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Here’s a list of our top horse races where it’s ok to let your hair down and have some fashionable fun. Unlike the Grand Slam tournaments for tennis and golf, no one here will tell you to shush. We’re placing our bets across the board that win, lose or draw, you’ll have a blast.
Kentucky Derby
Louisville, Kentucky
Funky crazy hats and Mint Julips
This race is hard to tell if it’s all about racing horses or just fun hats. Hopefully, you have connections to get a spot on the celebrity-filled Millionaires Row. If not you’ll likely need to watch the race from the crowded infield.
Here is where 80,000 partiers mix and mingle and maybe catch a glimpse of the horses passing by. In that case, you can pretend it’s all about the hats. Oh, and the Mint Julips.
Each year, almost 120,000 Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs Racetrack.
That’s a feat that requires more than 10,000 bottles of Old Forester Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail, 1,000 pounds of freshly harvested mint and 60,000 pounds of ice.
Preakness Stakes
Baltimore, Maryland
Flowers, beer and concerts
Think of this as a party with a horse race thrown in to add a little interest. At this top-rated race, the winning horse is draped in a delicate blanket made from Black-Eyed Susans, Maryland’s state flower.
Tickets for under $100 can be purchased for the Grand Concourse where you can mingle with the society folks in bright colors and over-the-top hats.
Cheaper tickets get spectators onto the Infield where the beer flows freely all day and concerts and other events fill the time before the race.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
Paris, France
Champagne, live jazz music, and pony rides for the kids.
Thanks to its affiliation with the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, it has one of the highest prizes in the horse racing world at 4 million Euros.
The race is the centerpiece to a brilliant day of Flat racing with six Group 1 races attracting trainers from around the globe.
We’ve heard of million-dollar smiles, this one’s about 4 million.
Dubai World Cup
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Suites and hotel rooms trackside to do whatever.
The Meydan Racecourse is alongside The Meydan Hotel so you can watch the race from the swanky grandstand or from the comfort of an extravagant room or suite at the world’s first track-side hotel. With a purse of 12 million dollars, this is some serious racing.
Dubai on the surface seems more like a place to play with a few million here and a few million there under some strict rules, but watching races from the privacy of your room gives you a little more freedom.
Courtesy: The Meydan Hotel
Melbourne Cup Carnival
Melbourne, Australia
Carnival with a fashion competition
Throwing in the word “carnival” with a horserace should tell you right off the bat what’s going down, down under. This offers Fashions on the Field, which is the carnival’s competition of the best-dressed men and women with celebrity judges and high-end sponsors.
Fashion’s always the winner at the Melbourne Cup Carnival (Courtesy: Fabulous Femme)
