Nominations for the $10,000,000 Gr1 Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline closed on 11 January with 136 of the globe’s premier Thoroughbreds.
Arrogate wins the 2017 Dubai World Cup
Scheduled for 31 March, the 2000m dirt fixture has been won by such superstar champions as Cigar, Dubai Millennium, Invasor, Curlin, California Chrome and Arrogate.
In 2018, nominations for the Dubai World Cup include American champions West Coast and Forever Unbridled, as well as Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) winner Talismanic, Japan’s Champions Cup (G1) winner Gold Dream and the previous two winners of the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), Diversify and Hoppertunity. Other G1-winning nominees of note include Thunder Snow, Apollo Kentucky and Seeking the Soul, while top-class G2-winning athletes Gunnevera, Second Summer and Good Samaritan add significant depth.
International luminaries are abundant in the nominations for the nine-race, $30-million card – the richest day on the global racing calendar. The $6,000,000 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) over 2410m on turf is topped by champion Cracksman, the world’s top-rated 3-year-old of 2017, as well as Japan Cup (G1) winner Cheval Grand and G1 winner Cloth of Stars, while the $6,000,000 Dubai Turf sponsored by DP World (G1) over 1800m attracted the world’s top-rated horse in training, Australian superstar Winx, a daughter of Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry, as well as champion World Approval and last year’s winner Vivlos.
Winx – Australian champion
The card’s two sprints showcase some of the fastest horses on the planet. The $2,000,000 Dubai Golden Shaheen sponsored by Gulf News (G1) over 1200m on dirt is topped by defending champion Mind Your Biscuits, Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner Roy H and Centenary Sprint Cup (G1) winner D B Pin, while the $1,000,000 Al Quoz Sprint sponsored by Azizi Developments (G1) over 1200m on turf features defending champion The Right Man, British Champions Sprint (G1) winner Librisa Breeze and UAE’s top-rated horse, Ertijaal.
A pair of Group 2 events, each worth $1,000,000, respectively boast strong global intrigue. The Dubai Gold Cup sponsored by Al Tayer Motors, a 3200m turf marathon, attracted three-time G1 winner and two-time defending champion Vazirabad, as well as Big Orange and Torcedor, while the Godolphin Mile sponsored by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum City – District One, over a 1600m on the dirt, includes Cigar Mile (G1) winner Sharp Azteca, as well as Kafuji Take and Accelerate.
Big Orange – soldier staying son of Duke Of Marmalade
The $2,000,000 UAE Derby sponsored by The Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group (G2) sees such rising stars as Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner Mendelssohn, Japanese stakes winner Don Fortis and G2 winner Untamed Domain, a son of Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom. At 1900m on dirt, the UAE Derby offers its winner 100 Road to the Kentucky Derby points, which can lead to a start in that American classic.
Dubai Racing Club received 1,412 nominations for 739 horses from 20 countries.
2018 DUBAI WORLD CUP NOMINATIONS
| Total Nominations |
1412 |
|||
| Total Horses |
739 |
|||
| $10m | Dubai World Cup | Group 1 | 2000m (dirt) |
136 |
| $6m | Dubai Sheema Classic | Group 1 | 2410m (turf) |
153 |
| $6m | Dubai Turf | Group 1 | 1800m (turf) |
253 |
| $2m | Dubai Golden Shaheen | Group 1 | 1200m (dirt) |
155 |
| $1m | Al Quoz Sprint | Group 1 | 1200m (turf) |
175 |
| $2m | UAE Derby | Group 2 | 1900m (dirt) |
140 |
| $1m | Dubai Gold Cup | Group 2 | 3200m (turf) |
93 |
| $1m | Godolphin Mile | Group 2 | 1600m (dirt) |
250 |
| $1m | Dubai Kahayla Classic | Group 1 (PA) | 2000m (dirt) |
57 |
