Although horse racing in Great Britain and Ireland has the biggest following, the industry itself is truly a global affair and racing takes place in many corners of the world.

Our series thus far has looked at horse racing in Great Britain, Ireland, France, USA and Australia.

In this article we are going to take a look at some of the other racing jurisdictions you may, or may not be familiar with and which we cover on 888sport.

Dubai Horse Racing 

The year 2020 is actually the 10th anniversary since the unveiling of Meydan Racecourse - a spectacular looking racing venue in the middle of Nad Al Sheba in the United Arab Emirates.

It was the brainchild of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Meydan was opened in 2010 to mark the 15th running of the Dubai World Cup, one of horseracing’s most prestigious events.

The 2,400 m left-handed turf track hosts the world’s two richest turf races - the $6 million Dubai Turf and the $6million Dubai Sheema Classic, while the dirt track, on which the $12 million Dubai World Cup is contested, is regarded as one of the greatest tests for both horse and rider.

The majority of Meydan’s fixtures take place on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Hidden away in between Al Barsha and Emirates Hills, Jebel Ali Racecourse is the forgotten older brother of Meydan racecourse and just a 20-minute drive away.

The track itself is a right handed horseshoe shape of 2200 metres with a 900 metre run into the finish. It has a 1400 metre straight course. The surface is a mixture of sand and oil and the track is well known for its steep European style finish.

Jebel Ali tends to hold its fixtures on a Friday.

Hong Kong Horse Racing

Arguably the most modern looking racetrack in the world is the amazing Happy Valley in Hong Kong.

Located on Hong Kong Island in the Wan Chai District, Happy Valley is the place to be on a Wednesday evening if you like to bet on horse racing.

With a capacity of 55,000, the track regularly attracts thousands of spectators from all over the world. The venue is owned by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and has been in operation since 1845.

Every season the International Jockey Championship is held at the Happy Valley Racecourse. Top riders from around the world compete for the much coveted title of International Riding Champion and the event is sponsored by Longines.

The contest is made up of 4 pre-selected races on a specified race night. The champion is the rider who accumulates the most points of the scheduled championship races. Points Awarded as follows: 1st Place 12 pts, 2nd Place finish receives 6 pts, 3rd Place finish 4pts.

Several well known names have lifted the prize over the last ten years, many of whom you are pretty certain to have punted on at some point or another:

• 2009 - Ryan Moore, Johnny Murtagh, Christophe Lemaire
• 2010 - Ryan Moore
• 2011 - Frankie Dettori
• 2012 - J. Moreira
• 2013 - K. McEvoy
• 2014 - Yuichi Fukunaga
• 2015 - G.Lerena
• 2016 - Hugh Bowman
• 2017 - Zac Purton
• 2018 - Silvestre De Sousa
• 2019 - Karis Teetan.

Happy Valley of course is just one of two racetracks in Hong Kong, the other one being Sha Tin Racecourse.

Sha Tin was built in 1978 by reclaiming land from the sea. With the capacity of around 60,000 spectators, it is widely acknowledged as a world-class racetrack.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club have continually attracted the world’s leading riders over the decades, including England’s Lester Piggott, Willie Carson of Scotland, Frenchman Yves-Saint Martin and Italian Gianfranco Dettori, father of Frankie Dettori, who later also picked up his own accolades in Hong Kong.

Japanese Horse Racing

The Japanese public are fanatical at times about their horse racing and the sport itself is extremely well organised.

The Japan Racing Association (JRA) is the governing body of Japanese horse racing, and runs everything from the racetracks to the off-track betting sites.

The JRA administers ten racecourses across the length and breadth of Japan.

The list includes the Tokyo Racecourse, Kyoto Racecourse, Nakayama Racecourse (Funabashi, Chiba), Hanshin Racecourse (Takarazuka, Hyogo), Sapporo Racecourse, Hakodate Racecourse, Fukushima Racecourse, Niigata Racecourse, Chukyo Racecourse (Toyoake, Aichi), and the Kokura Racecourse (Kitakyushu, Fukuoka).

The premier venue for horse racing in Japan is the Tokyo Racecourse, located in Fuchu, Tokyo. It was built in 1933 and was given a major overhaul in 2007, and it hosts numerous prestigious races including the Japanese Derby and the Japan Cup.

The Japanese are no strangers to sending their horses to compete overseas and they are particularly fond of contesting the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe at Paris Longchamp.

Orfevre, the 2011 Japanese Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year, finished an agonising second in the 2012 renewal.

The five-year-old daughter of dual Arc runner-up Orfevre, Lucky Lilac, won the Grade 1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin at the start of April and could be a possible Arc contender herself in 2020.

German Horse Racing

Iffezheim is Germany’s top racecourse and punters around the world will probably know this venue by its more informal name of Baden Baden.

The track holds three big festivals per season. The first of these is the Spring Festival which is held at the end of May to early June.

The main event is the Great Festival in August-September. This attracts yearly crowds of over 20,000 spectators, especially for Germany’s ultimate horse race, the Grosser Mercedes-Benz Preis Von Baden, which attracts the best horses from Europe and beyond.

The final meeting Festival of Baden Baden’s season is held in October.

Czech Republic Horse Racing

Whenever the Czech Republic is mentioned only one race springs to mind and that is the world famous Velká Pardubická, also known as the Grand Pardubice Steeplechase.

The formidable cross-country steeplechase run in Pardubice, Czech Republic, has captured the imagination of many punters over the years – probably due to its difficulty and openness, and many global bookmakers price the race up.

The race is held on the second Sunday of October every year.

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Vincent Yu / AP Photo*

Horse racing is quite unique in that each competitor has two vital components, the horse and the jockey.

Now some horses are really quite talented and give their all, but some need that little bit of extra coaxing to get their heads in front and that is when a “great” jockey comes into their own.

Legendary Jockeys

Before we go on to tell you about the current crop of male riders, we need to look at their latest exploits in the context of some of the former horse racing greats. Here are just two from the worlds of Flat and Jumps.

Lester Piggott

Lester Piggott was the greatest jockey of his generation and is lauded by many as the best of all time.

The winner of nine Derbies, Piggott was Champion Jockey 11 times and battled throughout his career to keep his weight down due to his size. Flat riders today are still trying to emulate his achievements.

Sir A.P McCoy

The 20-time champion jockey called time on his record-breaking career in 2015 after amassing more than 4,300 jump racing winners.

McCoy won the 2010 Grand National on Don’t Push It, and big race wins also included the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and King George VI Chase. He was knighted in January 2016.

In this series we’ve already identified the current best female riders around, so now it is the turn of males. These jockeys are riding at the top of their game in the UK at the moment and will always give you a decent run for your money.

Jumps Racing

Brian Hughes

From his humble beginnings at the Jefferson stable in Malton, Brian Hughes finally proved that hard work and patience do pay off when he was crowned Champion jump jockey after riding 141 winners during the 2019/2020 season.

Hughes was the Champion conditional over a decade ago in the 2007/2008 and became the first Northern-based Champion Jump Jockey for 40 years, since Jonjo O’Neill in 1979/80.

Reflecting on the earlier part of his career Hughes said: “Malcolm (Jefferson) was a massive influence in my career. There were some great days and the yard got bigger with some nice horses and we had some nice winners.”

For the majority of the season Hughes fought out the title with four-time champion Richard Johnson before Johnson broke his arm in a fall at Exeter in January. This paved the way for Hughes to consolidate his lead and to win by 19 victories overall.

Hughes earned around £1.3 million in prize money last season and he was most successful at Sedgefield, where he pocketed 15 wins. One of his most lucrative partnerships was with trainer Donald McCain for whom he rode 43 winners.

Richard Johnson

Four-time Champion Jockey Richard Johnson has to go down as one of the greatest jump jockeys of all-time.

In the absence of his old adversary Tony McCoy, Johnson is now the number one man that punters latch onto when they are studying the National Hunt form.

The legendary AP was the main reason that Johnson finished the championship runner-up on 16 occasions before finally claiming the long overdue title in 2016.

He has since topped the table a further three times, but the 2019/20 crown evaded him and at the age of 42 his professional riding days must be tapering off towards a natural end.

The likelihood of Johnson chasing down McCoy’s career record of 4,348 is becoming increasingly remote now, but there’s every chance he will be back for the 2020/21 season and we could see another almighty tussle between him and Brian Hughes again.

It all makes for an absorbing season for the followers of both men.

Flat Racing

Oisin Murphy

Irish-born Oisin Murphy is widely-regarded as being not only one of the best jockeys in the UK, but on the planet.

The former Champion Apprentice rowed in with a hat-trick of Group One wins in Britain last season as well as travelling out to the Far East to lift the Japan Cup.

However capturing his first ever senior jockeys’ title, with a total of 168 wins between May and October, was the crowning glory for Murphy.

At the age of 24, the Irishman is odds on to retain the title in 2020/21 and based upon will to win alone, you would be hard pressed to bet against him.

Difficult decisions are yet to be made about this year’s fixture list, and whether the five Classics can take place at all is another quandary, however if they do take place then be sure to have Oisin Murphy’s mounts right at the top of your ante-post lists.

Make sure you keep an eye out for all our horse racing betting news.

Danny Tudhope

Danny Tudhope came the closest to challenging Oisin Murphy last season for the jockeys Championship, finishing 35 winners adrift of him on a final tally off 133 victories.

Tudhope quite fancies another title tilt this season but admits he will be a tall order with Oisin Murphy in the race.

"Given the way he rode last season I think Oisin could be champion jockey for many years to come," said Tudhope.

"He's very hungry and will be tough for any of us to beat, but I'll do my best."

Murphy took 860 rides as opposed to Tudhope’s 636 last season, so with a ramping up of his rides, Tudhope is no forlorn hope in the title race.

Frankie Dettori

Even at the age of 49, Frankie Dettori remains one of the biggest draws in horse racing, and even after winning virtually everything imaginable in his long career, he is still worth following in the betting.

The reason why Dettori is still one of the best jockeys to follow is because of his association with the trainer John Gosden.

It’s incredibly enjoyable watching Dettori and Gosden together, not only because as a punter you are pretty much guaranteed a high level of consistency, but essentially Dettori is still getting the leg-up on some of the best horses in the world.

The Italian-born jockey totally dominated Royal Ascot again last season and was voted the Longines World’s Best Jockey for the second year running in 2019. What’s not to like about a jockey who still keeps performing on the big stage?

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alastair Grant / AP Photo*

England vs Australia. Federer vs Nadal. Messi vs Ronaldo. Mourinho vs Guardiola. Four sporting rivalries, some friendly than others, between two very different parties.

The elegance of Roger Federer versus the physical freak of Rafael Nadal, the technical supremacy of Lionel Messi and the outrageous athleticism of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola were of course at the centre of the Messi and Ronaldo clashes. Fittingly, Mourinho and Ronaldo were in one corner against the ideological Guardiola and Messi.

Although clearly the two best managers in the world for several years, Mourinho and Guardiola couldn’t have been much more different.

It’s Mourinho’s in-the-trenches mentality against the artwork of Guardiola, it’s win-at-all costs against a school of footballing philosophy.

For a period, the Mourinho vs Guardiola conversation was as divisive as anything in the sport. Picking one over the other said more than who you prefer, it was an indication of how you think football should be played.

A Mourinho and Guardiola matchup was an event itself, regardless of the teams and circumstances.

Their standing in the sport became so great, the managers were the headline act. Cameras spent as much time on the dugout as they did on the action.

Their relationship wasn’t as frayed as others in the managerial world.

It didn’t have the flashpoints of Mourinho and Arsene Wenger. It was more mind games than outright confrontation, Mourinho an expert in downplaying his chances. Money often became a part of it, too.

Financially they have both been backed as well as any manager in the history of the sport. Spending to bring in the players they want is a known requirement when you hire either manager.

High-profile mistakes and a plummeting reputation have seen Mourinho’s power wane in that regard, but in his peak years, appointing Mourinho was an acknowledgement of there being heavy spending to come.

Pep Guardiola’s football requires a very certain type and quality of player.

His early days at Manchester City were hamstrung by a misshapen squad, particularly at full-back. It could be regarded as an inflexibility, though that is sometimes overplayed.

Mourinho has his own issues, and will always want to make significant changes to the playing staff when he arrives at a club.

Certain types of players are seldom deemed suitable by Mourinho - Juan Mata’s Chelsea departure might be the greatest example of this.

Using the total money spent by either manager as a tool to criticise is commonplace, but it is the nature of elite football. They might spend more than others, and they can likely be very demanding of their clubs, but they earned that right.

Success gives them leverage over their bosses, and spending on Guardiola and Mourinho is/was not as great a gamble as it is with others.

Give Guardiola the players and he brings tiki-taka and success. Give Mourinho the players he asks for and trophies followed immediately.

They have each enjoyed such glory, across England, Portugal, Germany, Italy and Spain, that their arrival at a club saw their football betting odds plummet. Comparing their list of trophies won is hardly a way to split them.

How can Guardiola’s Bayern titles be compared with Mourinho’s Porto success? Are two Champions Leagues at Barcelona worth less than one at Inter and one at Porto?

Mourinho has three Premier League titles to Guardiola’s two, but his spell at Manchester United and how his second Chelsea tenure ended should count against him.

The silverware argument can be made for either, it can show Mourinho won in four countries to Guardiola’s three, it can show Mourinho has failed to win the title more often than Guardiola.

On the European stage, Mourinho twice defied the odds, but never delivered at Chelsea or Real Madrid, while Guardiola’s tally of two is arguably disappointing considering his teams were so often among the favourites.

The desire to compare the two is natural. For a significant period, they were far clear of any other managers in the world.

With Mourinho’s spell at Porto, and even his first Chelsea stint to an extent, he has taken a different path to Guardiola. He thrived as an underdog.

The question in this comparison perhaps boils down to how much Mourinho’s Champions League title at Inter matters.

Guardiola’s failure to win a European trophy without Messi thus far is the only significant criticism that can be thrown at him, but the nature of knockout football makes it a relatively easy one to rebuke.

While Mourinho toured in his peak years, accumulating trophies, Guardiola has been more selective, taking on projects and overhauling two of Europe’s biggest clubs since leaving Barcelona.

When Guardiola leaves, teams are in a better state than when he arrived. The same cannot be said for Mourinho.

The best of Mourinho was a guarantee of silverware. He was an entertainer off the pitch, adored by the media, fan bases and players. The short-termism, the fractured relationships, were worth it in those days.

If being a successful football manager is all about results, Mourinho was unrivalled through the 2000s. He was the man you’d choose to win a one-off match.

The longer-term influence on an entire club, or even a league, matters, though. Guardiola is a descendant of Johan Cruyff, who changed the way the game is played, and Guardiola has achieved a similar feat.

He will be the more historically significant of the two, he piloted the greatest ever club side including the greatest ever player, and that will stand the test of time regardless of silverware count.

Mourinho is a pure winner. Guardiola is a revolutionary.

They approached the role so differently. Once their careers are over, Guardiola will be remembered more fondly. Mourinho’s football might be forgotten, but his charisma in those Porto, Chelsea and Inter days will not be.

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Dave Thompson / AP Photo*