emirates7 - The first evening of the Dubai World Cup horse racing carnival kicks off tomorrow, Friday, at the Meydan Racecourse, with 73 horses competing in 7 races with a total prize purse of AED1.33 million, and featuring a selection of the most prominent local and international trainers and jockeys.
The evening is part of the 2025/2026 season, which includes 17 events of distinguished races. Its activities begin tomorrow and continue until Saturday, March 28, 2026, the date of the thirtieth edition of the prestigious Dubai World Cup, which constitutes the grand finale of the season.
Dark Saffron was one of the headline acts on Dubai World Cup day in April and the colt aims to pick up where he left off on Friday’s opening card of the Dubai Racing Carnival.
Trained by Ahmad Bin Harmash, the three-year-old beat an older field, including Group 1 winners Tuz, Straight No Chaser, and Nakatomi, in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. He now faces his own age group over the same 1200metre course in the Emirates Airline Conditions race, first on the card.
Race five, the Emirates-sponsored 1600metre handicap, is the card’s official feature with a line-up of 13. They include dual Meydan winner Smart System, the current stable flagbearer for trainer Ali Al Badwawi.
The closing 1600metre Emirates Skywards handicap also has an overseas runner in four-time winner Dark Stream who tops the weights for Denmark-based trainer Veronika Jandova. His nine rivals include the Brazilian-bred Norato, the mount of fellow Brazilian Silvestre de Sousa, reigning UAE Champion Jockey.
The card also stages the fascinating Emirates Courier Express two-year-old maiden, race three, in which the bin Harmash-trained Benghazi Star and Seemar’s Six Speed could be two to keep an eye on.
The evening is part of the 2025/2026 season, which includes 17 events of distinguished races. Its activities begin tomorrow and continue until Saturday, March 28, 2026, the date of the thirtieth edition of the prestigious Dubai World Cup, which constitutes the grand finale of the season.
Dark Saffron was one of the headline acts on Dubai World Cup day in April and the colt aims to pick up where he left off on Friday’s opening card of the Dubai Racing Carnival.
Trained by Ahmad Bin Harmash, the three-year-old beat an older field, including Group 1 winners Tuz, Straight No Chaser, and Nakatomi, in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. He now faces his own age group over the same 1200metre course in the Emirates Airline Conditions race, first on the card.
Race five, the Emirates-sponsored 1600metre handicap, is the card’s official feature with a line-up of 13. They include dual Meydan winner Smart System, the current stable flagbearer for trainer Ali Al Badwawi.
The closing 1600metre Emirates Skywards handicap also has an overseas runner in four-time winner Dark Stream who tops the weights for Denmark-based trainer Veronika Jandova. His nine rivals include the Brazilian-bred Norato, the mount of fellow Brazilian Silvestre de Sousa, reigning UAE Champion Jockey.
The card also stages the fascinating Emirates Courier Express two-year-old maiden, race three, in which the bin Harmash-trained Benghazi Star and Seemar’s Six Speed could be two to keep an eye on.