How To Bet On Horses: Your Complete Guide

Horse Race Betting Timeline

1. August 2021 – New Jersey becomes the first state to legalize fixed-odds horse race betting. Governor Phil Murphy signs the Fixed-Odds Wagering Act into law.

2. February 2020 – Saudi Arabia launches the Saudi Cup with a total prize pool of $20M. It instantly becomes the richest horse race in the world.

3. May 2006 – The Green Monkey becomes the greatest stud flop of all time when he is sold at auction for $16M, having never run a race. His stud fees were no more than $5,000. He produced very few race winners.

4. June 2000 – Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus is sold to racehorse breeder Coolmore Ireland for a record $70M. His stud fees begin at $150,000 but drop to just $7,500 by 2017.

5. March 1996 – Horse racing’s seat of power begins to shift to the Middle East with the launch of the Dubai World Cup. Cigar (USA) wins the race and collects the $2.4M first prize.

6. February 1983 – Shergar, an Irish horse that won the Epsom Derby and Irish Grand National, is kidnapped by an armed gang. They demand £2M for the horse’s release but his owners refuse the ransom. Shergar’s body has never been recovered.

7. April 1977 – The most famous racehorse in the world, Red Rum, wins his third Grand National at Aintree.

8. May 1973 – Secretariat wins the Kentucky Derby in a track-record time, before going on to set records in the Belmont Stakes and Preakness States. He remains the most famous US racehorse of all time.

9. 1940s-50s – The majority of US states change their laws to allow parimutuel betting on horses.

10. January 1927 – The Illinois General Assembly approves parimutuel wagering on horse racing to curb illegal wagering practices. Arlington Racetrack opened in Chicago’s suburbs later in the year.

11. June 1919 – Sir Barton claims the Belmont Stakes to become the world’s first Triple Crown winner. He wins at odds of 7-20 and earns owner J. K. L. Ross $11,950 in prize money.

12. 1908 – Twenty-five racetracks operate in the United States, despite the horse racing ban in every state bar in Maryland and Kentucky.

13. May 1875 – The first Kentucky Derby runs at Louisville Jockey Club. Jockey Oliver Lewis rides Aristides to victory from a field of 15 runners.

14. February 1839 – Lottery wins the first-ever Grand National at Aintree, Liverpool. The race becomes famous for its long distance, 30 jumps, and large field of runners. It remains the most-watched horse race on the planet.

15. May 1780 – Lord Derby of Epsom organizes the first Epsom Derby. The one-mile dash becomes the template for other derbies around the world, including the Kentucky Derby.

16. 1730 – America imports its first thoroughbred racehorse from England, Bulle Rock. More than 180 more thoroughbreds crossed the Atlantic, forming the base for the United States’ thoroughbred breeding industry.

17. 1680 – The first thoroughbred horse is imported to England from the Middle East. The Byerley Turk is soon followed by the Darley Arabian (1704), and the Godolphin Arabian (1729). All thoroughbred horses can trace their lineage back to one of these three stations.

18. 1664 – The first organized race in America takes place in New Amsterdam (now New York City) in 1664. British commander Col. Richard Nicolls lays out a two-mile course on the plains of Long Island.