Almost a week following what is touted as the ‘World’s Most Spectacular Race,’ the Racing X team & I are still buzzing from the epic week that was the Dubai World Cup.
Dubai World Cup week certainly lived up to the hype, with extravagant trackwork mornings each day with fresh pistachio crepes and coffee made available for the world’s media, an over-the-top pyrotechnics display for the barrier draw, and, of course, the most spectacular morning gallop on Thursday. There truly is nothing quite like watching the world’s top thoroughbreds gallop by a rising Middle Eastern sun surrounded by hundreds of other racing fans enjoying a world-class breakfast—and that was all before we got to the races on Saturday!
What we witnessed on the track at Meydan Saturday evening may be one of the most emotional racing memories for me personally. Following on from the Saudi Cup, racing fans all over the globe felt relieved to see Saudi victor Forever Young and world number one Romantic Warrior split up between the Dubai World Cup and the Dubai Turf and excited to see if U.S. sprinting star Straight No Chaser may extend his international dominance to secure his second run in the prestigious Breeders Cup Sprint.
When Straight No Chaser disappointed in the Gr.1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, we were still hopeful for our other two Saudi heroes to live up to their short-priced quote, but as Soul Rush challenged Romantic Warrior up the Meydan straight, we all held our breath to see if ‘The Warrior’ could win yet another battle. The emotion that followed what felt like an everlasting photo decider was extraordinary. Standing right besides Danny Shum & his team, all mourning the team’s loss at the same moment, winning jockey Cristian Demuro let out a cry of joy as he and Soul Rush made their way back to the winner’s stall; it felt like true theatre.
But those theatrics were nothing compared to watching the Dubai World Cup with Forever Young’s trainer, Yoshito Yahagi. The moment that Forever Young looked to stop travelling up the straight was simultaneously timed with the overjoyed screeching of strapper E-J Bowler as she cheered on her 80/1 shot Hit Show home, followed by an incredible celebration between her and assistant trainer Dustin Dugas. When you watch The Strapper’s Joy, what you don’t see is the tragedy, hard work, and resilience that E-J Bowler has. Last year in the 2024 Gr.1 Dubai Turf, the horse she strapped, Catnip, unfortunately, suffered a life-ending injury, so to win the Dubai World Cup exactly a year later is a beautiful full-circle moment—a true testament to the rollercoaster ride that is a career in racing and a love for the thoroughbred.
The 29th edition of the Dubai World Cup delivered a spectacle of historic proportions, drawing in a record-breaking crowd of more than 65,000 racing fans—an increase of 18% from last year’s figures.
We rounded out the evening with the world-famous closing ceremony, a jaw-dropping drone, light, and fireworks show that broke three Guinness World Records, lit up the sky telling us a story of the Middle Eastern love of the horse, the heritage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the powerhouse that is Godolphin.
In the brief downtime we had, travelling to see the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa and the dancing fountain show that sits below this towering feat of modern architecture, was simply jaw-dropping. It’s a city like no other and more than I could ever have imagined.
With expectations soaring and history awaiting to be broken once again, we are already looking forward to 2026’s edition of the Dubai World Cup, marking 30 years of this spectacular carnival.
