A comeback year for equine festivities, the packed schedule in 2022 itself is proof of that. Being selective with the list, here are some of the biggest horse races and equine celebrations that you should mark on your calendar.
Saudi Cup (26th February)
Let’s start with the world’s richest horse racing event and the world’s richest horse race. The Saudi Cup Meeting will be held on the 25th & 26th of February 2022, at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh. With a prize pool of $20 million and a winner’s share of $10 million in 2021, Saudi Cup was already the world’s richest race, boasting the highest winner’s share simultaneously.
There will be an added prize pool of $15 million (Total $35 million) for the 2022 event, as confirmed by Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al Faisal. Now that the Saudi Cup Meeting is also the world’s richest horse racing festival, prize pools are going to be much bigger for Saudi Cup Meeting 2022’s Grade III races.
Cheltenham Festival (15th – 18th March)
Stakes for the Cheltenham Festival have always been high, given that it is one of the biggest and richest (£625,000) jump racing events in the world. Packed to the brim with 14 Grade I National Hunt races in 2022, clear your schedule for four days, 15th – 18th March this year.
Like last year, there will be seven races on each of the four days, complete with several Grade I main events like the Champion Hurdle Challenge (15th at 3:30 pm), the Queen Mother Champion Chase (16th at 3:30 pm), and of course, the Cheltenham Gold Cup (18th at 3:30 pm).
Dubai World Cup Night (26th March)
Roughly 2-weeks after the excitement at Cheltenham ends, the Dubai World Cup Night Festival will start at the Meydan Racecourse on Saturday 26th March. In addition to being the world’s third-richest horse racing festival ($30.5 million) in 2022, the event will also host the world’s second-richest Grade I/Group 1 thoroughbred race, aka the Dubai World Cup ($12 million) at 5:40 pm.
The Dubai Turf ($6 million) at 3:30 pm and the Dubai Sheema Classic ($6 million) at 4:10 pm are the other two major Group 1 events of the night to watch out for. Note that the times mentioned here are based on Greenwich Standard Time.
The Grand National (9th April)
The Grand National is the only National Hunt event that has a bigger pot (£750,000 – £1 million) than even the Cheltenham Festival. More importantly, the ancient contest (est. 1839) is considered by most to be the most prestigious jump race in the world. The race will start with 40 champion thoroughbreds at 5:15 pm on 9th April, Saturday at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, like always.
Kentucky Derby (7th May)
Held on the final day of the Kentucky Derby Festival, the first race of the American Triple crown is one of the United States’ oldest and richest, Grade I, 2km flat races. Keep your mint juleps ready before the $3 million race starts at 6:57 pm ET/11:57 pm GMT on Saturday, 7th May (Churchill Downs Horse Racing Complex).
Breeders’ Cup World Championships (4th & 5th November)
As of 2022, Breeder’s Cup World Championships have dislodged Dubai World Cup Night to take the second most expensive horse racing festival’s position on the global list. The $31 million Championship is uniquely exclusive to Grade I thoroughbred races only and there will be 14 of them in 2022.
It’s Juvenile Day on Friday the 4th, 2022 which will see the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (1 mile) at 11:50 pm, and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (1 1/16 mile) at 12:40 am (5th November, GMT) as its main events. On Saturday, stakes are huge as we will see the Breeder’s Cup Distaff (1 1/8 mile) at 11 pm, the Breeders’ Cup Turf at 11:40 pm (1 1/2 mile), and the Breeders’ Cup Classic (1 1/16 mile) at 12:40 am (6th November, GMT). Keep in mind that the prize pools may change this year.
Although not mentioned here, the Belmont Stakes (10th – 11th June), the Royal Ascot Gold Cup (16th June), the Melbourne Cup (1st November), the W.S. Cox Plate (22nd October), and several other major horse racing events are also due in 2022. You can expect most of them to be bigger and better than they were in 2020 and 2021.
