Dubai World Cup Carnival

It had been the better part of 19 months since Group 1 winner Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper) had visited a winner's enclosure, but the evergreen 8-year-old gelding turned back the years on Thursday with a three-length score in Meydan's G2 Singspiel S. Lining up off a fifth-place finish in the Bahrain International Trophy on Nov. 20, Lord Glitters raced with just one behind down the backstretch as Mythical Magic (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) set the tempo and the returning G3 Autumn S. winner and G1 2000 Guineas fourth Military March (GB)...

The Dubai World Cup Carnival gets underway at Meydan on Thursday with its traditional opener, the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 going a mile on the dirt with a well-matched field of 11 lining up. Group 1 winner Capezzano (Bernardini) is the highest-rated of the bunch at 117, but the 7-year-old gelding isn't always straightforward. He beat Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) by 9 1/2 lengths in the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 two years ago before trailing him by 32 lengths when last in the G1 Dubai World Cup,...

The 2021 Dubai World Cup Carnival was announced by the Dubai Racing Club on Wednesday. The first race meeting of the 2020-21 season is Nov. 5, while the Carnival proper begins in January. Racing will be conducted under guidelines from the UAE government which will be released at a later date. The 2020 Dubai World Cup Night was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The DWCC will run over six consecutive Thursdays from Jan. 21 to Feb. 25, with the $1.7-million Super Saturday card scheduled for Mar. 6. The Jan....

Godolphin's MG1SW Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) will not take part in British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday due to the projected soft ground. Favoured in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. in 2019, he ran last in very soft underfoot conditions. The QEII or the G1 Champion S. had been options for the English, German and UAE highweight. A winner of Group 1s in Australia, the UAE and Germany, Benbatl will now point to the Dubai World Cup Carnival. He won the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 in...

The Racing in Dubai September 2020 Sale is set for Sept. 12 at 6:45 p.m. in the Meydan saddling enclosure. With the start of the Dubai racing season approaching on Oct. 29, 52 horses will be auctioned, 12 of which meet the minimum rating requirement of 90 to run at the Dubai World Cup Carnival. The highest-rated horse in the catalogue is Nordic Lights (GB) (Intello {Ger}), who is rated 105 and won at the carnival in February 2019 for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby. Inspections will take place on...

After taking the measure earlier this week of barring patrons from each of its remaining meetings this season leading up to the Dubai World Cup card as a precaution against coronavirus, the Emirates Racing Authority confirmed on Thursday that the world's richest day of racing on Mar. 28 would as well be closed to the public. The World Health Organization declared coronavirus a pandemic on Wednesday. All related Dubai World Cup events, including the post position draw on Mar. 25, Breakfast with the Stars on Mar. 26 and the Welcome...

Meydan's 'Super Saturday' card on Mar. 7 is set to be staged against the backdrop of an empty grandstand, with the Emirates Racing Authority taking precautionary measures against the coronavirus outbreak. Nonetheless, race fans and pundits will have the chance to take in from afar performances from some key protagonists aiming toward the Dubai World Cup card on Mar. 28 during the evening's seven tailored prep races. The G1 Jebel Hatta, one of two Group 1s on the card, looks to be at the mercy of Godolphin but, with the...

Trainer Doug O'Neill can surely count his maiden voyage to Dubai as a successful one, with two winners-both of stakes-and 13 runners in the money from 22 starts through Thursday. And there is a chance that Parsimony (Dominus) could lead him to bigger and better things after an eye-catching victory in Thursday's Listed Curlin S. Parsimony is apparently a horse that took his accomplished trainer some time to unravel; not only did it take the grey 18 starts to break his maiden, but within his first year on the track...

It was a blue wash at the start of Thursday's G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy at Meydan, with the five Godolphin runners leading the four others past the stands the first time in the 2810 metre turf contest, and it remained that way at the finish, with Secret Advisor (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) leading home a Godolphin top four finish in the feature. Last year's G3 Bahrain Trophy and Belmont Gold Cup winner Spanish Mission (Noble Mission {GB}) traveled last early but failed to fire when put to pressure in the...

Second choice on the board, Zakouski (GB) (Shamardal) just nipped heavy favourite Mythical Magic (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) by a neck in a blanket finish in the $250,000 G2 Zabeel Mile going a mile over the Meydan grass on Thursday. It was a similar margin back to Dream Castle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in third, with pacesetter Salute The Soldier (Ger) (Sepoy {Aus}) another neck behind in fourth. Charlie Appleby trained the first two home, with Saeed bin Suroor's Dream Castle giving Godolphin the trifecta. Content to race in fourth against the...

Thursday's Dubai Carnival action continues to build toward the Mar. 7 Super Saturday card and the Mar. 28 Dubai World Cup night, as four group races are on tap. The highest rated Dubai-based horse, Godolphin's German Group 1 winner Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) (126) for Charlie Appleby, returns in the 2000-metre G3 Dubai Millennium S. over the grass at Meydan after a last out 10th making the early running in the Oct. 6 G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Run as the first race of seven on the evening,...

2019's breakout 9 1/2-length G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 victor Capezzano (Bernardini) makes his first appearance of 2020 for Sultan Ali and trainer Salem bin Ghadayer in the 1600-metre G3 Firebreak S. at Meydan. One of three in the event for bin Ghadayer on Thursday, the 6-year-old gelding ran a puzzling 12th when favoured in the G1 Dubai World Cup at the end of March and aims to bounce back in this warm up for the inaugural Feb. 29 $20-million Saudi Cup, before a possible start in the $12-million G1...