On Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. (Monday, 12 midnight U.S. Eastern), millions of Australians will tune in for the 151st running of the Melbourne Cup—a race so entrenched in Aussie culture that even those who rarely give horse racing a second thought will partake in the obligatory wager.

For Aussie racing fans (not to mention breeders), it will also be a day of much lamenting, as the field of 24 this year is dominated by European-bred and/or raced horses; just three entries (The Verminator, Niwot, Older Than Time) were bred in Australia, and the usual “go-to” country for … Read More >

The first ever British Champions Day is this Saturday at Ascot, and organizers couldn’t have dreamed of a splashier inauguration for the new year-end fixture when they announced it last fall. Undefeated Frankel headlines. The Queen will attend. And advance wagering on the richest day of British racing in history has already topped $47 million.

With five stakes races worth approximately $4.6 million, the six-race card is designed to be an emphatic ending to the British flat racing season and to evolve into a championship extravaganza that can rival the Breeders’ Cup or Arc day as a draw for … Read More >

First contested in 1780, the 1 1/2 miles Epsom (now Investec) Derby has produced some of the greatest sires in racing history, including Blenheim II, Hyperion, Mahmoud, Sir Ivor, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Roberto, and Galileo. In 2009, Sea the Stars became the second Derby winner produced by the great mare Urban Sea, herself winner of the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Last year, Workforce captured the Derby-Arc double, the former in course record time.

This year’s field of 13 colts features a clear favorite, Carlton House (Street Cry), owned by The Queen. Already a winner over 10 furlongs, Carlton … Read More >

While the Breeders’ Cup may bill itself as the “World Championships” of thoroughbred racing, the Dubai World Cup Night highlights a significantly more diverse group of international competitors with representatives entered from all six continents where horse racing is contested. This year’s event, held for the second time at the new Meydan Racecourse, features seven Group stakes worth a total of $26 million, including the world’s richest race, the $10 million Dubai World Cup.

First held in 1996 at Nad Al Sheba, these races have seen some terrific American performers over the years, especially in dirt races such the Godolphin … Read More >

If you haven’t yet witnessed Aussie superstar Black Caviar in action, you’re missing quite simply the fastest sprinter in world according to the 2010 World Thoroughbred Rankings, as well as her ever-growing number of fans. Like the great Makybe Diva who won three consecutive Melbourne Cups and back-to-back Cox Plate victress Sunline, Black Caviar has reached legendary status Down Under—with nothing less than world domination on the horizon.

Her immense talent was evident early. In her first-ever track appearance as a juvenile—an 800-meter (4-furlong) barrier trail at Cranbourne in March 2009—she effortlessly won in a sharp 46.10:… Read More >

The 150th running of the Melbourne Cup is set for Tuesday, November 2 at 3:00 p.m. (Monday, 12 midnight U.S. Eastern), and, to put it in the Aussie vernacular, it looks to be a cracker.

As is often the case, the stories swirling around the event are both inspiring and disheartening, including the recent police inquiry involving jockey Damien Oliver, who rides Luca Cumani’s Manighar, and the tragic death of Shoot Out’s jockey Stathi Katsidis. However, no story is bigger than that of legendary trainer Bart Cummings who, along with his fellow octogenarian owner Dato Tan Chin … Read More >