Twenty-Five Random Horse Racing Facts for National Trivia Day

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Happy National Trivia Day! Whether you’re a history buff or fan of pub quizzes, we have 25 fun facts for you to help you celebrate the occasion. The questions are listed first, with answers after the break. How many did you know?

1. Who’s the only horse to have won the Breeders’ Cup Classic twice?

2. Who is the last filly to win a Triple Crown race?

3. In the movie “Seabiscuit,” what racetrack stood in for Pimlico Race Course, the venue where Seabiscuit defeated War Admiral in a famous match race on Nov. 1, 1938?

4. Who has trained the most Triple Crown race winners?

5. Where did Secretariat stand as a stallion?

6. What was the first race to offer a purse of $1 million in North America?

7. Which horse holds the speed record in all three Triple Crown races?

8. Who are the only three fillies (aka female horses) to win the Kentucky Derby?

9. Thoroughbreds can trace their lineage back to three foundation sires. What were their names?

10. Where was the cult classic horse racing comedy "Let It Ride" filmed?

11. Name the champion racehorse who was the last to go off at less than even-money odds in the Kentucky Derby.

12. Which Thoroughbred racehorse holds the world record for most consecutive victories?

13. Which jockey has won the most Breeders’ Cup races?

14. Michael Matz is well-known in racing for training top horses like Barbaro and Union Rags; he’s also a famous equestrian and in the United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame. How many times did Matz compete in the Olympics?

15. What is the highest price ever paid for Thoroughbred at public auction?

16. Who is the leading owner of Triple Crown race winners?

17. Who is the only female jockey to win a Triple Crown race?

18. What is the only Breeders' Cup race that ended in a dead heat for first, and who were the two winners?

19. What jockey played himself in the 2014 movie “50 to 1”?

20. The Kentucky Derby is run at a mile and a quarter over dirt. What distance is the English equivalent, the Investec Derby at Epsom Downs, run at, and over what surface?

21. Which racehorse is the top money-earner of all time?

22. Which sire is responsible for the most horses in the Racing Hall of Fame?

23. Of the three Triple Crown races – the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes – which one is the oldest?

24. Arcangues is the biggest longshot horse to win in the history of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1993 at odds of 133.60-1. Who is the biggest longshot filly to win a Breeders’ Cup race?

25. Who is the leading jockey of Triple Crown race winners?

Answers are below the gif!

1. Tiznow, who won the Classic in 2000 and 2001.

2. Rachel Alexandra, who captured the Preakness Stakes in 2009.

3. Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

4. D. Wayne Lukas (14 wins)

5. Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky.

6. The inaugural Arlington Million, won by John Henry in 1981.

7. Secretariat, who stormed the Triple Crown in 1973.

8. Regret (1915), Genuine Risk (1980), and Winning Colors (1988).

9. The Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian, and Godolphin Arabian

10. Hialeah Park near Miami, Fla.

11. Arazi in 1992 at 9-10 odds. The 1991 champion 2-year-old colt finished eighth in the race won by Lil E. Tee.

12. Camarero, who won 56 straight races in Puerto Rico in the 1950s.

13. Mike Smith, who won 26 Breeders’ Cup races from 1992-2017.

14. Three: 1976, 1992, and 1996. Bonus trivia: Matz was selected to carry the flag for the United States in the closing ceremony of the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

15. The Green Monkey, $16 million at 2006 Fasig-Tipton Florida sale of selected 2-year-olds.

16. Calumet Farm, who has owned 18 winners of Triple Crown races.

17. Julie Krone, who won the 1993 Belmont Stakes aboard Colonial Affair.

18. In the 2003 Breeders' Cup Turf, Johar and High Chaparral tied for first place.

19. Calvin Borel

20. A mile and a half on the turf.

21. Orfevre, a Japanese Thoroughbred who earned $19,005,275 over four years of racing.

22. Bull Lea, who sired seven Hall of Famers.

23. The Belmont Stakes is the oldest and was first run in 1867. The Preakness Stakes was first run in 1873, and the Kentucky Derby in 1875.

24. Bar of Gold, who won the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at odds of 66.70-1.

25. Eddie Arcaro (17 wins)

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