The allure of horse racing attracts many with its blend of competitive heart-pounding thrills and exquisite grandeur. The scene is also revamped from the earlier muddy fields; horse racing is now a glitzy event that attracts the highest caliber of society and has an elite fan base. Regarded among the world’s most star-studded sports, both attendance and endorsers play a crucial role in its significance nowadays.

Elizabeth Banks?best known for her part in The Hunger Games?recently graced the stage at the famed 2023 Breeders’ Cup in California. In a recently surfaced interview, she provided insight into her affinity to the sport.

Horse Racing welcomes Elizabeth Banks

The two-day Breeders’ Cup event, which featured 14 races, began with Future Stars on Friday and ended with a number of betting favorites winning on the final Saturday. The 49-year-old actress reached the stadium on Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, for the Breeder’s Cup World Championships. She was wearing an eye-catching summer outfit when she spoke with Matt Chapman, host of America’s Best Racing. A Twitter(X) video of the interaction was posted by @ABRLive with the caption, “@BreedersCup ambassador @ElizabethBanks at the races and spoke with her about her love for the sport.”

When Chapman asked the Charlie’s Angels director about her love for the sport, she said, “I have been coming to the Breeders Cup for more than a decade; I am an ambassador for the Breeders Cup. I absolutely love this day of racing.” She continued by calling it “the sport of kings.” Big names like Richie Sambora, Bo Derek, and Aaron Rodgers joined Banks, contributing their presence to the occasion.

Breeders’ Cup Limited said that the purse money for the two days came to $176,281,989 in total. Fierceness was the most expensive winner of the weekend, winning $35 on a $2 win wager in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Trainer Bill Mott was the most successful of all the trainers with three winners out of six starts; Aidan O’Brien and Chad Brown both earned two wins. With three Breeders’ Cup triumphs, jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. topped all jockeys; Ryan Moore and Junior Alvarado each had two victories. With the wraps, Banks joined the list of horse racing actors, some of whom you might not know about!

Celebrities with serious horse racing passion

Notable figures like Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg, who is well-known for his passion for horses in movies, co-owned the racehorse Atswhatimtalkingabout and made an investment in a racing training facility. The legendary musician MC Hammer shows his intense love for horse racing by owning many racehorses and making investments at Oaktown Stables.

In addition to producing a documentary about jockey Laffit Pincay, actor and filmmaker Kevin Costner is an avid horse lover who lives on a ten-acre ranch in California. Australian actor Hugh Jackman and retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady are big fans of horse racing and frequently attend races like the Melbourne Cup Carnival and Kentucky Derby.

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With a background in both fashion and equestrianism, supermodel Bella Hadid spent ten years on a horse ranch where she excelled in show jumping. These well-known fans highlight how horse racing’s appeal cuts across many sectors, bringing glitz and glamor to racetracks.

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