{"id":1118,"date":"2025-10-17T04:10:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T04:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/?p=1118"},"modified":"2025-10-17T04:13:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T04:13:29","slug":"horse-racing-destinations-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/horse-racing-destinations-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Riding Across the World: Best Horse Racing Destinations in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There are few more followed sports across the world than horse racing. A passionate fan base follows the action throughout the calendar year, and they typically will make wagers on the action every weekend.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, it is the biggest dates in the diary that attract the mainstream attention, with U.S. racing shaped around the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders\u2019 Cup. You can find the latest odds and betting markets for the latter here-\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.twinspires.com\/breeders-cup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.twinspires.com\/breeders-cup\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike other sports, horse racing fans are able to build a bucket list of dream locations to watch the action on track. But, what are some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/hunting-in-spain\/\">standout destinations<\/a> for racing?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>California<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are potentially few more scenic locations to watch horse racing action in North America than California. The Golden State is home to two of the world-leading racing tracks, with all eyes once again set to descend on Del Mar in 2025, as the track hosts the Breeders\u2019 Cup for the second successive year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Located on the Pacific Coastline, Del Mar is paradise for fans of the sport, with action on the track typically running between July and September, and November to December. Aside from the Breeders\u2019 Cup, Del Mar regularly hosts six Grade Ones, which includes the Pacific Classic Stakes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Located in Arcadia, fans should also visit Santa Anita Park, which is undeniably one of the standout racing locations on the planet. The track has hosted racing since 1934, and is home to world-famous events such as the Santa Anita Handicap and the Santa Anita Derby.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pardubice<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For racing fans looking for a more niche location to catch the action, there are potentially few tracks that are becoming increasingly popular yearly than Pardubice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The track in the Czech Republic is becoming a hot spot for European visitors in the month of October, as the Velka Pardubicka is gaining traction for being one of the best race days on the calendar. This race is a cross-country event, and it is similar in a fashion to the world-famous Grand National. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The field will compete over a distance of four miles, with a total of 31 obstacles to be jumped by the runners involved. It is one of the most historic races on the European jumps calendar, as it was held for the first time in 1874.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>History was made in the recent 2025 edition of the race, as Gavin Cromwell became the first Irish trainer to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.racingpost.com\/news\/international\/stumptown-gains-historic-success-for-gavin-cromwell-and-keith-donoghue-in-velka-pardubicka-a29Iv7e1nkYc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">land success in the Velka Pardubicka with cross-country specialist Stumptown<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Paris<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Paris already ranks as one of the most popular tourist locations in Europe, but it is also a sporting hot spot. The city of love is home to two of the leading racecourses on the continent, including Longchamp, which hosts the most prestigious flat turf race on the calendar.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Located on the outskirts of the city centre, Longchamp plays host to more than half of the Group One races that are held annually in France. However, few gain as much traction as the Prix de l\u2019Arc de Triomphe, which was\u00a0won in 2025 by Daryz.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A world-class field typically lines up in the Group One, with the field competing over a distance of a mile and four furlongs. Connections will be vying for their share of the $5 million purse, which also makes it the richest flat race in Europe.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Paris is also home to the iconic Auteil Racecourse, which boasts an idyllic view of the city skyline in the backdrop. The racecourse was opened in 1873, and is designed exclusively for jumps racing. Aside from racing, Auteil also <a href=\"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/hunting-plains-game-in-south-africa\/\">hosted events<\/a> during the 1924 Summer Olympics.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Kentucky<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are potentially few more desired locations to watch horse racing than the state of Kentucky. Regarded as the home of horses in the United States, Kentucky plays host to two of the world-leading tracks anywhere in the world. Among those is possibly the most famous racing venue in North America- Churchill Downs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This track has played host to racing action since 1875, and is iconic for hosting the Triple Crown opener, the Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs is capable of hosting up to 170,000 fans, making it one of the biggest sporting venues in the United States. Aside from the Derby, the track also hosts eight further Grade Ones throughout the year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Lexington, Kentucky, racing fans will also find one of the most beautiful locations to watch horse racing- Keeneland. This track has been open to the public since 1936, and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A total of eleven Grade Ones are held at the track during the calendar year, which includes the prestigious Maker\u2019s Mark Mile, which was\u00a0won this summer by Carl Spackler. As well as hosting racing, it is also home to some of the most important thoroughbred sales of the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are few more followed sports across the world than horse racing. A passionate fan base follows the action throughout the calendar year, and they typically will make wagers on the action every weekend.&nbsp; However, it is the biggest dates in the diary that attract the mainstream attention, with U.S. racing shaped around the Kentucky&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":2,"label":"Travel"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Horse-Racing-Destinations-in-the-World-1024x681.jpg",1024,681,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/"},"comment_info":3,"category_info":[{"term_id":2,"name":"Travel","slug":"travel","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":145,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":2,"category_count":145,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Travel","category_nicename":"travel","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wavydestinations.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}