The Dubai World Cup Meeting: A Brief History

World Racing / Timeform / 25 March 2010 / Leave a comment

Cigar and Jerry Bailey win the inaugural running of the Dubai World Cup

Timeform take a look back over the recent history of the Dubai World Cup meeting...

"Not surprisingly given the prizes on offer, the meeting has taken no time at all to establish itself as one of the highlights of the Flat racing calendar, even though it takes place before the European season has begun in earnest."

As the saying goes, 'if you build it, they will come', but so far as the Dubai World Cup meeting is concerned we might well add something along the lines of 'and if you cough up seven figure purses, they definitely will.' For fourteen years now, the best racehorses from all around the globe have been lured to the desert, first to Nad Al Sheba and now to Meydan, for the richest meeting in the world. Not surprisingly given the prizes on offer, the meeting has taken no time at all to establish itself as one of the highlights of the Flat racing calendar, even though it takes place before the European season has begun in earnest.

The World Cup itself has consistently drawn strong fields since Cigar won the inaugural renewal in 1996. Indeed, since then the lowest Timeform rating recorded by a winner of the World Cup was 126, while no fewer than six winners ran to a figure of 130 or greater, the mark of genuinely top-class ability. The best of those was Dubai Millennium, who ran to 140 when lowering his own track record at Nad Al Sheba in 2000. Dubai Millennium is one of five winners in the race for Saeed bin Suroor, along with Almutawakel, Street Cry, Moon Ballad and Electrocutionist. However, the main trend over the years the World Cup has taken place at Nad Al Sheba is the excellent record of American horses. Historically, several winners have arrived in Dubai via the Breeders' Cup Classic, with Cigar, Pleasantly Perfect, Invasor and Curlin all tasting victory in the both races. Horses that were ostensibly turf performers don't have the greatest of records, with Almutawakel and Singspiel the only winners making their dirt debuts, though Electrocutionist had had just the one run the surface prior to his win. The move to Meydan this year, with the change from dirt to tapeta, is likely to see the profile of the World Cup change somewhat, with more turf horses giving it a go on the more forgiving surface.

The Dubai Duty Free, run over about nine furlongs on turf since 2000 and elevated to Group 1 status in 2002, has steadily taken more winning in recent years. For while no winner ran to a better rating than 123 from 2002 to 2005, in 2006 David Junior recorded a Timeform rating of 132 when winning most impressively. All three winners since then have run to at least 125, with the 2007 winner, Japanese Horse of the Year Admire Moon, arguably the pick of them. Admire Moon is just one a cosmopolitan array of winners the Duty Free has produced in recent years, with victors also hailing from the UAE, South Africa, UK, Australia, Germany and France. The other Group 1 run on turf during the World Cup meeting is the Sheema Classic, which has an illustrious roll of honour, featuring the likes of Fantastic Light, Nayef and Sulamani. In recent years it has fallen to a couple of raiders from the Far East in Heart's Cry and Vengeance of Rain and is one of the few mile and a half turf races in the calendar that attracts horses representing formlines from all around the world.

The dirt sprinters also get the opportunity to strut their stuff at the top level in the Golden Shaheen over over six furlongs. Formerly run over the straight track on the dirt at Nad Al Sheba, it will now take place around a bend at Meydan. Also a Group 1 since 2002, it has long been the preserve of American dirt horses, with the few turf sprinters that have tried their hands in the race struggling to make an impact. The surface switch will quite likely see that change.

The supporting card features three other valuable events. The Group 2 UAE Derby takes place over nine furlongs on the main track, with this year's winning connections set to pocket over £740,000. By way of comparison, Sea The Stars won about £30,000 less for winning the Derby at Epsom in 2009. Over the years the UAE Derby has been something of a benefit for the two powerhouses of the Carnival - Godolphin and Mike de Kock. Of the ten runnings of the UAE Derby to have taken place, Saeed bin Suroor has trained six winners, and de Kock the other four. The other Group 2 is the Godolphin Mile, which is also run on the tapeta . Again, it is no surprise to see that Godolphin have a superb record, having won seven renewals since 1994. Perhaps the most high-profile winner is Firebreak, who won consecutive Godolphin Miles in 2003 and 2004. New for this year is the Al Quoz, a Group 3 over the straight six furlongs on the turf, which perhaps appeals as a better target for the European-based sprinters, for all that its prize money is only half that of the Golden Shaheen (though still worth comfortably more than the July Cup, for one).

Free form for all the Dubai World Cup races is available at the Timeform Website