The horse “Meydan” starts from the “Saabah” gate in the Dubai World Cup

The draw for the “Dubai World Cup” race, which was drawn yesterday, resulted in the sole representative of the Emirates in the ninth round and the president “Meydan”, with the logo of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, getting the relatively difficult second gate, during the start of the race whose prizes amount to 12 million dollars, and which is allocated to purebred hybrid horses for the first category “Group 1”, the highest ranked in the world, and is scheduled for the 30th evening the day after tomorrow.

The draw for the main round served the most prominent candidates for the title, as last year’s champion, the Qatari horse “Heat Show” with the “Wathnan Racing” team logo, and the Japanese horse “Forever Young”, recently crowned champion of the Saudi Cup, received two ideal starting gates for the race extending over a distance of 2000 meters of sand, as they will start successively from lanes five and six.

The draw took place in the presence of Ali Al Ali, a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Director of the Dubai Racing Club, and representatives of the sponsoring companies for the nine rounds of the Dubai World Cup evening, in addition to the owners and trainers of the horses participating in the evening, which begins next Saturday, with the participation of 101 horses, representing 15 countries, competing for the titles of the nine rounds, with a total prize pool of $30.5 million (112.03 million dirhams).

The main race witnesses a competition between nine of the best dirt track horses on the international scene, with the results of the draw varying in difficulty, especially after the fifth gate was reserved for Qatar’s representative and title holder, “Heat Show”, to enhance his chances of repeating the victory he achieved last year, and equaling the historical achievement of the horse “Thunder Snow”, star of the “Godolphin” team, champion of the 2018 and 2019 editions, who succeeded in winning the main race twice in a row under the supervision of International coach Saeed bin Surour. The Japanese horse “Forever Young”, which came third in last year’s edition, raised its chances after the draw gave it an ideal gate, especially since the horse returns again to the main race, armed with its remarkable achievements last season, most notably its victory last November in the famous American “Breed’s Cup Classic” race, followed last month by being crowned champion of the Saudi Cup, which makes it a strong candidate to compete for the title.

The draw did not do justice to the only representative of the American horse, “Magnitude,” as it placed him in the first gate, while the Saudi representative, the horse “Walk of Stars,” owned by “Athba Racing,” won the third gate, next to him, the British representative, the horse, “Heart of Honor,” owned by “Jim & Clear Limited,” in the fourth gate.

The second British representative, the horse “Imperial Emperor,” owned by “Diva Racing,” came in the seventh gate, while the Russian representative, the horse “Tab Leader,” won the eighth gate, and the second Qatar representative, the horse “Tumbarumba,” with the slogan “Wathnan Racing” and under the supervision of coach Hamad Al-Juhani, will start from the ninth and final gate.

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Ali Al Ali: The 30th edition is a message in the face of challenges

Member of the Board of Directors and Executive Director of the Dubai Racing Club, Ali Al Ali, said: “This exceptional occasion represents a message in the face of challenges, and it is the starting gate drawing ceremony for the 30th edition of the Dubai World Cup. What we are witnessing today is the result of an inspiring vision and unlimited support from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him. His Highness laid the foundation for this event since its inception, believing in the role of sport in enhancing cultural communication and rapprochement between people. The peoples.

He added: “As we stand on the cusp of the 30th edition of this prestigious global event, we proudly witness this rich diversity of participation from various parts of the world, and the presence of an elite group of horses, owners, trainers, jockeys, and media professionals, which embodies the depth of the ties between members of the racing community, and enhances the position of the Dubai World Cup as an unparalleled evening in the world.”

He pointed out: “We express our deepest thanks and gratitude to our sponsors: (Emirates Airlines), (Longines), (DB World), (Nakheel), (Jumeirah), (Azizi Developments), (Emaar), (Al Tayer Motors), and (Zabeel Feed), for their continued support and commitment to the message of this event, which has become a global symbol in the equestrian industry. We wish all participants all the best, and good luck in the evening the day after tomorrow, where new chapters are being written. Stories of challenge.

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Al-Kubaisi: “Heat Show” faces a historic opportunity

The racing director of the “Wathnan Racing” team, Ali Al Kubaisi, confirmed that the Qatari horse “Heat Show” has a historic opportunity to achieve the double in a row in the main race, the “Dubai World Cup”, and equal the achievement of “Thunder Snow”, the star of the “Godolphin” team, the only horse in the history of the most expensive race that succeeded in achieving the double in a row in 2018 and 2019.

Al-Kubaisi told Emirates Al-Youm: “Last season, we came to Dubai as part of the list of horses competing for the Dubai World Cup title in a race that witnessed the participation of 16 horses, and today (Heat Show) returns to the (Meydan) track to defend its title, amid better chances in light of the fact that the participants in the 2026 edition are limited to only nine horses.”

He explained: “Starting from the fifth gate represents an additional opportunity to obtain a smooth starting line, despite the strength of the competitor who came in the adjacent lane, the Japanese horse, the Saudi Cup champion (Forever Young), but the ambitions are great in the horse’s ability to provide a distinguished performance and achieve the title for the second time, thus equaling the achievement of (Thunder Snow).”

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Crisford: The second gate is not an obstacle to “Meydan”

The supervisor of training the horse “Meydan”, trainer Ed Crisford, revealed that placing the UAE representative “Meydan” in the relatively difficult second gate is not an obstacle for the five-year-old horse.

Crisford told Emirates Today: “Although Meydan is in the second gate, if it gets a quick start, it will be a prominent competitor despite the strength of the field, especially with the presence of both the defending champion (Hit Show) alongside the Saudi Cup champion and the strong candidate for the title, the Japanese horse Forever Young.”

He explained: “William Buick is an expert horseman, and if he can push (Meydan) to achieve a strong start, then the obstacles from the rush of the rest of the horses can be overcome, especially those in the first and third gates who prefer a fast pace, and the distance of 2000 meters gives the horses the ability to reposition.”

Regarding Meydan’s chances after the strong performance – which it presented at the end of last month on the “Super Saturday” evening, and its victory in its first appearance on dirt tracks in the title of the “Al Maktoum Classic” race – Crisford said: “Although participation is limited to nine horses, the field in the main race is very strong, and I expect the pace of the race to be faster than the pace with which Meydan won at the end of last month, and our ambitions are great for it to deliver the expected performance the day after tomorrow, amid legitimate ambitions for everyone. “In competing for the title that all owners, trainers and riders around the world aspire to.”

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