The United States is blessed with a wide variety of prestigious horse racing venues that host some of the biggest events across the course of each year.
The Triple Crown events usually attract the biggest interest but there are plenty of exciting races that take place on the East Coast each year besides them.
Here we will look at the leading events that take place against a backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, including North Carolina’s unique annual offering.
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes – also known as The Midsummer Derby – is a shining example of one of many huge events that NC is home to.
Saratoga Park in New York is most well known for hosting the Belmont Stakes in June each year, which is the final leg of the Triple Crown. However, The Midsummer Derby comes second in place as the biggest race it hosts.
The Travers Stakes is run in August each year and consistently attracts high-level horses, including this year’s +400 Paddy Power horse racing favorite Sierra Leone. The horse finished third in the Belmont Stakes and will be joined by others who have performed admirably, according to the horse racing results for 2024 so far.
City Of Troy is an example of overseas talent set to feature in the contest. He won the Epsom Derby in England and will be testing himself on one of North America’s leading racecourses.
The Coral-Eclipse is the next target for City Of Troy 🤩 pic.twitter.com/sEAFiTPOFZ
— Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) June 9, 2024
The race dates back to 1864 and enhances in prestige each passing year, continuing its tradition of featuring world-leading horses. It is one of the United States’ standout races overall, and is certainly the greatest that the East Coast has to offer.
NC’s Jewel – The Queen’s Cup
The Queen’s Cup is not the most lucrative horse racing event on the East Coast, but it does have an incredibly unique pull compared to its competitors.
The race is a steeplechase event, which is a format that is rare on US soil. Its contests are often exhilarating due to the prominence of powerful racehorses and the unpredictability created by the four-and-a-half-foot jumps placed throughout the turf course.
The event is also unique due to the location that the action unravels within. North Carolina is not a state renowned for hosting major and exciting horse races, yet it has created a top sporting occasion in the Queen’s Cup that offers an attractive winner’s prize of $150,000 – its April event is not shy of elite-level jump racing talent bidding for the grand prize.
Haskell Invitational Stakes
Haskell Invitational Stakes is arguably Monmouth Park’s biggest race. The New Jersey venue also hosts annual meetings like the United Nations Stakes and the Monmouth Cup, but the exclusivity of the Haskell Invitational adds a special level of prestige to the occasion.
The event is only open to horses of three years old, and competitors can only participate if they receive an invitation. This ensures that high standards are maintained as horses are selected based on strong performances.
Rachel Alexandra is the definition of a RACING ICON.
She counts the 2009 Haskell Invitational Stakes among her many accolades. What’s your favourite win? 💛 pic.twitter.com/Dg2j9v9gsC
— World Horse Racing (@WHR) July 15, 2021
The race is also an out-and-out sprint at a length of just nine furlongs, so while the contest is short and sweet, it offers some of the most exciting seconds of horse racing drama on the US calendar.
The East Coast is ultimately home to a variety of exciting and prestigious races outside the globally followed Triple Crown. The Travers Stakes is without doubt the biggest and most popular, and the North Caroline-held Queen’s Cup offers a unique format that cannot be found in many other areas within the wider nation.
