Are you ready for the Dubai World Cup? Regarded as the final send-off for the Dubai Racing Carnival, based in Meydan, this prestigious race is one of the most exciting events in the global horse racing calendar.
If you’re used to watching horse racing in the UK, the racing out in Dubai is likely to open your eyes to some world-class talent! For example, the World Cup race has played host to the likes of Thunder Snow, the first horse to win the 10-furlong race twice, and even one year after the other!
If you’re new to this racing event, don’t worry. We’ve produced this guide to introduce you to some of the horses set to take to the track at the end of March and what you can expect from the track conditions during the race.
The 2024 World Cup
At the time of writing, 13 horses are on the board to run in the Dubai World Cup race on 30th March 2024. The riders in this competition will all be trying to outpace each other for a shot at the second-biggest horse racing prize fund on the calendar – an astounding $12m!
The final race in the festival will take place across a dirt run of 10 furlongs, an International G1 that’s open to horses of at least three years if bred in the Southern Hemisphere and at least four if bred in the Northern Hemisphere.
Naturally, being held in Dubai, it’s likely to be swelteringly hot – meaning that these are conditions that only the most seasoned racehorses can contend with!
2024 Runners
As with any list of runners and riders for major horse races, the list of contenders can and will change at any time. However, the list that we’ve put together here is correct at the time of writing – though, as you might expect, the odds can and will change!
There are 13 runners expected for the Dubai World Cup, meaning that while it might be a smaller crowd than your average Grand National, it’s still likely to be a heated contest.
Let’s look at the horses taking part in the final race and what each of the big names has to bring to the track.
Ushba Tesoro
Ushba Tesoro, a seven-year-old trained by Noboru Takagi, is easily the favourite to win the final race across the board. There’s a good reason for this – he won the event in 2023!
Ushba Tesoro is a great runner on most tracks having won six of nine races on all-weather tracks, and one in four on flat turf. He has also won tens of millions of dollars over the past few years.
The horse, offering an impressive speed rating at his first US races back in November, is looking to equal the record of two wins (as well as going back to back). Ushba Tesoro also finished in an impressive second at the Saudi Cup earlier this year, the highest-value trophy of its kind on the racing calendar.
Ushba Tesoro is certainly the favourite thanks to his prestige of already having won the race – but there’s stiff competition.
Kabirkhan
Kabirkhan, the son of California Chrome, arrives with an impressive pedigree. He’s trained by Doug Watson, who has won multiple UAE races.
Kabirkhan has steadily risen up the odds rankings for the Dubai World Cup in the past few weeks and months, overtaking a couple of potentially more prominent names – thanks to his triumphs at the Al Maktoum Challenge and the 2024 Handicap.
These wins put the horse in a great position to do well in the Dubai final, though this field class is a step up from what he’s raced against before. If anything, it will be a true challenge for this runner – but the odds suggest that he could pull off something of an upset. In fact, according to some, he’s one of the favourites in the field.
Derma Sotogake
Derma Sotogake, trained by Hiroyuki Asanuma, is a young horse that has already made a name for himself on both the US and Saudi soil, having competed in the Saudi Cup only recently.
He has risen up the ranks of favourites mainly because he finished in a respectable fifth place in the Saudi Cup, despite his age and despite the incredible field of runners he was up against. He has also turned heads in the betting sphere thanks to winning four out of five prestigious races in recent history.
Derma Sotogake raised eyebrows by finishing sixth at the Kentucky Derby, which was all the more impressive as he had never raced on an American track before! He has also competed in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
This horse is rising up the favourites list, though experts feel that it might not be his time to claim such a big crown just yet. That said, stranger things have happened.
Senor Buscador
Trained by Todd Fincher, Senor Buscador is a Kentucky horse that has steadily built up speed figures over his past few races, reaching his all-time fastest race in February 2024 – which bodes well for him to chase down the finish line at the Dubai World Cup.
Senor Buscador finished second in both the 2024 Pegasus World Cup and the 2023 Cigar Mile and took home first place at the 2023 San Diego Handicap and the Curribot H. He was also the winner of the 2020 Remington Springboard Mile.
While Senor Buscador might not have received the plaudits of some of the race’s favourites, his continued improvement and consistent racing profile bode well for an impressive event at the end of March.
Newgrange
Newgrange is being regarded as something of a ‘sleeper’ for the Dubai World Cup, having won seven out of his last 14 races. Another American horse, this determined racer, has impressive form depending on the day, having won several Grade 2 races.
Newgrange is another horse on the roster that’s potentially going to do well in this race, but he might get outpaced by the favourites. He’s impressively ranked up the odds list in the past few weeks, meaning that despite inconsistent speed ratings over his last few meetings, he’s turning enough heads to suggest that he could be something of an underdog.
Laurel River
Laurel River is a mid-table horse in this upcoming race, and at six years old, he is at an age to be fighting fit for the challenge. However, the horse hasn’t attended a meeting since August 2022, so this event could well be the comeback of a lifetime.
Looking at Laurel River’s stats, it’s easy to see why the odds are changing on this horse. Trained by Bhupat Seemar, he has steadily improved in the speed rankings and has won four out of his last eight races. Three of these were back-to-back – two at Alwoc and one in the 2022 Pat O’Brien Stakes. In this last race, he beat Senor Buscador, who finished third.
Newgate
At just four years old, Newgate is a young horse with his fair share of wins, having won three of his past nine appearances. His speed rankings are steady, and he’s probably most famous for winning the 2024 Santa Anita Handicap earlier this month.
Entering in both the Dubai World Cup and the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year, it’s clear that trainer Bob Baffert has a lot of faith in this mid-table horse.
Wilson Tesoro
Wilson Tesoro is a relative newcomer, though he has already made an impressive mark on a couple of important races last year. He famously finished second to the favourite of this year’s Dubai World Cup – Ushba Tesoro – in the 2023 Tokyo Daishoten. He also finished second to Lemon Pop in the 2023 Champions Cup.
Trainer Hitoshi Kotegawa will likely be looking for an upset at this year’s Dubai World Cup, perhaps finally claiming a win from Ushba Tesoro in an unexpected climax.
Crupi
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Crupi is a young horse that has seen vast improvements in speed over the past two years, with this Kentucky runner having claimed his greatest successes in races across 2023.
In particular, the horse raced to victory in the 2023 Queens County and 2023 Discovery races, proving to be impressive on dirt races – just what we’re looking for from runners in the Dubai World Cup!
Crupi’s slow rise to prominence could mean that we see an upset at this year’s final – but, as always, this will remain to be seen!
Dura Erede
Dura Erede is another young horse hailing from Japan, having raced alongside the likes of Ushba Tesoro and Wilson Tesoro. In fact, one of this racer’s best results came from finishing third to Ushba and Wilson in the 2023 Tokyo Daishoten.
As a relatively new runner, it’s possibly too early to say how Dura Erede will perform at the Dubai World Cup. Although he’s one of the outsiders, again, stranger things have happened!
Military Law
Military Law is another sleeper pick, according to some experts. He’s racing off the back of winning the 2024 Al Maktoum Classic, having also won the 2021 Al Maktoum Challenge.
This horse is one of the oldest in the grid for the Dubai World Cup this year, but with this comes experience. Military Law might not have the consistency of some of the favourites, but having won races all over the world, he should not be underestimated.
Defunded
Trained by Abdulaziz Khalid Mishref, Defunded sadly finds himself toward the back of many experts’ odds lists heading into the Dubai World Cup, but this doesn’t mean that you should discount him completely. He has shown an impressively consistent speed profile over the past few appearances and has regularly placed second and third in stakes between 2022 and 2023.
A win for Defunded might seem like a dream scenario, but who knows what might happen?
Clapton
Finally, Clapton completes our grid. He has impressively consistent speed scoring and has placed in the top three at several races in the past few years. He also won the 2023 Lukas Classic Stakes and the 2023 Ghostzapper Stakes, meaning that despite being the rank outsider according to some experts, he’s still a fast runner worth keeping an eye on.
Our Expert Says…
This is likely to be a pretty tight race! Ushba Tesoro is naturally leading the way on betting slips across the board, but there are enough horses with impressive speed profiles in this race to cause an upset.
Any of the top three listed above are likely to claim victory, but even those considered rank outsiders could still place. It’s worth watching the odds right up to the wire on 30th March and waiting to see what happens next.
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