USA Horse Racing

The USA Horse Racing industry as a whole is a multi-billion dollar concern supplying jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans while being a major source of tax revenue for many States, particularly California and Kentucky. Horse racing betting in the USA is very substantial with the amount wagered on Breeders Cup day alone exceeding $120 million.

US Horse Races are administered at a state level with tracks taking a percentage of the handle wagered on every race (usually between 20%-25%) to pay taxes and expenses. There is American horse racing on a daily basis at numerous racetracks with thoroughbred and quarter horse races the most popular.

Organized Horse Racing in the USA didn't start until after the civil war, although horses were brought to America much earlier. From that point onward, thoroughbred racing really took off and by 1890 the were 314 tracks in operation.

Unfortunately USA horse racing wasn't well governed early on, which led to criminal elements influencing the sport. This lead to the American Jockey Club being formed, who ruled racing with an iron first and  got rid of most of the corruption. USA horse racing suffered its worst period in the early 1900s because of antigambling sentiment. Pari Mutuel wagering on the Kentucky Derby signaled the turnaround for racing, and the model was adopted by many states.

Today, US horse racing features some of the most important horse races in the world including the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes) and the annual Breeders' Cup race meeting, which culminates with the Breeders' Cup Classic. This is the joint-second richest horse race in the world with a purse of $5,000,000. Only the Dubai World Cup offers more prize money.

We have listed some of the most popular USA horse races here, and we also recommend safe online sportsbooks and racebooks where players can bet on US horse racing. These sportsbooks offer excellent promotions and cash-back rebates (on some USA tracks the amount is as high as 8%) on your betting handle.

USA Horse Racing - The Major Races

The Santa Anita Derby is a Grade 1 race worth $750,000 and is one of the most important West Coast races for the three-year-old crop.

The San Felipe Stakes is a significant prep race on the road to the Kentucky Derby for West Coast horses. It has Grade 2 status.

The Sham Stakes is a Grade 3 race held at Santa Anita Park and is used as a prep race for Kentucky Derby contenders.

Juvenile fillies clash at Belmont Park in the Frizette Stakes, a Grade 1 race over 1600m or 8 furlongs or 1 mile if you prefer simplicity. The race carries a $400k purse.

One of many Grade 1 races held at Santa Anita racecourse, the Norfolk Stakes, is contested over a mile and a 16th for juvenile colts and geldings.

The Oak Leaf Stakes is a Grade 1 race for juvenile fillies that is run at the Santa Anita racetrack. Top trainers like Bon Baffert and D.Wayne Lukas have dominated this race in the past.

The Vosburgh Stakes is a Grade 1 sprint held on the East Coast at Belmont Stakes and is a pointer and prep race for the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

The Champagne Stakes is a Grade 1 race held at Belmont Park for two year old (juvenile) males. It has a long and distinguished history.

The Yellow Ribbon Stakes is a Grade 1 race for the ladies held at Santa Anita Park during the Oak Tree meeting for a stakes purse of $400k.

The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic is one of the more important turf races held in the USA. It is a Grade 1 race run at Belmont Park and some illustrious campaigners have won it in the past.

The Lady's Secret Stakes is a Grade 1 race held as part of the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park. The race commemorates one of the great fillies in the history of American horse racing.

The Goodwood Stakes at Oak Tree is a Grade 1 horse race held at Santa Anita Park. Two jockeys have each won the race four times - Kent Desormeaux and Gary Stevens.

The Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Stakes is a Grade 1 turf race held at Santa Anita Park, and formerly known as the Oak Tree Stakes.

The Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes is a Grade 1 race contested at Belmont Park open to fillies and mares.

The Beldame Stakes is one of Belmont Park's many Grade 1 races, and has a rich and interesting history that dates back to 1939.

The Ancient Title Breeders' Cup Stakes is a Grade 1 sprint held during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park. It is part of the "win and you're in" program entitling the winner to race in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.