Dubai: The Dubai Racing Club (DRC) on Sunday announced a number of significant upgrades to the pattern race programme for the 2013-2014 UAE Racing season, highlighted by the promotion of the $1 million (Dh3.67 million) Dubai Gold Cup, sponsored by Al Tayer Motors, from Group 3 to Group 2 status.
The 3,200m contest was introduced to the prestigious Dubai World Cup (G1) programme in 2009 as a Conditions event, before it was elevated to Group 3 status in 2011. Godolphin have won all five editions of the turf contest with Cavalryman being their most recent winner.
The announcement was made with the release of the 2014 Dubai World Cup Carnvial programme which offers over $37 million in prize money during the 11 high-quality race meetings at Meydan Racecourse that build up to the season-ending $27.25 million Dubai World Cup day on March 29 next year.
In addition, the $175,000 Meydan Sprint held over 1,000m on Super Saturday has also been upgraded from Listed to Group 3 status while the $250 Al Fahidi Fort (G2) and $125,000 Listed Meydan Classic have both been brought down in trip to 1,400m from their original distance of a mile.
The season will also see three popular Conditions events, the 1,800m Singspiel Stakes, the 1,200m Dubawi Stakes and the 2,000m Dubai Millennium, have been awarded Listed status and will serve as prep races for major Dubai World Cup Carnival contests.
The Singspiel Stakes, won last year by Godolphin’s Sharestan, will act as a prep for the $200,000 Al Rashidiya (G2) while the Dubawi Stakes, is a stepping stone to the $200,000 Al Shindagha Sprint.
Martin Talty, International Manager at Dubai Racing Club said the changes aimed to further enhance and develop the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
“We wanted to develop our 1400m programme and noted that there were not many races of the status of the Al Fahidi Fort over that distance around the world. We wanted to open the race up a bit so that it ties in with the Zabeel Mile held five weeks later, which can be used to prep for Dubai World Cup day races,” he said in an official press release.
Talty added that newly-upgraded Dubai Millennium would give trainers further options when prepping for valuable Group 1 races on Dubai World Cup day.
“This 2000m race was named after the great Dubai Millennium and fits into our schedule on February 20, where it is four weeks out from Dubai World Cup night and horses can use it to prepare for any of the three final races on the Dubai World Cup-day card, the Dubai Duty Free, the Dubai Sheema Classic or the Dubai World Cup,” Talty said.
“The Gold Cup became a Group 3 in 2010 and moved to the Dubai World Cup programme in 2012. It is a race that has become attractive to trainers with stayers from around the world and hopefully in years to come it will take another step up to a Group 1, adding further value to the Dubai World Cup card.”
