Dubai World Cup Night is a series of eight thoroughbred horse races and one Purebred Arabian race held annually at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. From 1996 through to 2009, the event was held at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse.
Run under the auspices of the Emirates Racing Authority, the event currently offers purses totalling US$27.25 million and is the single richest day of Thoroughbred racing in the world. The Dubai World Cup Night includes the following races:
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been mostly unchanged since at least classical antiquity.
The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse which in Arabic suggests a place where people congregate and compete, a sort of meeting point in the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operated through the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) whose Chairman is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs of the United Arab Emirates. It offers nine races, consisting of eight Thoroughbred contests and one Purebred Arabian contest.
The Dubai Sheema Classic is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates open to thoroughbreds which are four-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres on the turf track at Meydan Racecourse, Dubai, and it takes place annually during the Dubai World Cup Night in March.
The Dubai Golden Shaheen is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,200 metres on the dirt course at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in late March.
The Dubai Turf, known as Dubai Duty Free 1996 to 2014. is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,800 metres on the turf at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai during the Dubai World Cup Night in March.
The Asian Mile Challenge is a series of four one-mile Thoroughbred horse races. Created in 2005, the series was launched with two races, one in Hong Kong, the other in Japan. In 2006, the Melbourne Racing Club of Australia and the Dubai Racing Club of the United Arab Emirates joined the series.
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse was Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It had a 2,200 m left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance. It operated from November through March and featured the Dubai International Racing Carnival and its Dubai World Cup Night.
The Jebel Hatta is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 2000 at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Raced on turf, it is open to horses four-years-old and up who were bred in the Northern Hemisphere and to horses three-years-old and up who were bred in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Godolphin Mile is a Group 2 flat Thoroughbred horse race in the United Arab Emirates for Southern Hemisphere three-year-old horses and Northern Hemisphere four-year-olds. It is contested on dirt over a distance of 1,600 metres at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.
The Global Sprint Challenge is a Thoroughbred horse racing series inaugurated in 2005 as a series of six sprint races run across three racing jurisdictions in Australia, England and Japan. In 2006 the series expanded to seven races across four racing jurisdictions with the inclusion of a race in Hong Kong. In 2008 the series expanded to eight races when an additional race in England became part of the series and in 2011 the series expands to nine races with the inclusion of a race in Singapore.
Meydan Racecourse is a racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The grandstand is a half mile in length, and can accommodate over 60,000 spectators.
Al Quoz Sprint is a thoroughbred horse race held in Meydan Racecourse, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was first run in 2007 as part of the then, Dubai International Racing Carnival and subsequently moved to Dubai World Cup night in 2010 to coincide with the opening of Meydan Racecourse. In 2009, it became a Group 3 and is now run at Group 1 level.
The Dubai Kahayla Classic is a Group 1 race for Purebred Arabians held on Dubai World Cup Night at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. It carries a purse of US$1,000,000 and is held annually on the last Saturday in March.
The Dubai Gold Cup is a thoroughbred horse race held in Meydan Racecourse, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was first run in 2012 as part of Dubai World Cup night. It was initially a Group 3 race and has been run at Group 2 level since 2014.
Presvis was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Although he did not race until the age of four and never won a major race in his native country he was one of the most financially successful British-trained horses of all-time, winning well over £4 million in prize money. He was trained throughout his career by Luca Cumani and ridden in most of his major races by Ryan Moore. The gelding was suited by extreme "hold-up" tactics and was usually restrained at the rear of the field before being produced for a late run in the straight. He was rated among the world's hundred best racehorses in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
The Al Maktoum Mile, is a horse race run over a distance of 1,600 metres in late December on dirt at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. Previously known as the Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 1 it was the first of three races in the Al Maktoum Challenge series which serve as trial races for the Dubai World Cup.
The Al Maktoum Classic, is a horse race run over a distance of 1,900 metres on dirt in February at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. The event was previously known as Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 2 and it was the second of three races in the Al Maktoum Challenge series which serve as trial races for the Dubai World Cup.
The Al Maktoum Challenge, is a horse race run over a distance of 1,900 metres on dirt in late January at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. The event was known as Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3 and was the third of three races in the Al Maktoum Challenge series which serve as trial races for the Dubai World Cup but was renamed in 2024
Cavalryman was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. In eight seasons of racing he won ten times from thirty-nine starts in six countries, namely France, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Australia. Beginning his career in France he won one race as a juvenile but developed to become one of the best colts of his generation in 2009, winning the Prix Matchem, Grand Prix de Paris and Prix Niel as well as running third in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. After being transferred to the British/Emirati stable of Saeed bin Suroor he failed to win a race for the next two years but recovered his form when switched to competing over extended distances. He won the Grand Cup and Coral Marathon in 2012, the Dubai Gold Cup in 2013 and the Nad Al Sheba Trophy, Princess of Wales's Stakes and Goodwood Cup in 2014 at the age of eight. Cavalryman was fatally injured in a race at Meydan Racecourse in February 2015.
Saudi Cup Night is a series of eight thoroughbred horse races and one Purebred Arabian race held annually at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was first established in 2020.