Dubai World Cup 2016: As it happened

Race 1: Mathmoon Race 2: One Man Band Race 3: Vazirabad Race 4: Lani Race 5: Buffering Race 6: Muarrab Race 7: Real Steel Race 8: Postponed Race 9: California Chrome

That's a wrap, folks. We hope you enjoyed the live blog. Stay with Gulf News for all the reports from tonight's races.

Read all about it! California Chrome is the world's richest horse.

Read the full article here.

Fireworks!

A wealthy horse makes for happy people

It's a record! California Chrome set a new Meydan course record on the way to victory with a time of 2:01.830.

Watch California Chrome, now the world's richest race-horse, march out.

It's official

Classification

Race winner: Numer 11, California Chrome!

Race 9, the Dubai World Cup... And they're off!

The tension... oh, the tension

The horses are making their way to the stalls for the last - and biggest - race of the night. So, that being the case, here's your last racecard.

Watch Postponed do the business in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

There's only one race left, and it's the big one. The richest horse race in the world: the Dubai World Cup.

Here's the racecard.

Classification

And here it is:

Race winner: 7, Postponed

Race 8, Dubai Sheema Classic... And they're off!

Here's your racecard for Race 8, the Dubai Sheema Classic.

The horses for Race 8 are heading to the stalls.

Watch Real Steel win the Dubai Turf.

Gallery time

Next up is Race 8, the Dubai Sheema Classic at 8.20pm. Here's the racecard:

This poll is literally centimetres below.

Classification

And it's official.

Dubai Turf won by number 14, Real Steel.

Race 7, Dubai Turf... And they're off!

Atmosphere alert: It all looks like good fun out there...

Race 7, the Dubai Turf, is only a few minutes away. Here's the racecard.

Dubai Kahayla Classic: Mathmoon hands Hamdan yet another Purebred honours.

Read the full article here.

You may be asking why we've been quiet for the last 10 minutes. Well, here's why.

Race 7, the Dubai Turf, is next on the agenda. Here's a peek at the racecard. With 15 runners it's going to be a busy one.

Look who our man Alaric Gomes bumped into in the paddock - and he has a special message for Gulf News readers.

Job: Done.

The next race on the agenda is the Dubai Turf, Race 7. Mercifully there's a short break before it kicks off. 7.45pm scheduled start.

The lights are out as soothing music and elegant lights entertain the revelers.

Words fail us. 

Janet Jackson is performing after the final race tonight. And now she's tweeting.

Provisional classification:

Number 7, Muarrab wins the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Race 6, Dubai Golden Shaheen... And they're off!

Five minutes to go. Here's the racecard.

David Vedelago, owner, Aspariamo Racing, one of the owners of Buffering: This is one of the most memorable evenings for any of us. He has been a star and he has left us with such sensational memories for making this trip from Down Under. This is the best feeling any owner can have. What more can I ask of a horse? It is simply such an honour to have him with us.

His next stop will be Hong Kong. He leaves in another four weeks.

Joao Moreira, jockey, Peniaphobia (third place): I think he was unlucky after coming up with such a fantastic run. The pace of the race was hot indeed and for some time i thought he went a bit too fast. But i think there are so many other reasons why i can be happy with him.

The horses are heading to their stalls for Race 6, the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Race 6, Dubai Golden Shaheen, starts at 6.45pm. Here's a peek at the racecard:

And the winner is...

Watch Buffering take the win in the Al Quoz Sprint.

Dubai: Highly-regarded French handler Alain de Royer-Dupre described his classy stayer Vazirabad as being ‘very special’ after the four-year-old swooped late to snatch victory from British hope Big Orange in the $1million Dubai Gold Cup (Group 1), the longest race on the card at a distance of 3.200 metres.

Winner of the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak at Saint-Cloud, France in October Chirstophe Soumillon's mount demonstrated when he is regarded as one of the best stayers in Europe when delivering a breath-taking run in the closing stages of the race to score by a neck.

This was a sixth straight win for Vazirabad, a son of German stallion Monduro, and Royer-Dupre’s second big win at the Dubai World Cup meeting following Dolniya’s triumph in the $6million Dubai Sheema Classic 12 months ago.

Royer-Dupre said: "They went quick and I knew he would be at the back.

“But his main quality is that he has a really big turn of foot and we were not afraid to use it. He was a little bit tired at the end, perhaps he came too early, but I’m not sure.

"I don't know if we'll stay at long distances, perhaps we will drop him back to 2,400 metres. he could go for the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud (Group1, 2,440m) as I know he is very special."

Soumillon, who was doing the steering when Dolniya won last year, opted to sit a long way off the pace being made by 2014 shock Gold Cup winner Certerach.

Jamie Spencer went for home aboard Big Orange with two furlongs to run but Vazirabad was closing the gap with every stride under a confident Soumillon. The two fought out the final furlong and while Soumillon appeared to be gaining the upper hand Big Orange battled back for Spencer only to lose out in the final strides.

The Richard Fahey-trained Suegioo finished strongly only to be beaten in a photo-finish for third by Saeed Bin Surour’s Haafaguinea.

Michael Bell, has campaigned Big Orange in all the top staying races around the world, including the Group1 A$6million Melbourne Cup, was full of praise for his charge and said: "The winner is very good but he had to pull out all the stops to beat us.

“I’m really proud of him, it was a very good effort.

“We’ll make plans when we get back that set’s him up nicely for the rest of the year.

Spencer added: "I had a perfect trip and the horse has given us his all. No complaints, we were beaten by a good horse."

James Doyle was full of praise for Godolphin’s Haafaguinea.

"It was a monster effort. He had a smooth trip and I'm absolutely delighted with him."

Former British footballer Michael Owen, who took home the trophy twelve months ago, saw his wishes come true when he posted on his twitter account, @themichaelowen, ‘a year today since Brown Panther demolished the field in the Dubai Gold Cup. Let’s hope a European horse leads them home this time.’

Vazirabad was stretching to three wins Europe’s dominantion of the race following Certerach in 2014 and record-setting Brown Panther last season.

Owen’s stable flag-bearer set a course record of 03:18.84 seconds when landing the prize for Richard Kingscote aboard the Tom Dascombe-trained horse.

In case you missed it earlier, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, wrote about the importance of horse racing in the UAE.

Read the full article here.

Buffering takes the spoils.

Provisional classification

Race winner: 9, Buffering

Race 5, the Al Quoz Sprint... And they're off!

Beyond the furlongs...

The Al Quoz Sprint is minutes away as the horses head to the stalls. Race start time is 6.10pm.

We'll just leave this here...

GNTV captured the moment when Lani crossed the line to take the win in the UAE Derby. Watch for yourself...

Race 5, Al Quoz Sprint, starts at 6.10. Here's the full racecard:

The glamour continues...

Lani wins the UAE Derby.

Race 4, UAE Derby... And they're off!

Race 4, the UAE Derby, starts in one minute. Here's the racecard.

Race 3, Dubai Gold Cup official classification:

Our man on the ground has been snooping...

The UAE Derby is next up, here's the racecard.

Watch the climax of the Dubai Gold Cup. We're still waiting on the official classification.

Now it's time for another gallery. There's horses in this one.

Doug Watson, trainer, One Man Band: No, never I wasn't expecting such a clean sweep. It's such an amazing feeling when you consider that you've been waiting for this moment of winning only one. And now in one race we have all three. I was just expecting to get one of my horses out there in the front.

If you as me to describe the feeling, I would say it is unbelievable. This is such a great start to the evening and hopefully, there will be more winners from our side.

As far as the jockey goes, I didn't have to tell him anything before the race. He is such an experienced hand and he knew exactly what he had to do.

Sam Hitchcott jockey of One Man Band winner of the Godolphin Mile

“He travels so good and gets everyone up when it matters, and you can get him up at that point, and then he kicks off the turn and he just goes again…

“To be fair to this fella his most awkward part of the race is just jumping [starting] because he can rock in the stalls a little bit, but he was just brilliant today, like I say good team effort all round brilliant for Doug brilliant for the boys in the yard and we’ll enjoy it…

First world cup night for him and the team? “But we’ve got a few chances yet don’t worry.”

Photo finish for third place. Results not yet classified.

Vazirabad ridden by Christophe Soumillon, trained by Alain De Royer-Dupre, owned by Aga Khan wins the Dubai Gold Cup.

Race won by 1 Vazirabad

Race 3 Dubai Gold Cup... And they're off!

The Dubai Gold Cup is five minutes away. Here's the racecard.

Race 3, the Dubai Gold Cup, starts at 4.55pm. The horses are on their way to the stalls now.

It's time for another gallery! Our photographers are busy today.

The next race on the schedule is the Dubai Gold Cup. Here are your runners:

It was an explosion of colours, prints, hemlines and styles as thousands of men and women put their best foot forward at the Dubai World Cup 2016, held at the Meydan Racecourse on Saturday afternoon.

The focus wasn’t just on the horse racing tracks and which horse takes home the world’s richest prize, but it was also about how chic and quirky one can get on the styling front.

Alvina Gabdrashitova, 17, wore her passion on her hemlines as she wore a billowing golden gown that had wild horses printed over the train.

“I ride horses. It’s my biggest passion and I thought to myself why not combine my love for horses with fashion,” said Gabdrashitova. It’s her fourth year at the Dubai World Cup and she makes sure that she never misses this sporting extravaganza.

Jeanne Lindell, 45, from Sweden who was all set to participate for the Jaguar Style Stakes chose a pale blue strapless gown for the big day.

“I love the atmosphere now. There’s a fashion competition that I hope to win and a sporting event on the other side. What’s not to love?,” said Lindell, who took over a month to plan her outfit for this year’s races.

Meanwhile, the competition was heating up at the Jaguar Style Stakes 2016, a sartorial contest that’s held on the sidelines of the horse races.

Latoyah Asha has come all the way from Australia to attend the races and participate in the Jaguar Style Stakes.

“I ride horses for a living and it’s great to be a part of such a fun, fashionable event,” said Asha, who was being sized up for The Best Hat category.

It was a first for Poonam Rajpara from India. She’s Dubai-based, but has never gotten around to seeing the races.

“It’s such a glorious day and I can’t wait to experience the excitement at the races and see people from around the world enjoy a day in the sun,” said Rajpara.

Race 1. Dubai Kahayla Classic (Group 1), Empowered  by IPIC

Purse: $1,000,000 (Purebred s 4yo+) 2000m Dirt 1. AF Mathmoon (trained by Musabah Al Muhairi) ridden by Dane O'Neil 2. TM Thunder Struck (Alban De Mieulle) Olivier Peslier 3. Thakif (Nacer Samiri) Silvestre de Sousa 4. Handasa (Francois Rouhat) Paul Hanagan.

Also ran:Versac PY, Shaheer, AF Lafeh, Arkan, Lares De Pine, Haajeb, Rasi, Nashmee, AF Tawaq, Mahess Du Soleil, Qassy.

Winning distances: Neck, 1.25lengths, 1.25.

Winning time: 02:15.45secs.

Winning owner: Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

This Dubai Frame homage paints an interesting picture...

One Man Band ridden by Sam Hitchcott, trained by Doug Watson and owned by Shaikh Saeed Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum wins the Godolphin Mile.

Here's the top four: 

Godolphin Mile... And they're off!

Time for a gallery, we think. Here's how it all looks at the Meydan right now.

The horses are heading to the stalls for Race 2. Here's the racecard.

Here's the racecard for Race 2, the Godolphin mile.

Next on the schedule is the Godolphin Mile, which starts at 4.20pm

AF Mathmoon wins the Kahayla Classic ridden by Dane O’Neill, trained by Musabah Al Muhairi and owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Kahayla Classic top 4 

Winner: 14 Mathmoon

And they're off!

The horses are on their way to the stalls. Race start at 3.45pm.

So with 10 minutes to go until the Kahayla Classic, here's another glance at the racecard.

And more...

A sample of the atmosphere

Just 15 minutes to go until Race 1, the Kahayla Classic, takes off. Can you feel it?

Our Chief Sports Writer, Euan Reedie, recently wrote a piece about Laura King, there's a link to it somewhere in this tweet.

There's 30 minutes to go until the first race leaves the stalls. Here's the racecard for the Kahayla Classic.

Look at this madness. Hats everywhere.

Every year, before the Dubai World Cup, I am forced to make some life-altering decisions (ok, I exaggerate). Do I wear vertiginous heels or opt for practical flats?

The narcissist in me wants to throw caution to the winds and just choose looks over practicality because as a reporter covering the fashion side of the racing extravaganza you are on your feet all afternoon. Any woman worth her Christian Louboutin will vouch that it's no mean feat to walk around in those beautiful, but high heeled creations.

Once again, the voice of reason wins! If you spot the only lady in bright yellow flats (something's gotta give) among the sea of impractical-yet-sexy heels, don't judge. Duty calls.

Two-time British champion jockey Paul Hanagan is targeting more glory on World Cup night for owner Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.

Read the full article here.

They're coming thick and fast. Check out this fascinator...

Gulf News has been talking to race fans in the paddock.

It's the turn of the Emirati 'stick dancers' to keep the crowd enthralled at Meydan.

Fascinating folk routine, also known at the 'Ayala' dance, I'm told.

Elsewhere in the jockey's weighing room, the 15 riders are gearing up for the Kahayla Classic, the first race of the day.

I'm outside this high-tension room and can almost feel the pressure rising. Glad it's them and not me getting on those majestic Arabians in less than an hour.

May the best man win!

Jacquie Doyle knows her horses, and she has a lifetime's worth of stories to share. She penned some thoughts exclusively for Gulf News. 

Read the full article here.

The marching band looking majestic

Strike up the band!

The Dubai Police Band trumpeting the countdown to the first race with a medley of big band songs in front of the iconic main Grandstand at Meydan racecourse.

Great stuff!

Glitz, glamour, girls, and GGs... and much, much traffic. You'd better leave some extra time to get to the Meydan as the queues are building up.

We're not sure who they are, but they have a helicopter. 

Kiaran McLaughlin, who saddles Frosted tonight, has by now cemented his place in UAE racing history both as a multiple champion trainer and a winner of the $10 million (Dh36.73 million) Dubai World Cup.

He asserts that victory in Saturday’s 21st renewal of the world’s richest race will nonetheless be nothing short of ‘spectacular.’ Read the full article here.

Hats, or "fascinators" as they're known, are all part of the experience. The rules are there are no rules. We're looking forward to seeing what kinds of head adornments will be peppered around the Meydan today.

The Sports desk is keen for people to wear traffic cones on their heads, but we're told what the judges in the Jaguar Style Stakes are looking for. Read the full article here.

No traffic cones, sadly. 

Poll time! The question kind of speaks for itself.

Asked by doctors to stay away from horses, Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda today is the leading Emirati owner and breeder of Purebred Arabians.

He spoke to Gulf News about his passion. Read the full article here.

It's time for a flashback! Here's last year's Dubai World Cup, which was won by... no spoilers. We won't ruin it for you.

The masses are begin to flock in. There could be as many as 60,000 people at the Meydan this evening...

Goodness, that's a large trophy. Who will get their hooves on that later tonight?

Are you heading to the Meydan today? We don't want you to get lost, so show this map to the taxi driver. Better to be safe than sorry...

Have you seen Gulf News Sport's front cover today? We think it's quite striking...

What's the hardest part about being a jockey? Well, aside from having to literally look up at most people, it take a lot more than you may think.

Read the full article here.

Hi Everybody!

The UAE's blue riband sporting event is finally here... It's Dubai World Cup day at a bright and sunny Meydan Racecourse in the heart of Nad Al Sheba.

Our enthusiastic team of writers are at the venue, which is absolutely buzzing with activity and anticipation as we countdown to the first of nine races on a glittering card worth $30 million in prize money.

We hope to take you through the day with on-the-spot updates, news, and reactions which culminate in the big race of the night, the $10million Dubai World Cup at 9pm UAE time.

I'm sure we're going to have a lot of fun together... let's go!

If you're curious about form, which you almost certainly are, then fillies are looking like the ones to beat. 

Read more here.

Gulf News' racing writer Leslie Wilson is getting organised ready for a long day in the office. 

Good luck, Leslie.

The first race today is the Kahayla Classic, and it kicks off at 3.45pm local time. But who is running? Here's the racecard.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai says that horse racing has come home.

Read the full article here.

Saleha Al Ghurair has etched her name in the history books as the first-ever Emirati female trainer and breeder for Pure Arabians.

However she thinks that more fairness is needed in handicapping. Read the full article here.

It's only a matter of time before the masses begin flocking through the gates. Naturally, before the horses start running we must tend to the business of fashion. 

Certainly, @GulfNewsTabloid will be on the look out for some rather fetching hats.

Let's begin by looking at the schedule for today's meeting. 

Hello race fans and welcome to the Gulf News live blog for the 2016 Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race.

We'll be bringing you all the action from now until later tonight, from mad hats and avant garde fashion to racecards, runners and results.

Get involved with us by following us on Twitter @GulfNewsSport, and use the hashtag #DubaiWorldCup. Share your posts with us and who knows, you may end up here!

Happy horsing!