While there are plenty of many important harness races around the world each year, there are a few that really stand out in North America, Europe and Australia that are worth mentioning.

In North America these include the Breeders Crown series (which consists of 12 races that take the horse's gender, gait and age into account); the Little Brown Jug for three-year-old pacers at the County Fairgrounds in Delaware and the Hambletonian for three-year-old trotters at Meadowlands; and the Red Mile in Kentucky.

Part of the prestigious Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters, the Hambletonian was first contested in 1926 and has a long and rich history of talented standardbred horses. The Little Brown Jug is part of the respected Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers and has been going since 1937.

In Canada, three of the biggest harness races include the Maple Leaf Trot, the Canadian Pacing Derby and the auspicious North America Cup, all of which are contended at the famous Mohawk Racecourse in Campbellville, Ontario. Worth $1.5 million, the North America Cup (for pacers) is the wealthiest harness race in Canada.

In Europe, all harness races are trotting races. The ones that stand out include the one-mile Elitloppet at Solvalla track near Stockholm, Sweden; the Gran Premio Lotteria di Agnano in Naples, Italy; and the Prix d'Amerique at Vincennes hippodrome close to Paris, France, the most prestigious event in the European harness racing calendar.

Last but not least Australasia too has its fair share of important harness races. These include the highly-prized annual Inter Dominion Series, which has both a trotting and a pacing series and is hosted by a different State Controlling Body each year. Every fourth year the Inter Dominion Championships are held in New Zealand.

Other notable Australian races include the prized Australian Derby, the Australian Pacing Championship, the New South Wales Derby, the Victoria Cup, the Victoria Derby, the AG Hunter Cup and the Miracle Mile.

Top harness races in New Zealand include the New Zealand Cup, the Great Northern Derby, the Auckland Cup, the New Zealand Derby, and the Noel J Taylor Memorial Mile.