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US Horse Races 2021 Betting: Mark Your Calendar
Any list of the top dozen horse races to bet on in 2021 is going to be subjective, and this one is no exception. It leans heavily on the 3-year-old races of the spring and summer at the expense of some of the good races for older horses, turf runners and fillies and mares. Tradition, purse money, graded stakes status and the beauty of the host racetrack all played a role in picking my top dozen.
I also factored in whether races are likely to be nationally televised and available for wagering on most advance deposit wagering sites, such as horse betting platforms in the USA: TVG, Amwager on the Internet and at off-track-betting outlets.
Top 2021 U.S. Horse Racing Betting Events
|
2021 Dates |
Horse Racing Event |
|
Jan 23 |
The Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park |
|
March 6 |
The $400,000 Santa Anita Handicap |
|
March 27 |
The $800,000 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park |
|
April 3 |
$750,000 Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita |
|
April 3 |
$750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct |
|
April 3 (probable date in 2021) |
$1 million Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland |
|
April 10 |
$1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park |
|
April 30 |
$1.25 million Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs |
|
May 1 |
$2 million Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs |
|
May 15 |
$1 million Preakness Stakes |
|
June 5 |
$1 million Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park |
|
Nov 5-6 2021 |
Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar |
Other Horse Racing Betting Opportunities in 2021
- $250,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct – Run in early December.
- $300,000 Malibu Stakes – Traditional opening day feature of Santa Anita meet beginning on Dec. 26.
- $300,000 Beholder Mile – Important Fillies and Mares race in March
- $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap – Fixture at Oaklawn Park for fillies and mares run in April.
- $300,000 Shoemaker Mile – important prep for Breeders’ Cup Mile run at Santa Anita in May
- $1 million Travers Stakes – Only major 3-year-old race we’re lacking because Saratoga hasn’t announced date of Midsummer Derby yet.
- $500,000 Sword Dancer Handicap – Marathon for older males on the turf usually run in late August.
- $500,000 Pacific Classic at Del Mar – generally run in August at Del Mar and last major prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on the West Coast.
- Arlington Million – What could be final running of this historic race – it was the first to offer a $1 million purse – likely sometime in September.
- $250,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park – usually run late Sept or early Oct. and an important Breeders’ Cup Classic prep race.
Dates, horses, odds for the 2021 racing events to be announced later. Check out bonus offers for horse racing betting if you are in the USA.
