The world’s finest racehorses are headed for the UAE after the Dubai Racing Club on Wednesday released a star-studded list for the 2016 World Cup Carnival at Meydan.
There are a total of 181 accepted horses who will contest the nine Carnival meetings, starting from January 7, in the build up to ‘Super Saturday’ on March 5, and then the big one, the Dubai World Cup on March 26.
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There are 22 Group or Grade 1 winners among them, as well as 17 horses who claimed a Group or Grade 2 contest as their best result.
Leading the way is Fascinating Rock, the Dermot Weld-trained British Champion Stakes winner, while the 2015 Dubai World Cup runner-up and Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby star, California Chrome, is also set to make the trip.
From trainer Chris Waller’s Australian base comes two 2015 Group 1 winners, the Darley Classic star Delectation and the Railway Stakes winner, Good Project.
Multiple Group 1 winning sprinter, Sole Power, victorious in the 2015 Al Quoz Sprint, has also been accepted as has the classy Toormore from the yard of Richard Hannon.
“The Dubai Racing Club is delighted to release the list of horses that are set to contest the 2016 Dubai World Cup Carnival,” said Meydan Group Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Meydan Racing Committee, Malih Al Basti. “The global racing community continues to see the Carnival as a seasonal target thanks to the attractive purses and high calibre of racing on offer, as well as the support that Dubai Racing Club offers to international horse connections.
“The quality of the horses that have been nominated for the Carnival speaks for itself, and we look forward to a hugely exciting and entertaining three months ahead as these great athletes compete for some of the highest prizes in the industry in the run-up to the 2016 Dubai World Cup.”
The accepted horses come from 16 countries and this year count among their number the first Dubai World Cup Carnival representatives from South Korea in Cheongu and Success Story, trained by Inseok Seo.