Dubai, UAE — The 27th Dubai World Cup, which begins on Saturday at the Meydan Racecourse, will see a total of 78 international and 51 emirati horses compete for a prize money of $30.5 million.
For the worldwide equestrian community, the Dubai World Cup represents the pinnacle of excellence not just in racing but also in many streams of the thoroughbred industry. Over the last two decades, Dubai has created a vibrant equestrian ecosystem that produces both champion horses and hotbeds of industry innovation, WAM reported.
Since its inception, the Dubai World Cup has produced some of the sport’s fiercest contests and most memorable feats. In 2000, Godolphin’s Dubai Millennium won one of the tournament’s most cherished triumphs while in 2008 another American star Curlin won by one of the biggest margins of victory in the Cup’s history.
Three years later, in 2011, Victoire Pisa and Transcend gave Japan a first win and a 1 – 2 finish in the coveted race. In 2012, Godolphin returned to the victory podium with Monterosso placed first and Capponi second.
In 2017, world champion Arrogate wowed the world with an impossible last-to-first victory while in 2018 and 2019, Thunder Snow won top honors becoming the only horse to win the Dubai World Cup twice. In 2021, Mystic Guide recorded a 13th win for UAE connections, 11 of which were for Team Godolphin.
The massive increase in prize money for the 2021-2022 racing season reinforced Dubai’s status as an international horse racing hub. Further, several new initiatives by the largest local industry stakeholders, estimated to be worth $400 million (AED1.47billion), are giving a strong impetus to the global industry. One of these, the Dubai Equestrian Forum, launched in 2021, a joint initiative between the Dubai Equestrian Club and the Dubai Racing Club, brings together stakeholders from all over the world to the Meydan Racecourse to explore how they can shape a new future for the industry.
The Meydan Racecourse, in partnership with leading auction house Goffs, hosted the second Dubai Breeze-Up Sale this year on 21 March, a global auction of young horses sourced from farms worldwide that included some of the most established sires in racing. A confluence of leading owners and buyers from all over the world, the auction was another example of Dubai’s growth as a hub for thoroughbred sales.