A new law passed by the North Carolina Legislature last year is set to open the door for horse racing betting to boom during 2024 and beyond.
There has been off-track simulcast horse race wagering at tribal casinos in the state since 2019, but that has been as good as it has got for fans of the sport.
However, the new legislation will allow in-state and online betting on horse races, bringing North Carolina into line with many other regions in the United States.
With that in mind, we look at some of the major horse racing events taking place across the world this year, starting with one which will be staged just a few hours away from North Carolina.
Pegasus World Cup
The $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park is the highlight of the early part of the year, offering punters a hugely tricky puzzle to unravel.
National Treasure and Saudi Crown are prominent in the betting for the race, but both need to bounce back from defeats at the 2023 Breeders’ Cup World Championship.
On that basis, Skippylongstocking could be the value bet to reverse the Dirt Mile form with National Treasure over the slightly longer distance in the Pegasus World Cup.
The horse recorded two impressive victories over nine furlongs at Prairie Meadows and Charles Town last summer and could be tough to beat at Gulfstream.
Cheltenham Festival
While North Carolina currently has no thoroughbred racecourses, the annual Queen’s Cup meeting in Charlotte highlights the region’s passion for the Sport of Kings.
The annual Queen’s Cup Steeplechase Races showcases the best jump racing in the region, providing a thrilling alternative to the more mundane fare of many flat racing meetings.
Given the popularity of the meeting, North Carolina punters may well fancy placing a few wagers on the prestigious Cheltenham Festival in March.
The four-day event is the pinnacle of the National Hunt calendar in the United Kingdom, and offers bettors a plethora of opportunities to bet on the races.
US Triple Crown
The undisputed holy grail of horse racing in the United States is the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing – a feat which has only been achieved on 13 occasions.
It comprises the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, which are traditionally staged during May and June each year.
The most famous winner of the Triple Crown was Secretariat, who famously set the stakes record for each of the three races in 1973.
American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018) are the only horses to win the Triple Crown this century, highlighting how difficult it is to triumph in all three events.
Royal Ascot
The five-day Royal Ascot meeting during June is one of the biggest betting events of the year, with sportsbooks across the world offering odds on the top races several months in advance.
It features a plethora of Group One events, many of which provide useful form pointers for other international meetings further down the line.
Top American trainer Wesley Ward has been a regular visitor to Royal Ascot in recent years, saddling numerous talented horses to big race victories.
Ward has had 12 winners at the meeting including No Nay Never, whose legacy is still felt in the sport ten years after he romped home in the Norfolk Stakes.
Breeders’ Cup World Championships
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships at the start of November are now firmly established as the culmination of the worldwide racing calendar.
The two-day meeting starts with a series of juvenile championship races, before older horses get their time in the spotlight in different disciplines the following day.
The Breeders’ Cup was once dominated by horses trained in North America, but has increasingly become an international affair in recent years.
Leading Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien often sends his best horses to the meeting and has rewarded loyal punters with several notable victories.
Melbourne Cup
Known as ‘the race that stops the nation’, it is impossible to downplay the status the Melbourne Cup has within the Australian sporting landscape.
Traditionally staged at Flemington Racecourse on the first Tuesday in November, the race generates a massive amount of betting activity across the world.
Much like the Grand National in England, the Melbourne Cup is an event where novice punters clamour to find betting sites bonus offers to place their only bet of the year.
Picking the winner of the Melbourne Cup is one of the biggest betting thrills you can enjoy, regardless of whether you are a newbie or a seasoned punter.
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