Boasting the maximum expensive prize handbag in horse racing, it’s no wonder the Dubai World Cup draws the very exceptional of the equine world. Held on the Meydan Racecourse, the celebrated assembly marks the cease of the UAE racing season, bringing the arena’s pinnacle jockeys collectively, running shoes, and thoroughbreds. On Saturday, a fab $35 million could be up for grabs throughout the six Group 1 and 3 Group 2 races, culminating in the showpiece Dubai World Cup — a suitable finale for the sort of glamorous setting. Dubai has hosted the productive racing day every 12 months because it was released by ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 1996.

Initially held at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, the occasion moved to the staggering Meydan Racecourse in 2010, allowing it to flourish into the massive social and sporting spectacle it is nowadays. Stretching for nearly a mile along with the home directly, the remarkable grandstand can preserve eighty 000 spectators and is a suitable venue for such a prestigious occasion — with price ticket prices growing to extra than $1,200.

The facility boasts a nine-hole golf course and a luxury 5-megastar lodge, together with a rooftop swimming pool, which positions citizens at the heart of the action. “This is an as soon as-seen-in no way-forgotten behemoth, shown to exceptional impact after darkish, while the one-of-a-kind crescent-shaped roof that rests atop this iconic constructing stands illuminated underneath the desolate tract nighttime sky,” wrote Nicholas Godfrey on AtTheRaces.Com. “It would be hard to envisage a more atmospheric venue.

However, it’s now not just world-magnificence racing on provide throughout the spectacle. In latest years, some of the world’s most massive pop stars have headlined a concert that starts after the final race. This 12 months, about 60,000 racegoers will see Gwen Stefani be part of illustrious alumni, including Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue, and Janet Jackson.

The top of the event is the Dubai World Cup — one of the Flat racing calendar highlights. Run over a mile-and-a-region (10 furlongs), the race invitations 4-year-olds or above from the northern hemisphere and 3-yr-olds or above from the southern hemisphere. This yr, the prize fund has been boosted to $12 million, and the winner will take domestic a watch-watering $7.2 million — the largest prize for a single race within the international, overtaking the Pegasus World Cup. Godolphin, the racing solid of Sheikh Mohammed, has mainly enjoyed the event in the past. It celebrated its document 8th victory in 2018 as Thunder Snow, educated using Saeed bin Suroor, set a new dirt-tune file.

Again, the reigning champion is this yr, aiming to turn out to be the first horse to win the race extra than as soon as. However, he’ll need to beat the cream of the crop, including Japanese raider Yoshida and American horses Guinevere and Seeking the Soul, which turned into second to the City of Light within the beneficial Pegasus World Cup.