Meydan Racecourse

With a victory in Saturday's $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup--a fait accompli in the eyes of many--reigning Japanese Horse of the Year and GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) would leap-frog Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) as the world's richest racehorse with over $36 million in career earnings, accomplished in the space of just 15 races. Heady stuff. Unfathomable stuff, really. And to think that the 5-year-old is out of a mare that fetched just $8,000 as a yearling, well, you just...

When the list of probables for the $2-million G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen came out a week ago, it was hardly surprising to see Qatar Racng and Mrs. Fitri Hay's Nakatomi (Firing Line) among the five American-based horses bound for Meydan Racecourse. After all, the Emirates have become a regular late-winter/early-spring destination for the chestnut gelding, as he makes his third straight appearance in the 1200-meter dash. The way connections see it, the racing Gods owe them one. Off to a slow start and awkward in the early stages in 2024,...

Strawberries and cream. Chocolate and peanut butter. Horse racing and making movies? One of those is clearly not like the others, but Librado Barocio has managed to meld the two into a successful career, both behind the camera and, courtesy of the 8-year-old gelding Lovesick Blues (Grazen), more recently in front of the camera. That's because he's been fielding numerous questions and granting frequent interviews about the horse that not only provided him with a maiden win at the Grade I level in the summer of 2025, but has also...

Iranian attacks continued on Friday in Dubai, with nearby activity forcing officials at Meydan Racecourse to put a temporary hold on racing during the final meeting of the Dubai Racing Carnival. The day's opening event, a Group 3 contest on the turf for the Purebred Arabians, went off as scheduled at 5:30 p.m. local time and the horses were on their way through the tunnel that connects the pre-parade ring/saddling enclosure for the second race, which was scheduled to jump at 6:05 p.m. local time. As horses continued to filter...

Trainer David Fawkes issued an upbeat report on Alex and JoAnn Lieblong's Reef Runner (The Big Beast) as he continues his preparations for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan Racecourse on Mar. 28. "He's doing excellent," Fawkes said. "Obviously I've got to do a lot by video or telephone, but watching him train, he loves it there and he's doing great." The 5-year-old is taking everything in his stride according to Fawkes in spite of the intermittent military activity taking place around him at the sprawling facility, which is...

'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Salloom (Authentic) was expected to take all the beating in Friday's Listed Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby (ex Al Bastakiya), but as he did prior to his would-be debut back in December, he was badly behaved at the gates and busted through before being apprehended and not permitted to take part. A field of 11 was ultimately loaded and Jim and Claire Ltd's Brotherly Love (GB) (Zoustar {Aus})--the half-brother to Jim and Claire Bryce's Heart of Honor (GB) (Honor A. P.), who was...

There are no rules, no guidelines, nothing of the kind, when it comes to Eclipse Award voting. You can vote for whomever you want for whatever reason you want. But I always was of the belief that there was an unwritten rule, or at least an understanding, that the Eclipse Awards were all about recognizing year-round excellence, that champions were the ones who most excelled throughout the year. Maybe that's because I became a racing fan and later a racing journalist when horses really did race more than four or...

Over 300 horses from 19 countries have applied for the 2025-26 Dubai Racing Carnival (DRC) at Meydan this season. The 16-week stand kicked off on November 7 and ends on March 28 with the G1 Dubai World Cup card. The multiple group-placed Heart Of Honor (Honor A. P.) was one of the first to arrive for trainer Jamie Osborne. Trainer Niels Petersen has an 11-strong team from Norway, including Norsk Derby winner War Socks (Kameko). Consistent sprinter Ponntos (Power) has returned for trainer Miroslav Nieslanik, and Denmark's Veronika Jandova brought...

A record crowd of more than 65,000 attended Saturday's Dubai World Cup night card at Meydan in Dubai. It was the 29th edition of the nine-race spectacle, which featured $30.5 million in purses. The evening's crown jewel, the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup, was captured by Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) for trainer Brad Cox and owner Wathnan Racing. Next year's edition will mark the 30th edition of the Dubai World Cup and it will be held on Saturday, March 28. "This year's Dubai World Cup meeting was nothing short...

Japan earned their fourth consecutive $1-million G2 UAE Derby and fifth overall with the narrow victory of Admire Daytona (Jpn) (Drefong) over the ultra game Heart Of Honor (GB) (Honor A. P.) at Meydan on Saturday. The latter's jockey Saffie Osborne was attempting to become the first female rider to win a race on Dubai World Cup night. It was jockey Christophe Lemaire's second UAE Derby win after he was aboard Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) in 2023. One of the fastest from the bell, he immediately glued himself...

The $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup will be run an hour later than originally planned at Meydan on Saturday, after the Dubai Racing Club took the decision on Tuesday to delay the start time for all nine races on the glittering card due to an unforeseen weather forecast. The gates at Meydan will now open at 2.30pm (local time), with the first race--the G1 Dubai Kahayla Classic for Purebred Arabians--set for 4.35pm (local time). The main event, the Dubai World Cup, will conclude the card at 9.30pm (local time). Sheikh...

Multiple group winner Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) pleased his connections with a strong gallop at Saint-Cloud on Thursday, according to trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. The Aga Khan runner is pointing toward the $6-million G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan on Apr. 5. "All winter we decided he was a horse for the Sheema Classic," the trainer told Dubai Racing Club. "Unfortunately we have trial races at Chantilly on the polytrack and the difference between the two races was too big and I would have had to rush him coming out of...