Royal Ascot is among the top five horse racing events each year. (Photo credit: Ascot Racecourse).
The early part of 2022 has already featured some thrilling horse racing action and there is plenty more to look forward to during the rest of the year.
The Saudi Cup, Dubai World Cup and Cheltenham Festival were the pick of the first three months, while last week’s Grand National ramped things up a notch or two.
The race generated huge interest in Betway’s horse racing betting odds, with 50/1 winner Noble Yeats producing a shock result on the day. We look at what is in store for the rest of 2022.
Irish Grand National
Farclas and Max Flamingo are amongst the ante-post favourites to win the 150th running of the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday.
However, the Willie Mullins-trained Gaillard Du Mesnil could be the one to beat following his fine third behind L’Homme Presse in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
The champion trainer saddled the first three home as he won the race with Burrows Saint in 2019 and he will fancy his chances of claiming the prize again.
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby takes centre stage in early May, with the Grade I race kicking-off a hugely exciting period for racing in the United States.
The race, which is first leg of the Triple Crown alongside the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, always attracts a high-class line-up.
Around 150,000 spectators are expected to attend the Derby which is often called the ‘Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports’.
Royal Ascot
The eyes of the racing world will be on England in mid-June, as the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting is staged at the stunning Berkshire racetrack.
The five-day meeting usually attracts an in-person audience of more than 300,000 people, while millions more watch the event across the world.
Royal Ascot’s mix of high-class racing, fashion and royal pageantry make it one of the most unique events in the annual racing calendar.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in early October crowns the champion middle-distance horse in Europe for the season.
The race is the standout event on a two-day card that features a host of other Group races at different distances.
Torquator Tasso was a shock 80/1 winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2021, leaving punters bemoaning the fate of better fancied horses in the race.
The Breeders’ Cup
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships has grown massively in importance in recent years and is now widely viewed as a fitting culmination of the international flat racing season.
Keeneland will host this year’s event in early November – the second time in three years the Kentucky track has staged the Breeders’ Cup.
With millions of dollars up for grabs, the two-day meeting inevitably attracts top-class horses, jockeys, trainers and owners from across the planet.
