runners to allow for relative maturity, referred to as weight for age; and the quality of the runners, with horses that have won certain values of races giving weight to less successful entrants.
National Hunt racing is a form of horse racing particular to France, Great Britain, and Ireland, that requires horses to jump fences and ditches. In the UK it is divided into two major distinct branches, hurdling and steeplechase, as well as flat races called "bumpers". Hurdling involved the horses jumping over obstacles called hurdles, whereas in a steeplechase the horses jump over a variety of obstacles that can include plain fences, water jump or an open ditch. In the UK, the biggest National Hunt events of the year are generally considered to be the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Yorkshire Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 5 furlongs and 188 yards at York in May.
Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Europe, the Melbourne Cup in Australia, and the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup races in the United States. Victory in these races marks a horse as being particularly talented, if not exceptional, and they are extremely important in determining stud values. They are also sometimes referred to as Black type races, since any horse that has won one of these races is printed in bold type in sales catalogues.
The Ebor Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 5 furlongs and 188 yards. It is scheduled to take place each year in August.
The Chester Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 147 yards at Chester in May.
The European Free Handicap was a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It was run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket in mid-April. In December 2022 the British Horseracing Authority announced that it would not be run in 2023.
The Lincoln Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Doncaster in late March or early April.
The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes is a flat Handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses of three-year-old and up. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.
The Wolferton Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses of four-year-old and up. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in June on the first day of the Royal Ascot meeting.
The Great Metropolitan Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs and 6 yards at Epsom in April during the Epsom Spring meeting. Inaugurated in 1846 it originally attracted top-class racehorses in the 19th and early 20th century, but today its importance has been eclipsed by larger stakes races with more valuable purses.
The Victoria Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) at Ascot in May.
The Sandringham Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile, and it is scheduled to take place each year in June on the fourth day of the Royal Ascot meeting. The race was called the Fern Hill Rated Stakes until 2001, and was part of the Ascot Heath meeting held on the Saturday after Royal Ascot. Prior to 2018 it was run as a Listed handicap but was downgraded by the British Horseracing Authority to comply with a new rule that no handicap race could carry Listed or Group race status.
The King George V Stakes is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in June on the third day of the Royal Ascot meeting.
The Cammidge Trophy is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster Racecourse over a distance of 6 furlongs and 2 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late March or early April. It is currently held on the opening day of the British flat racing turf season, at the same race meeting as the Lincoln Handicap.
The Doncaster Mile Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Doncaster Racecourse over a distance of 1 mile, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late March or early April. It is currently held on the opening day of the British flat racing turf season, at the same race meeting as the Lincoln Handicap.
The Hambleton Stakes is a handicap flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 7 furlongs and 192 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in May. Prior to 2018 it was run as a Listed handicap, but was downgraded by the British Horseracing Authority to comply with a new rule that no handicap race could carry Listed or Group race status.
The City Walls Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 5 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.
