Horse racing in various forms has been practiced for many centuries. It is also known as 'The Sport of Kings'.

In the UK and Ireland there are two main types of horse racing, namely National Hunt and Flat racing.

National Hunt racing generally takes place outside the summer months and has two major annual events: the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National at Aintree. The Cheltenham Festival usually takes place every March and has a thrilling and unique atmosphere aided by the thousands of race fans who travel across from Ireland. The pinnacle event at Cheltenham is the Cheltenham Gold Cup and has been won by legendary race horses such as Golden Miller, Cottage Rake, Arkle, L'Escargot, Desert Orchid and Best Mate.

Classic Grand National DVDs

The Grand National is arguably the most famous horse race in the world and is held annually in April at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. The first winner, in 1836 was The Duke and since then has been won by many horse racing legends such as Golden Miller, Foinavon, Red Rum and Aldaniti.

In Flat Racing there are five 'Classics' each year: the One Thousand Guineas, Two Thousand Guineas Epsom Oaks, Epsom Derby and the St Leger. It is The Derby which is arguably the most prestigious flat race in the world, and the first recorded race took place in 1661. The Derby we recognise today was won for the first time by Diomed in 1780 and includes famous winners such as Never Say Die, Nijinsky, Mill Reef and Shergar.