The March 25th, 2023 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai was the 27th running of the race that was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who created the event in 1996.
“The UAE’s superior infrastructure and emergence as a major venue for global tournaments and a magnet for leading international sporting figures have marked the city as one of the world’s greatest sporting destinations,” HH Sheikh Mohammed said at the event.
Read: Dubai World Cup success reflects UAE’s commitment to global excellence
The world watched
Last Saturday’s $30.5-million G1 Dubai World Cup all was a global event that saw nine races being contested, all topped by the $12-million Dubai World Cup.
Dubai Racing Club’s Racecourse Media Group (RMG) put together a list of who’s who in sports broadcasting to televise and live stream the horseracing event, including US’s Fox Sports, ESPN/Star+ in South America, Viaplay in Europe, BeIN Sports, ITV which is UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster, and a host of others in the region and beyond.
Japan puts on a dominant display
Japan was the clear winner at the event having three top champions all hailing from that country.
In the span of a few races Saturday at Meydan Racecourse, racehorses Ushba Tesoro, Derma Sotogake, and Equinox received top honors in their respective divisions.
Ushba Tesoro produced a remarkable run, coming from the back of the field to take the Dubai World Cup for Japan and win by two and three-quarter lengths.
Derma Sotogake was the clear winner on the 5 1/2-length track in Saturday’s $1 million UAE Derby (G2).
Meanwhile, Equinox broke the Meydan mile-and-a-half track record and was rewarded with a check for $6 million at the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic.
Purses and jockeys
The Dubai World Cup purse of $12 million pays out prize monies for the first 4 places.
The winning jockey gets a 10% share and so from the overall 1st place prize money of $7.5 million, the jokey gets $750k.
The second-place finisher is awarded $3 million, the highest purse money for any second-place finish after Saudi Cup 2023. The jokey’s 10% share here is $300k.
The 3rd place holder earns $1.5m while finishing in 4th place earns the racehorse $500k.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, crowned the winner of the main $12 million Group 1 race of the Dubai World Cup.
Rich history
The Dubai World Cup is a Group 1 race for middle-distance horses. Its first race was won by Cigar in 1996.
The event at Meydan offers one of the highest purses in the world and is now run on dirt ever since the Tapeta track surface was replaced in 2015.
The Dubai World Cup is the main race on the city’s big night of the year.
Jerry Bailey and Frankie Dettori hold the record with four wins there.
Last year’s winner was Country Grammar.
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