Dubai World Cup Carnival

Purses will rise 27% during the 2023-2024 Dubai racing season at Meydan Racecourse, the Dubai Racing Club (DRC) announced earlier this week. The new minimum purse of AED165,000 will be for non-stakes races, while all Group 1 races will be increased to a purse of at least AED1 million. The prize-money of $30.5 million on Dubai World Cup night will remain unchanged. In addition, all Meydan cards will feature nine races except for the first two. Other changes revealed by the DRC include two new feature race nights: Festive Friday...

Dolkong (Afleet Alex--Swampoodle, by Broken Vow), the champion older horse in Korea in 2019, was euthanized Apr. 1 after suffering an injury during trackwork two days earlier. He was nine years old. Bred in Kentucky by Ellen B. Kill Kelley, the chestnut was the distant runner-up in the Korea Cup in 2018 and was part of a select Korean contingent at the 2019 Dubai World Cup Carnival, posting a 9 1/2-length victory in the Listed Curlin H. beneath Olivier Doleuze before just missing second in the G1 Al Maktoum Challlenge...

  A winner of the Listed UAE 1000 Guineas when last seen, MIMI KAKUSHI (City Of Light-Rite Moment, by Vicar) turned in a game effort to wear down California shipper Ami Please (Goldencents) and win the G3 UAE Oaks by 1 1/4 lengths at Meydan on Friday. She is the eighth filly to complete the Guineas/Oaks double, and first since subsequent American graded winner Shahama (Munnings) in 2022, who was also trained by Salem bin Ghadayer. Racing for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the bay stalked from second as...

The Dubai World Cup Carnival adds its own footnote to the study of flags, known as vexillology for the more serious, since its intent is to draw horses from all over the world. As the meet continues to march towards its big night in late March, another Friday of racing arrives with a trio of Group 3 events. Waving Godolphin Blue The G3 Dubai Millennium S. sports this week's headliner, as Grade I winner Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) returns for a new campaign after what could be considered a...

The 2022 G2 Blue Point Sprint hero Lazuli (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) is back to defend his title for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby over this minimum trip on grass. Worth $180,000, the Blue Point is the 6-year-old gelding's second run of the season after defeating Man Of Promise (Into Mischief) in the Listed Ertijaal Dubai Dash on opening day of the 2023 Dubai World Cup Carnival. "Lazuli is tried and tested over five furlongs at Meydan and this is his optimum trip," said Appleby. "He is in great form and, even...

Only four horses in the history of the Dubai World Cup Carnival have managed to win the first two rounds of the Al Maktoum Challenge in the same year, with the last of the four, North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), completing the double in 2019. Hamdan Sultan Ali Alsabousi's Algiers (Ire) (Shamardal) could be number five, as he leaves from stall eight under James Doyle in Friday's G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Presented By Emaar. The Simon and Ed Crisford charge blitzed the competition by 6 1/2 lengths when...

Dubawi sired his second new group winner in two weeks and 163rd overall when Prince Eiji (GB) got the job done over a sloppy main track in the 1600-metre $150,000 G3 Firebreak S. Presented By Longines. The first three home were all from the Doug Watson barn, as Everfast (Take Charge Indy) was 1 1/4 lengths back in second, a half-length to the good of Thegreatcollection (Saint Anddan) in third. Several lengths off the pace in second as Ever Given (Kodi Bear {Ire}) opened up leaving the chute, Prince Eiji...

Naval Power (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) added another tick in the win column with a stalk-and-pounce triumph in Meydan's Listed Jumeirah Classic Presented By Longines on Friday. Punching the breeze from his wide draw, he was content to let One Nation (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) take the lead for the opening quarter mile. Eventually steered back through the field to get some cover, the hooded bay revved back up by the 500-metre mark and arrived with his run at the 300-metre pole. It took him until the 50-metre mark to collar One...

The G2 Zabeel Mile Presented By ARN is the showpiece during Friday's Dubai World Cup Carnival card at Meydan. The $180,000 1600-metre event has attracted a field of eight, five of which carry the Godolphin blue. However, the most intriguing runner is Michael O'Callaghan's dual group winner I Am Superman (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). Back from a successful sojourn Down Under where he landed the G2 Shannon S. in 2020 and the G2 Ajax S. in 2021 for Peter & Paul Snowden, the 7-year-old is hoping to tally a win in...

The $180,000 G2 Al Rashidiya Presented By Azizi featured a Godolphin trifecta once the dust settled, as Valiant Prince (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) came out on top by three-quarters of a length over the better-fancied pair of Dubai Future (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for Saeed bin Suroor, and Ottoman Fleet (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). It was the second Friday of the Dubai World Cup Carnival, and a one/three finish for Charlie Appleby. The 1800-metre contest began with the eventual winner in close quarters under James Doyle and shuffled back to a...

3rd-Meydan, Cond, $60,000, 3yo, 7f, 1:24.51, fs. TIGER NATION (c, 3, Tamarkuz--Silken, by Out Of Place) rocketed straight to the vanguard while under pressure to his outside from Morning (Munnings). Striding out in a good rhythm, the dark bay's lead shrank to a neck as Morning inched closer, but he found another gear at the 350-metre mark and motored home a 1 1/4-length victor. Es-Unico (Brz) (War Secretary) produced an eye-catching turn of foot to take second, 5 1/4 lengths ahead of Sharp Army (Sharp Azteca). Morning faded to fourth....

by J.N. Campbell & Heather Anderson The pulse intensifies week-to-week at Meydan Racecourse, as it's almost a fortnight into the Dubai World Cup Carnival. A seven-race card this Friday sports the 1800-metre G2 Al Rashidiya Presented By Azizi, and a well-matched field of 11 will vie for group honours over the Meydan turf. That distance might be a touch long for Godolphin-bred, Dubai Future (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). He is poised to make a splash in what is his 7-year-old debut for trainer Saeed bin Suroor as he points towards what...