Dubai: The Dubai Racing Club on Thursday released the 13th Dubai World Cup Carnival programme, an 11-week schedule of international races worth $38.9 million (Dh124.4 million) staged at Meydan Racecourse.
Racing will begin on January 7, 2016, and conclude on March 26 with the $30m Dubai World Cup meeting, the richest day of horse racing in the world.
All Dubai World Cup Carnival race meetings, which are broadcast live to millions of households around the world, are scheduled for Thursday evenings, apart from Super Saturday and the Dubai World Cup.
Super Saturday, the official prep day for Dubai World Cup day, will take place on March 5. The race card will offer seven races valued at a combined $1.7m and headed by the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 and the Group 1 Jebel Hatta.
It is held three weeks prior to the big day and allows trainers to put the finishing touches to their equine stars before they take to racing’s biggest stage on Dubai World Cup day.
The Dubai World Cup Carnival runs from January to March every year and is a season of high-class international race days contested by the most high-profile owners, trainers, horses and jockeys in the world. The Carnival runs alongside the domestic racing at Meydan season.
Spectators can gain free access to Meydan on regular race nights or indulge in a range of viewing options to suit any budget and level of luxury from simple seating to five-star all-inclusive dining.
As part of the Meydan Group, Dubai Racing Club organises and hosts racing at Meydan Racecourse. Formed in 1992 to develop and promote horse racing in Dubai, the first races held under rules were contested in March 1992 at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse.
Four years later saw the inaugural running of the 2,000-metre Dubai World Cup, which is now worth $10m. The five-month UAE racing season, which begins in November, includes a programme of both domestic and international races.
“It isn’t surprising that Super Saturday has been a great producer of horses going on to be victorious on the Dubai World Cup programme three weeks later — that is what the meeting was designed for and it has certainly succeeded,” said Frank Gabriel Jr, Dubai Racing Club Executive Director for Racing.
“Seven winners of the Dubai World Cup have used the third round of the Al Maktoum Challenge as their lead-up run, while four winners of the Dubai Turf, since the race was switched to turf, have come through the Jebel Hatta.
“More and more trainers and travelling horses around the world are opting to have a local prep run prior to the main assignment and, with so many winners coming from the third round of the Al Maktoum Challenge, the race is an attractive option for horsemen.”
