A total of 902 horses, with 1,774 nominations between them, threw their collective hats in the ring for the 25th $35-million Dubai World Cup night card at Meydan on Mar. 28. Among the leading hopefuls are Japanese Horse of the Year and 2019 G1 Dubai Turf heroine Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}); America's 2019 Horse of the Year candidate and MGISW Maximum Security (New Year's Day); last year's G1 Investec Derby hero Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}); Hong Kong superstar and outstanding miler Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}); Aussie speedball Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}), winner of the G1 Darley Sprint Classic in November; Star Catcher (GB) (Frankel {GB}); who saluted in the 2019 G1 Investec Oaks and Godolphin's globetrotter and MG1SW Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Besides Maximum Security, the U.S. contingent numbers Eclipse Older Dirt Female nominee and MGISW Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), Eclipse Older Dirt Male nom and MGISW McKinzie (Street Sense) and other Grade I winners Gift Box (Twirling Candy), Higher Power (Medaglia d'Oro), Math Wizard (Algorithms), Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}) and Roadster (Quality Road).
Almond Eye is not the only representative from the Land of the Rising Sun, as G1 Champions Cup heros Chrysoberyl (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}) and Gold Dream (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}) and G1 JBC Classic winner K T Brave (Jpn) (Admire Max {Jpn}) are also making the trip. The local nominees feature North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Capezzano (Bernardini).
For the full list of nominations, go to www.dubairacingclub.com.
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