Special Features
Dubai World Cup - All you need to know
Known as the world cups of world cups, the city of Dubai has been the place for the yearly extravaganza of horse racing in the world – the Dubai World Cup. In the horse racing arena, the Dubai World Cup is a yearly ritual which was started back in the year 1996 – the venue being the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates. The tournament is a thoroughbred racing festival which is operated by the Emirates Horse Racing Authority. The race was conceived by the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the owner of the Darley Stud and Godolphin Racing -one of the most important and leading thoroughbred breeding grounds in the world along with its racing operations. The races held at the Dubai World Cup are the most lucrative cash prizes in the horse racing history.Currently, the Dubai World Cup Night of races has a win bonus of more than 6 million American dollars – which easily surpasses any win bonus for any other horse racing event in history. It is designated as a Group 1 race which has many different specifications for horses belonging to the northern and southern hemisphere – each hemisphere has its own particular specifications for the type of horses which are allowed to take part in the race. For instance, the horses from the northern hemisphere are supposed to be thoroughbreds of the age of four years or older than that while the southern hemisphere needs horses which are thoroughbreds of age limit of more than two year olds. The track which is used is a dirt one, which is off a total length of 2000 metres. Thus the entire racing selection and procedures are very strict which allows a tough competition to take place.
Many horses fail to get the required merits to enter the race and thus the entire selection procedure and the fees is such that only the best make it to the final rounds of the Dubai World Cup. As a result, the competitions between the horses are very tough and are usually of great interest for the audiences that visit the country. The event is conducted in the city of Dubai on an annual basis in the month of March which is the peak of both horses belonging from the Northern and Southern hemisphere. Such is the fame and importance given to this festival that the last race was won by the United States Hall of Fame thoroughbred Cigar. The tournament received a lot of international exposure and was broadcast across the entire world including the United States of America on national television.
The 2010 season was hosted at the newly build state of the art facility known as the Meydan Racecourse. The race is also famous for a number of other reasons as well. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid AL Maktoum, the founder and the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates has a dream to create all the thoroughbred breeds and race them at his own estate. The year 1996 was when his dream came true when 11 of the world’s top thoroughbreds galloped on the racecourse track of the Nad AL-Sheba – creating a world spectacle. Thus the Dubai World Cup epitomises the dream and the hard work of the all the horse breeders of the Arab world and their quest to gain the glory of the international horse racing industry. The Dubai World Cup is also a befitting trophy and reward to the Sheikh of Dubai who has tirelessly worked for the benefit of his dream and the horse racing industry of the United Arab Emirates.
It is this hard work that has promoted the horses and breeds of the Arabs in international competitions in France, Australia, America, Japan and almost any other country that is involved with horse racing as a passionate sport. But the Arab’s have not only won the races but have also been successful in recreating the lost breeds of the Arabian Peninsula. The Dubai World Cup remains an invitation only tournament which makes the entire event a more exclusive event for the entire horse racing community in the world. More and more horses, jockeys and trainers have been waiting for their time to come when they can compete for the richest horse racing event in the world.
