What is horse racing?
Horse racing is the sport of racing horses under saddle or in harness, and one of the oldest organized sports in the world. It runs in three main codes: thoroughbred flat racing, jump racing (National Hunt — over hurdles and fences, the Grand National and Cheltenham its stages), and harness racing, in which standardbreds trot or pace pulling a sulky.[1] [2]
How is racing governed?
Unusually for a major sport, there is no single world federation. National authorities rule their own jurisdictions — the Jockey Club and, since 2020, the federal HISA authority in the United States; the BHA in Britain; France Galop; the JRA in Japan; Racing Australia — while the IFHA coordinates internationally, publishing the World's Best Racehorse Rankings and maintaining the Group/Grade pattern that classifies races by quality.[2] [3]
The economics: wagering and bloodstock
Racing's economy rests on two pillars found in no other sport at this scale. Wagering funds purses and the industry itself — pari-mutuel pools and bookmaking turn over enormous sums, and racing's calendar is shaped around betting handle. And breeding: a champion's real value is often at stud, with bloodstock sales at Keeneland and Tattersalls trading yearlings for millions on pedigree alone.[1] [4]
The great races
- The U.S. Triple Crown — Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont — plus the Breeders' Cup each autumn.[4]
- Britain and Ireland — Royal Ascot, the Epsom Derby, Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National.[2]
- The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp — Europe's championship race.[2]
- The Melbourne Cup — "the race that stops a nation" — and the Dubai World Cup, the Saudi Cup and Japan Cup.[3]
How is racing awarded?
- Group 1 / Grade 1 victories — the classification that defines a racehorse's standing.[3]
- The World's Best Racehorse Rankings — IFHA's official annual ratings.[3]
- Jockey and trainer championships, plus Eclipse and Cartier Awards.[4]
- Stud value — the sport's ultimate, if unromantic, measure of a champion.[1]
Who has won the most in horse racing?
Flat racing, and the American Triple Crown unless a table says otherwise — several countries run one. Jockey and trainer counts come from each race's own record book: Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby records, the Preakness media guide, and a count made from the New York Racing Association's complete Belmont winners table, 1867 to 2026. The Epsom Derby figures were counted from the Jockey Club's complete list back to 1780. Thirteen horses have won the American Triple Crown; there was no winner in 2026. Two tables are deliberately capped rather than presented as top tens: the Preakness record book lists riders and trainers only from 1909, and omits Bill Shoemaker and five winning rides altogether, so neither can support a ranking below three wins. Note also a disagreement inside Churchill Downs' own documents, visible between two tables here: the 1948 Derby is credited to Ben Jones and the 1948 Preakness to Horace Jones.
Most Kentucky Derby wins by a jockey (1875–2026)
| Rank | Jockey | Years | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | Eddie Arcaro | 1938, 1941, 1945, 1948, 1952 | 5 |
| 1= | Bill Hartack | 1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1969 | 5 |
| 3 | Bill Shoemaker | 1955, 1959, 1965, 1986 | 4 |
| 4= | 8 jockeys on 3: Isaac Murphy (1884, 1890, 1891), Earle Sande (1923, 1925, 1930), Angel Cordero Jr. (1974, 1976, 1985), Gary Stevens (1988, 1995, 1998), Kent Desormeaux (1998, 2000, 2008), Calvin Borel (2007, 2009, 2010), Victor Espinoza (2002, 2014, 2015), John Velazquez (2011, 2017, 2020) | – | 3 |
Most Kentucky Derby wins by a trainer (1897–2026)
| Rank | Trainer | Years | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | Ben "Plain Ben" Jones | 1938, 1941, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1952 | 6 |
| 1= | Bob Baffert | 1997, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2018, 2020 | 6 |
| 3= | Herbert J. "Derby Dick" Thompson | 1921, 1926, 1932, 1933 | 4 |
| 3= | D. Wayne Lukas | 1988, 1995, 1996, 1999 | 4 |
| 5= | James "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons | 1930, 1935, 1939 | 3 |
| 5= | Max Hirsch | 1936, 1946, 1950 | 3 |
| 7= | 13 trainers on 2: Jimmy Jones, Horatio Luro, Henry Forrest, Lucien Laurin, Laz Barrera, LeRoy Jolley, Woody Stephens, Charlie Whittingham, Nick Zito, Carl Nafzger, Doug O'Neill, Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott | – | 2 |
Most Preakness Stakes wins by a jockey (ranked from the 1909–2026 record book)
| Rank | Jockey | Years | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Arcaro | 1941, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1957 | 6 |
| 2 | Pat Day | 1985, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996 | 5 |
| 3= | Bill Hartack | 1956, 1964, 1969 | 3 |
| 3= | Kent J. Desormeaux | 1998, 2008, 2016 | 3 |
| 3= | Gary L. Stevens | 1997, 2001, 2013 | 3 |
| 3= | Victor Espinoza | 2002, 2014, 2015 | 3 |
| 3= | George Barbee | 1873 and two others, 1870s | 3 |
| 3= | L. Hughes | late 1800s | 3 |
Most Preakness Stakes wins by a trainer (ranked from the 1909–2026 record book)
| Rank | Trainer | Years | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Baffert | 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2023 | 8 |
| 2= | R. Wyndham Walden | 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882 and two others | 7 |
| 2= | D. Wayne Lukas | 1980, 1985, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2013, 2024 | 7 |
| 4= | James E. Fitzsimmons | 1930, 1935, 1955, 1957 | 4 |
| 4= | Thomas J. Healey | 1922, 1923, 1926, 1929 | 4 |
| 4= | Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones | 1947, 1948, 1956, 1958 | 4 |
| 7= | 12 trainers on 2 in the 1909–2025 list: Steve Asmussen, Thomas Bohannan, Chad Brown, Henry Forrest, J. S. Healey, Max Hirsch, William Hurley, Ben A. Jones, Michael McCarthy, Jack Van Berg, J. Whalen, Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. | – | 2 |
Most Belmont Stakes wins by a jockey (1867–2026)
| Rank | Jockey | Years | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | Eddie Arcaro | 1941, 1942, 1945, 1948, 1952, 1955 | 6 |
| 1= | Jimmy McLaughlin | 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888 | 6 |
| 3= | Bill Shoemaker | 1957, 1959, 1962, 1967, 1975 | 5 |
| 3= | Earl Sande | 1921, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1930 | 5 |
| 5= | Jimmy Stout | 1936, 1938, 1939 | 3 |
| 5= | Braulio Baeza | 1961, 1963, 1969 | 3 |
| 5= | Laffit Pincay Jr. | 1982, 1983, 1984 | 3 |
| 5= | Pat Day | 1989, 1994, 2000 | 3 |
| 5= | Gary Stevens | 1995, 1998, 2001 | 3 |
| 5= | Mike Smith | 2010, 2013, 2018 | 3 |
Most Belmont Stakes wins by a trainer (1867–2026)
| Rank | Trainer | Years | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Rowe Sr. | 1883, 1884, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1913 | 8 |
| 2 | Sam Hildreth | 1899, 1909, 1916, 1917, 1921, 1923, 1924 | 7 |
| 3 | James "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons | 1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1955 | 6 |
| 4 | Woody Stephens | 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 | 5 |
| 5= | Todd Pletcher | 2007, 2013, 2017, 2022 | 4 |
| 5= | D. Wayne Lukas | 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000 | 4 |
| 5= | Max Hirsch | 1928, 1946, 1950, 1954 | 4 |
| 5= | R. W. Walden | 1878, 1880, 1881, 1898 | 4 |
| 9= | 6 trainers on 3: Bob Baffert (2001, 2015, 2018), Lucien Laurin (1966, 1972, 1973), D. McDaniel (1871, 1872, 1873), F. McCabe (1886, 1887, 1888), Elliott Burch (1959, 1964, 1969), John M. Gaver (1942, 1949, 1968) | – | 3 |
United States Triple Crown winners (1919–2026)
| No. | Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1919 | Sir Barton | Johnny Loftus | H. Guy "Hard Guy" Bedwell |
| 2 | 1930 | Gallant Fox | Earl Sande | James "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons |
| 3 | 1935 | Omaha | Willie "Smokey" Saunders | James "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons |
| 4 | 1937 | War Admiral | Charlie Kurtsinger | George Conway |
| 5 | 1941 | Whirlaway | Eddie Arcaro | Ben "Plain Ben" Jones |
| 6 | 1943 | Count Fleet | Johnny Longden | Don Cameron |
| 7 | 1946 | Assault | Warren Mehrtens | Max Hirsch |
| 8 | 1948 | Citation | Eddie Arcaro | Ben "Plain Ben" Jones |
| 9 | 1973 | Secretariat | Ron Turcotte | Lucien Laurin |
| 10 | 1977 | Seattle Slew | Jean Cruguet | Billy Turner Jr. |
| 11 | 1978 | Affirmed | Steve Cauthen | Laz Barrera |
| 12 | 2015 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert |
| 13 | 2018 | Justify | Mike Smith | Bob Baffert |
Most Epsom Derby wins by a jockey (1780–2026)
| Rank | Jockey | Years | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lester Piggott | 1954, 1957, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1983 | 9 |
| 2= | Steve Donoghue | 1915, 1917, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925 | 6 |
| 2= | Jem Robinson | 1817, 1824, 1825, 1827, 1828, 1836 | 6 |
| 4= | Fred Archer | 1877, 1880, 1881, 1885, 1886 | 5 |
| 4= | Frank Buckle | 1792, 1794, 1802, 1811, 1823 | 5 |
| 4= | William Clift | 1793, 1800, 1803, 1810, 1819 | 5 |
| 4= | John Arnull | 1784, 1790, 1796, 1799, 1807 | 5 |
| 8= | 7 jockeys on 4: Ryan Moore (2010, 2013, 2023, 2024), Willie Carson (1979, 1980, 1989, 1994), Charlie Smirke (1934, 1936, 1952, 1958), Jack Watts (1887, 1890, 1894, 1896), William Scott (1832, 1835, 1842, 1843), Tom Goodisson (1809, 1813, 1815, 1822), Sam Arnull (1780, 1782, 1787, 1798) | – | 4 |
Most Epsom Derby wins by a trainer (1780–2026)
| Rank | Trainer | Years | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aidan O'Brien | 2001, 2002, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | 12 (listed under two name forms) |
| 2= | Fred Darling | 1922, 1925, 1926, 1931, 1938, 1940, 1941 | 7 |
| 2= | John Porter | 1868, 1882, 1883, 1886, 1890, 1891, 1899 | 7 |
| 2= | Robert Robson | 1793, 1802, 1809, 1810, 1815, 1817, 1823 | 7 |
| 5= | Sir Michael Stoute | 1981, 1986, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2022 | 6 |
| 5= | Vincent O'Brien | 1962, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1982 | 6 |
| 5= | Matthew Dawson | 1860, 1870, 1877, 1885, 1894, 1895 | 6 |
| 5= | Frank Neale | 1782, 1783, 1786, 1788, 1798, 1804 | 6 |
| 9= | John Scott | 1835, 1842, 1843, 1852, 1853 | 5 |
| 9= | Dixon Boyce | 1805, 1807, 1812, 1814, 1828 | 5 |
| 9= | Richard Prince | 1795, 1796, 1799, 1806, 1819 | 5 |
Medal lists rank on total medals, then gold, then silver; title lists rank on titles. Equal totals are separated by golds, then silvers, and every table states the period it covers. Verified September 2026.[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
References
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Horse racing. Accessed August 2026.
- British Horseracing Authority — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- IFHA — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- Kentucky Derby — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- Churchill Downs — Kentucky Derby jockey records, 1875–2025. Accessed September 2026.
- Churchill Downs — Kentucky Derby trainer records, 1898–2025. Accessed September 2026.
- Churchill Downs — Triple Crown history. Accessed September 2026.
- Preakness Stakes — 2026 media guide, records section. Accessed September 2026.
- New York Racing Association — Belmont Stakes past winners, 1867–2026. Accessed September 2026.
- The Jockey Club — Epsom Derby previous winners, 1780–2026. Accessed September 2026.
- Churchill Downs — Kentucky Derby past winners, including 2026. Accessed September 2026.