Dubai: Several top performers from the 2014-2015 UAE racing season will be in action at the Second Chengdu Dubai International Cup at Jinma Lake Racecourse in the Wenjiang District of Chengdu, China, on Friday.
The event, which was staged for the first time in 2014, consists of five turf races and is highlighted by the featured Chengdu International Cup, presented by Longines and run over 2,218 metres.
The Doug Watson-trained Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 third Henry Clay will face off with stablemate Jutland, winner of the 2015 Jebel Ali Stakes.
A number of horses are also bidding for consecutive China victories, including Special Boy, trained by 2015 UAE Champion Trainer Musabah Al Muhairi, who landed the Guangsha Handicap in 2014. He competes over the same distance this season in the Wenjiang Sprint and takes on Albayan, trained by Ali Rashid Al Raihe, the winner of a 1,200-metre sprint on the same card last season.
Colour Guard and Mutual Force are also being campaigned for repeat wins.
Bank of Dalian is a new addition to the sponsor line-up and supports the Guangsha Mile.
Also on the card is the Wenjiang Meydan Classic over 1,600 metres, The Meydan Handicap over 2,418 metres and the 1,400-metre Wenjiang Sprint. The total prize purse for the event is RMB3.75m (Dh2.2 million).
The race meeting is organised by Meydan Group, under the Emirates Racing Authority rules of racing, in partnership with the Chengdu Municipal Government, the Chengdu Sports Bureau, the Wenjiang District Government and China Guangsha Group.
Meydan Group Board Member Mohammad Al Shehhi said: “It is with great pleasure that we return to China for the renewal of the Chengdu Dubai International Cup. We welcome the continued presence of Longines, a long-term and much-valued Meydan Pillar Partner, and are delighted to confirm the support of Bank of Dalian as a new partner at this meeting.
“This event represents a fantastic vehicle through which Meydan Group can promote the sport of racing to this new market and build on the existing relationship that exists between the Chengdu Municipal Government, the District of Wenjiang, China Guangsha Group and the Chengdu Sports Bureau.”
