Dubai World Cup raceday receives 739 noms including Winx

Talismanic nominated for Dubai World Cup
Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Talismanic heads huge nominations for Dubai World Cup raceday.
Nominations for the $10,000,000 Group 1 Dubai World Cup closed on January 11th with 136 of the globe’s premier Thoroughbreds. Scheduled for March 31st, 2018, 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 Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Talismanic, Group 1 Japan’s Champions Cup winner Gold Dream and the previous two winners of the Group 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, Diversify and Hoppertunity. Other Group 1 winning nominees of note include Thunder Snow, Apollo Kentucky and Seeking the Soul, while top-class Group 2 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 Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic over 2410m on turf is topped by champion Cracksman, the world’s top-rated 3-year-old of 2017, as well as Group 1 Japan Cup winner Cheval Grand and Group 1 winner Cloth of Stars, while the $6,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Turf 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.

The card’s two sprints showcase some of the fastest horses on the planet. The $2,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen over 1200m on dirt is topped by defending champion Mind Your Biscuits, Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Roy H and Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup winner DB Pin, while the $1,000,000 Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint over 1200m on turf features defending champion The Right Man, Group 1 British Champions Sprint 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, a 3200m turf marathon, attracted three-time Group 1 winner and two-time defending champion Vazirabad, as well as Big Orange and Torcedor, while the Godolphin Mile over a 1600m on the dirt, includes Group 1 Cigar Mile winner Sharp Azteca, as well as Kafuji Take and Accelerate.

The $2,000,000 Group 2 UAE Derby sees such rising stars as Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Mendelssohn, Japanese stakes winner Don Fortis and Group 2 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.

Malih Al Basti, Meydan Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Meydan Racing Committee, said: “The 2018 Dubai World Cup is a truly global, world-class race day like no other, offering an action-packed meeting with the very best international horses, owners and trainers being represented in its nominations. It is also very heartening to see 19 countries on the list and we once again look forward to hosting an exceptionally international day of racing on Saturday, March 31st.

“While the Dubai World Cup is the world’s richest day of racing, it is also an opportunity for the racing community to gather and celebrate the very best the sport has to offer at the magnificent Meydan Racecourse, the perfect stage to host our international and local competitors. When it was created in 1996, it was part of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s long-term vision for racing, where he saw the event becoming a global highlight on the racing calendar. It is rewarding to see that vision fulfilled year after year.”

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
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