Dubai World Cup to be held on March 23

The $6 million Dubai World Cup, the world's richest and most talked about race, will be run on March 23, 2002, the Dubai World Cup Committee said yesterday.

"The Dubai World Cup meeting is expected to continue its outstanding reputation as a programme of international quality," the organisers said in an official press release. "Recent promotions to the majority of the races on the card suggests that the 71 overseas runners in 2001 may well be bettered."

The Group I Dubai World Cup, a race that was conceived by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Minister of Defence, as the ultimate middle-distance championship of the world, is the first leg of the 2002 Emirates World Series Racing Championship.

The seventh running of the $15.25 million meeting of seven races at Nad Al Sheba will include, for the first time, five Group One events.

The meeting received a major boost recently when the International Cataloguing Standards Committee promoted three races on the card to Group One status.

The $2million Dubai Duty Free, sponsored by Dubai Duty Free, and Dubai Sheema Classic, sponsored by the Jebel Ali Free Zone and Dubai Ports Authority, went up from Group II to

Group I and the Dubai Golden Shaheen, sponsored by Gulf News, catapulted from Group III to Group I.

In addition the Godolphin Mile, sponsored by the Jebel Ali Hotel and Golf Resort, and the UAE Derby were also promoted to Group II from their 2001 status of Group III.

The Dubai Kahayla Classic for purebred Arabians is also Group One. An eighth race is being considered should their be an overflow of the number of entries for the UAE Derby, the organisers said.

This year's Dubai World Cup was won by the American trained Captain Steve ridden by Jerry Bailey.

The races
Group I Dubai World Cup $6,000,000 Group I Dubai Duty Free $2,000,000 Group I Dubai Sheema Classic $2,000,000 Group I Dubai Golden Shaheen $2,000,00O Group II UAE Derby $2,000,000 Group II Godolphin Mile $1,000,000 Group I Dubai Kahayla Classic $250,000