Dubai: With more than $38 million (Dh139 million) on offer in prize money, the 2015 Dubai World Cup Carnival, which kicks-off on Thursday at Meydan Racecourse, is poised to set a new benchmark for racing in the UAE.
The ten-meeting extravaganza will see a record 240 international horses including 31 Group I winners compete for some of the richest purses on offer in the sport, over the next three months.
Thursday’s seven-race meeting, which features the first rounds of the Al Maktoum Challenge series for Purebred Arabians and Thoroughbreds in addition to the Listed Singspiel Stakes, is worth $915,000.
A big talking point of the Carnival is the newly installed dirt track, which has received ringing endorsements from leading riders and trainers after successfully coming through a testing two months scrutiny during the domestic racing season.
The surface, which replaces the old Tapeta synthetic track that hosted five seasons of racing at Meydan, is made up of 88 per cent desert sand and 12 per cent silt and clay, and is devised to lure the world’s best dirt horses to compete in the $30-million Dubai World Cup meeting on March 28.
Eleven horses that were trained in the US are set to participate at the Carnival including two from Graham Motion, who won the 2013 Dubai World Cup with Animal Kingdom.
Successful leader
South Africa’s champion handler Mike de Kock, the Carnival’s most successful international trainer, has entered a formidable team of 46 horses, headed by group I scorers Contador, Master Plan, Via Africa, and Yorker, as well as Carnival regular Anaerobio and Vercingetorix.
Saeed Bin Surour, a seven-time Champion Trainer at the Dubai World Cup Carnival, is also lining up a strong raiding party while co-Godolphin handler Charlie Appleby is also set to be represented by some high-class horses.
Martin Talty, the Dubai Racing Club’s International Manager, believes that the return to a dirt surface will suit most of the horses from America where they race predominantly on dirt. “It will certainly open up the market, particularly in North America,” he said. “I was at the Breeders’ Cup and there was a lot of interest in our new track.
“Its going to back to the good old days of Nad Al Sheba when you were getting the top horses from America.
“The connections of Toast of New York, Bayern and California Chrome, who finished in that order in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, have all indicated that they are keen to race in Dubai. “Unfortunately in this day and age, you can’t have a surface that suits everyone but if you want to get the top non-turf horses to race here then you’ve got to have a track that suits American horses.”
US horses on the rise
Frank Gabriel Jr. executive director of racing at the Dubai Racing Club also said he was happy ‘to see so many US horses entered for the Carnival.’
“It is a first step for us following the installation of dirt,” he said in the press. “[However,] we are not relying on America, and we want to try to build a Carnival with horses from all over the world.”
Meanwhile, Bin Surour was relishing the prospect of competing against some of the best trainers in the world.
The long-serving Godolphin handler makes his seasonal debut at Meydan with several leading chances on Thursday including True Story in the Listed Singspiel Stakes, over 1800 metres on turf.
Nine horse go to post with True Story, who was a competitive seventh in last year’s Epsom Derby (G1), looking the pick of the pack.
The mount of new Godolphin rider James Doyle, the son of top German stallion Manduro also won in the Listed Feilden Stakes at Newmarket, England, last April.
“He is a horse we have always really liked,” said Bin Surour. “He is in good form at home and should run very well but will certainly improve for the run.” Stable companion, Be Ready, the mount of Dane O’Neill, will also represent Bin Surour. fourth career start.
“He, too, is a nice horse who has been going well, but will definitely benefit for the outing,” said the trainer.
Carnival topper De Kock is doubly represented with Sanshaawes and Mushreq.
“Both should run well,” said De Kock. “Obviously they have been off since March so should progress for the run. It looks a competitive race as you would expect, but we are happy with them both.”
Seven runners contest the first Group 1 race of the year — the Purebred Arabian version of the Al Maktoum Challenge.
Establish handler Majid Al Jahouri, seeking a tenth consecutive UAE Group 1 Purebred Arabian victory, sends out Raaziq, the mount of Dubai World Cup winning jockey Silvestre De Sousa.
