The Dubai World Cup has boosted its prize money for this year’s event to $35 million. (credit Andrew Watkins and Dubai Racing Club)
The Dubai World Cup has boosted its prize money for this year’s event to a whopping $35 million. The event’s marquee race, the Dubai World Cup, will offer $12m in prize money. It is one of the most lucrative races in the world and attracts trainers, jockeys, and horses from all corners of the globe. Horse racing fan can get the latest Cheltenham betting offers ahead of the March event. The Dubai World Cup’s winning horse will receive an incredible $7.2m payout. It is the richest amount to go to a race winner in the world. There is just over a month to go until the Dubai World Cup and all eyes will be on the sport’s richest races.
Dubai World Cup prize money
Race organisers will pay $12m of the $35m event purse to the competitors in the Dubai World Cup. The other races on the festival’s schedule will also so large payouts. The Dubai Golden Shaheen race sees a financial boost with an additional $500,000 to the prize fund raising the purse to $2.5m. The Al Quoz Sprint will see its purse doubled and competitors will be racing for a piece of the incredible $2m prize.
The prize money doesn’t stop there. The Dubai Gold Cup’s prize purse has been increased to $1.5m. The increase in prize money for the Dubai Gold Cup makes the two-mile race one of the richest staying races in the sport. This year, French race horse Vazirabad will attempt to win the Dubai Gold Cup for a third straight year.
The remainder of the Dubai World Cup events will stay the same in terms of prize money. But that doesn’t mean the sums are small. The Longines Dubai Sheema Classic will hand out $6m, the Dubai Turf will payout $6m, and the Dubai Kahayla Classic will present $1m to competitors.
Dubai World Cup competition
The highlight of the Dubai World Cup for horse racing aficionados is the calibre of horses that descend on the United Arab Emirates. The event and its ludicrous prize money attract horses from around the world. Competitors from North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Japan all converge on the Middle East city to take part. The event will showcase nine races with the Dubai World Cup highlighting the day.
Perhaps the only drawback of attending the event live in Dubai is that there is no betting at the track. The UAE is an Islamic country and gambling is forbidden. However, there are race prediction competitions that take place. These contests give out prizes to those who make accurate predictions. Despite on-track betting not being possible, horse race fans can wager online on all the races.
Irish-bred race horse Thunder Snow is the current Dubai World Cup race favourite at 3/1. Seven-year-old North America goes into the Dubai World Cup as sportsbooks’ second favourite at 6/1 odds. The horse has tuned up for the event with two wins this year. Both came at Meydan Racecourse, home of the Dubai World Cup.
This year’s Dubai World Cup is set to be another action-packed event. Horse race bettors won’t want to miss it.
