The initial entry list has been revealed for the 30th edition of the Dubai World Cup, featuring 101 elite horses competing for nine titles at the Meydan racecourse next Saturday. The list includes six horses returning to defend their titles from last year, led by Qatari horse 'Hit Show', the winner of the main event, the Dubai World Cup. This race is for purebred Thoroughbreds (Group 1) over 2000 meters on the sand, with a prize fund of $12 million. 'Dubai Future', representing the Godolphin team and trained by world-renowned trainer Saeed bin Suroor, will carry the flag to defend his title in the 'Dubai Gold Cup'. This race is for purebred Thoroughbreds (Group 2) over 3200 meters on the turf, with a prize fund of $1 million. Also returning for the 30th edition is 'First Class', owned by Deborah Meahal and trained by Doug Watson, with the ambition of achieving his third victory in the 'Dubai Kahila Classic'. This inaugural race is for purebred Arabian horses (Group 1) over 2000 meters on the sand, with a prize fund of $1 million. The sixth race, the 'Dubai Golden Shaheen', will see a fierce battle among 13 of the strongest horses, headlined by a clash between the champions of the last two editions: the UAE's 'Dark Syrion', trained by Ahmed bin Harmash and defending his title, and 'Tooz', trained by Bob Baffert, who won the 2024 edition. The winner of the 2024 Dubai Turf, 'Factorial', trained by Jerome Reynier, also returns to compete for the title in its new edition, aiming to be crowned champion again for purebred Thoroughbreds (Group 1) over 1800 meters on the turf, with a prize fund of $5 million.
