Dubai Racing Club set for exciting new season

The eyes of the racing world will turn to Meydan Racecourse on Friday when the UAE’s flagship sporting venue hosts its first meeting of 2022/2023. Ever since its epic launch in 2000, the racecourse has set the gold standard for flat racing in the UAE and Middle East region.

This is where some of the world’s best jockeys, owners, and horses, will compete over 21 high-quality race meets in a bid to enhance reputations and earn a share of the lucrative prize money on offer.

Administrated by the Dubai Racing Club (DRC), under the watch of its dynamic General Manager Major General Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, the racecourse separates itself from other major jurisdictions around the world in the fact that it stages races for both thoroughbred and Purebred Arabian horses.

Another new chapter of UAE racing will be written this year with the addition of several new races, jockeys, and trainers adding to the overall spectacle of racing under Meydan’s brilliant lights.

Looking ahead to the new season Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmouk Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Racing Club, said:  “We are delighted to announce an enhanced program for the 2022/23 racing season in Meydan. We are also grateful for the support of our local horsemen and women, as well as our loyal racegoers, and look forward to welcoming them back to our iconic Meydan Racecourse for the first of our ‘Racing In Dubai’ meetings on November 4.”

Sheikh Rashid highlighted the progress horse racing has achieved in the UAE since its early days in the nineties.

“Dubai continues to introduce initiatives to boost the sector and revitalise the global community of horse owners, trainers, and other equestrian professionals. With its deeply-rooted traditions in horse riding, racing, breeding, endurance, showing, and show jumping, Dubai continues to be the focal point for the global equestrian fraternity,” said Sheikh Rashid.

With race meetings being held during the winter months in Dubai, and with perhaps only Australia in the Southern Hemisphere staging races of significance, Meydan finds itself in a very privileged position and is attractive to connections who seek year-round involvement in the sport.

One of the highlights of the racing season in Dubai is the 20th edition of the Dubai World Cup Carnival which gets underway on Friday, January 6.

An enhanced Carnival program, with prize money totaling more than $7.5million, will be culminating in ‘Super Saturday’ – the official dress rehearsal for the Dubai World Cup – on March 4.

Established in 2004, the 2023 Carnival will feature several new races, including the $150,000 Thunder Snow Challenge, a 2000-metre contest named after the Godolphin superstar who is the only horse to win the Dubai World Cup twice.

Another addition is the $150,000 Ipi Tombe Stakes, for fillies and mares on turf over 1400 metres, which honours the Zimbabwe-bred mare who won the $6m Dubai Turf (formerly Dubai Duty-Free Stakes) in 2003.

The 2023 Dubai World Cup Carnival will also offer attractive opportunities for horses competing in the handicap ranks to climb up the ladder and into the pattern races.

A total of 20 handicap races divided between dirt and turf and which are worth $75,000 each will complement the pattern race schedule.

Meanwhile, the popular Jumeirah Turf Series for three-year-olds returns for a second season. Last year’s Jumeirah Derby winner, Nations Pride, went on to run in the G1 Derby at Epsom.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO RACING AT MEYDAN

How do I get to Meydan?

Meydan Racecourse is located on Meydan Road in Nad Al Sheba next to Mohammed bin Rashid City. It can be accessed by the public and private transport. Adequate parking slots are available.

Is the entrance free / can I get a season pass?

Entry to Meydan is open to the public. Guests can enter from Gate B and C in the Meydan Grandstand.

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