Horse racing fans have plenty to look forward to this year, with the fixture list packed with a host of top-class events taking place across the world.

Newmarket inevitably features at the forefront of our thinking. With the Suffolk racecourse set to stage its usual line-up of high-quality equine action.

With that in mind, read on as we pinpoint six must-watch horse racing events in 2024. Starting with one which will generate a ton of activity in the betting industry.

Cheltenham Festival

The eyes of the horse racing world will be on leafy Gloucestershire in March. As the prestigious four-day Cheltenham Festival is staged.

The meeting, which is the pinnacle of the National Hunt season in the United Kingdom. Features a host of Grade 1 hurdle and steeplechase races.

These include four headline events staged on each day – the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Whether you head to Cheltenham to attend in-person or watch the action on television. The meeting promises to provide punters with loads of memorable moments.

Newmarket Guineas Festival

Newmarket takes centre stage at the start of May as the QIPCO Guineas Festival delivers the first Classic races of the 2024 flat racing campaign.

The 1000 and 2000 Guineas are among the most historic events in horse racing, with each contest dating back to 19th century.

Anticipation for this year’s 2000 Guineas will likely be off the scale as the Aidan O’Brien trained City of Troy bids to prove he is horse racing’s new superstar.

O’Brien described the horse as the best two-year-old he has ever trained – lofty praise given some of the stellar talent he has previously had in his stable.

Royal Ascot

If you want fashion and pageantry mixed in with top-class racing. There is no better place on earth to do this than at Royal Ascot in June.

The five-day meeting is the highlight of the summer flat racing calendar in the UK, offering fans a unique way to enjoy the Sport of Kings.

Royal Ascot’s prize money has been raised to £10 million for 2024, making the meeting the most valuable in the annual UK horse racing calendar.

Every Group 1 race is worth an eye-watering £650,000, while many of the handicap races are among the most lucrative staged in the UK each year. 

Sydney Everest Carnival

Horse racing fans who fancy doing something a little more extravagant in 2024 would be well advised to consider organising a trip around the Sydney Everest Carnival.

This covers nine exciting meetings at Royal Randwick and Rosehill Gardens which are staged between September and November each year.

The Carnival is headlined by TAB Everest Day in October – a meeting which features some of the top sprinters on the planet competing in a $20 million contest.

Billed as the ‘world’s richest race on turf’, The Everest is now only second in prestige behind another Australian event which also has an eye-catching moniker.

Melbourne Cup

Only a handful of races worldwide can truly claim to have gained iconic status. The Grand National in England is one – the Melbourne Cup in Australia is undoubtedly another.

Lovingly known as ‘the race that stops the nation’ the Melbourne Cup is an event which garners interest from people who may not ordinarily follow the sport.

Betting sites are inundated for requests for horse racing promotions in the run-up to the race from punters who are keen to place their only bet of the year.

The spectacle of 24 top-class stayers thundering around Flemington Racecourse in early November is a sight every horse racing fan should witness at least once in their life.

Breeders’ Cup World Championships

Another highlight during the early part of November is the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. A two-day meeting which serves as the culmination of the international flat racing calendar.

Del Mar Racecourse in San Diego has been chosen as the venue for the next two editions of an event that generates massive interest in online betting circles.

The Breeders’ Cup features championship races run on dirt or turf over different distances. Each of which are designed to crown the champion horse in a specific category.

With more than $30 million in prize money up for grabs over the two days. It is easy to see why trainers worldwide are keen to have runners in the Breeders’ Cup.