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From spring to fall, the most popular graded stakes of horse racing in the US can be grouped by the spring’s Triple Crown racing series, the major graded summer races and the Breeders’ Cup in early November.
Here are seven graded horse racing events throughout the year that you can bet on from the Kentucky Derby to the Breeders’ Cup.
1. Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is the most heavily bet single horse racing event in the US. The Grade 1 stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbreds is held on the first Saturday in May. The feature race is at Churchill Downs and the track is in Louisville, Kentucky.
The prize purse is $3 million and the horse race covers 1¼ miles on dirt. The Kentucky Derby is known as the Crown Jewel of the Triple Crown.
2. Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is the third Saturday in May and the event covers 1 3/16 miles on dirt. This Grade 1 stakes is at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The stakes race is the second leg of the Triple Crown and the prize purse is $1.5 million.
This horse race is also open to three-year-olds and the track is one of the oldest courses on the East Coast. The track record at Pimlico for the Preakness Stakes was set in 1973. Secretariat covered the 1 3/16 mile on dirt in 1:53.00.
3. Belmont Stakes
The longest graded stakes race in the Triple Crown is the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Long Island, New York. Covering 1½ miles on dirt, the prize purse is $1.5 million. This horse race is run three weeks after the Preakness Stakes and in fall on the second Saturday in June.
In 2022, the winner (Mo Donegal) of the Belmont Stakes earned $800,000, which is 53% of the winnings for the Grade 1 race.
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4. Haskell Stakes
The Haskell Stakes is held at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. As one the first Grade 1 stakes race in the summer, the event is run on Saturday at the end of July. The prize purse is $1 million and the course is 1 1/8 miles on dirt.
The current sponsor is TVG.com (2019-). Some of the past sponsors are Buick (1996-1998), Izod (2010), William Hill (2013-2015) and Betfair (2016-2018).
5. Travers Stakes
Another New York horse track is Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs. This race track is home to the Grade 1 Travers Stakes. The Mid-Summer Derby is the third-ranked race for America’s three-year-old horses and the event is run at the end of August.
The prize purse is $1.25 million and the stakes race covers 1¼ miles on dirt. The Travers Stakes is the traditional centerpiece of the Saratoga meet in summer.
6. Pacific Classic
Out on the West Coast in Southern California, the Grade 1 Pacific Classic is the highlight of the summer season at Del Mar Racetrack. The prize purse of this graded stakes race is $1 million and it covers 1¼ miles on dirt. The racing event is open to horses three and older.
The Pacific Classic is the richest and most prestigious race at Del Mar and it takes place in early September. FanDuel is the presenting sponsor through TVG.com.
7. Breeders’ Cup Classic
The featured race of the two-day Breeders’ Cup is the $6 million Classic. This Grade 1 stakes is run on Saturday evening in the beginning of November. The whole Breeders’ Cup event is held at prominent race tracks across the US such as Churchill Downs, Santa Anita Park and Keeneland Race Course.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is open to Thoroughbreds three and older. The race covers 1¼ on dirt and some the winners in the recent past were American Pharoah (2015), Gun Runner (2017) and Flightline (2022).
