DUBAI, The Dubai World Cup 2022 takes place at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday, March 26, with nine Group races and $30.5 million in prize money, with a galaxy field of 131 horses from 19 countries to compete in nine top-class races, including six Group 1 contests.
Meydan Racecourse is expected to be packed to the rafters on Dubai World Cup night after organisers prepare to welcome back capacity crowds for the spectacular 26th running of the Group 1 Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline, on Saturday.
The organisation of this year’s Dubai World Cup further reinforces Dubai’s rising status as one of the globe’s leading venues for international sporting events.
One of the world’s biggest horse racing tournaments, the 26th Dubai World Cup meeting is bringing together the globe’s best racehorses, trainers and jockeys.
From the time Cigar blew away his opposition at Nad Al Sheba at the inaugural meeting in 1996, to Mystic Guide’s dominant win of the 2021 Dubai World Cup, the Dubai World Cup meeting has gone from strength to strength, delivering some of the finest racing ever seen around the world.
This year, there are bound to be more thrills and spills, with horses cherry-picked by connections to have a go at the massive $30.5m in prize money, which retains the Dubai World Cup card’s status among the richest single nights in horse racing.
The Group 1 Dubai World Cup sees some of America’s top dirt performers go hoof to hoof against each other in the 2000m dirt contest. Life Is Good tops stellar 26th edition of $12 million Dubai World Cup, the final race on the card.
This year’s renewal promises a fascinating clash between two of the best dirt horses in America in Todd Pletcher’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner Life Is Good and Doug O’Neill’s Hot Rod Charlie, who hit the ground running in Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2 on his only start in Dubai. The pair will be joined by American counterparts Country Grammer and Midnight Bourbon, trained by US Hall Of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert and Steve Asmussen, who run fresh from their respective second and third-place finishes in last month’s Saudi Cup at Riyadh.
The feature is supported by eight other equally gripping contests, including the aforementioned 2410m $6m Group 1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, where a strong Japanese contingent is expected again. Tetsuya Kimura’s Neom Turf Cup winner Authority is among the favourites, but this year’s race is a wide-open one with Godolphin handler Charlie Appleby fielding one of his stable stars in Yibir, who was last seen winning the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar in November. Shadwell will be represented by Owen Burrows’ Hukum, who enjoyed a highly productive 2021 campaign that saw him win four of his seven starts and begin 2022 with a narrow success in the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold, run over the course and distance of the Sheema Classic.
Three more top tier events are also part of the evening’s programme and feature the $5m Group 1 Dubai Turf, sponsored by DP World, over 1800m. Gosden’s Lord North will make a title defence bid with Shadwell’s Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes winner Mohaafeth, trained by William Haggas, leading the opposition along with the same owner’s Alfareeq, winner of the G1 Jebel Hatta over course and distance.
The card’s two sprints are the $1.5m Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint, sponsored by Azizi Developments, and the $2m Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, which this year will be sponsored by Atlantis Dubai. Both are run over an identical 1200m trip, with the former playing out on the turf chute and the latter being contested as a one-turn dirt event respectively.
British Champion Flat Trainer Appleby, the winner of the 2018 and 2019 renewals of the Al Quoz Sprint with Jungle Cat and Blue Point respectively, has a strong grip on the race with Group 1 Champion Sprint Stakes winner Creative Force and three-time course winner Man Of Promise.
Locally-trained Al Tariq, Canvassed and Good Effort represent the yards of Doug Watson and Ismail Mohammed in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen and are up against some talented American dirt sprinters. They include Mark Glatt’s Dr. Schivel, winner of the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes and the 2020 Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity, as well as Drain The Clock, trained by Saffie Joseph Jnr, winner of the Grade 1 Woody Stephens.
These top tier events sit on top of a tidy undercard that features the $1m Group 2 Godolphin Mile, sponsored by Nakheel, which will see Bhupat Seemar’s Secret Ambition defend his title and a potent field of 3yos line up for the 1800m $1m Group 2 UAE Derby sponsored by Mubadala. Within that group are Baffert’s recent 2021 Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity champion and Group 3 Saudi Derby winner Pinehurst and runner-up Sekifu, who is trained by Koshiro Take. The pair will have a formidable foe in Pavel Vashchenko’s Azure Coast, who made light work of his rivals in the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas a month ago.
The longest race on the card is the 3200m $1m Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup, sponsored by Al Tayer Motors, where Appleby’s Manobo, who is unbeaten in five career starts and won the Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy on his UAE debut over a slightly shorter 2810m trip, is the odds on favourite.
Like the Dubai Golden Shaheen, the 2000m $1m Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic for Purebred Arabians has a new sponsor in Ithra Dubai and as is tradition will get the prestigious Dubai World Cup card underway.
The 26th edition builds on the spectacular successes of precious editions which saw 321 riders from 32 countries – trained by 473 trainers – competing in 189 races.
Dubai World Cup 2022’s nine races are: -Dubai Kahayla Classic – Group 1 (PA) $1 million (Dirt) 2,000m (16 horses).
-Godolphin Mile – Group 2 (TB) $1 million (D) 1,600m (16).
-Dubai Gold Cup – Group 2 (TB) $1 million (Turf) 3,200m (13).
-Al Qouz Sprint – Group 1 (TB) $1.5 million (T) 1,200m (13).
-UAE Derby – Group 2 (TB) $1 million (D) 1,900m (16).
-Dubai Golden Shaheen – Group 1 (TB) $2 million (D) 1,200m (14).
-Dubai Turf – Group 1 (TB) $5 million (T) 1,800m (15).
-Dubai Sheema Classic – Group 1 (TB) $6 million (T) 2,410m (15).
-Dubai World Cup – Group 1 (TB) $12 million (D) 2,000m (11).
Source: Emirates News Agency