Monterosso wins the 2012 Dubai World Cup under Mickael Barzalona (Andrew Watkins)
South African racing enthusiasts will be thrilled to hear that the Dubai World Cup Carnival of 2014 gets under way at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday 9 January.
The closing event will be the 19th edition of the world-renowned Dubai World Cup race day, sponsored by Emirates Airline, which is scheduled for Saturday 29 March.
The dates for the UAE’s 2013-2014 racing season were approved recently by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA).
Dubai remains a popular destination for SA racing enthusiasts, with many exciting travel packages on offer.
Our champion trainer Mike de Kock has made Dubai his home from home for some time now and his war party for the 2014 festival is well advanced, with the brilliant undefeated son of Silvano Vercingetorix spearheading an impressive Bok attack.
De Kock won two races on Dubai World Cup night earlier this year.
Soft Falling Rain wins the Godolphin Mile in 2013
His big winners included Shea Shea, a son of National Emblem, in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint and Soft Falling Rain, by National Assembly, in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile.
De Kock finished second in the trainers’ standings for the Dubai World Cup Carnival 2013 with stake earnings of $1.9 million behind Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor.
He shared training honours on World Cup night with Irishman Aidan O’Brien and Saeed bin Suroor and remains the most successful visiting trainer in Dubai World Cup history.
He saddled 15 winners at the Carnival, with four (excluding World Cup night) at feature-race level – The Apache in the Group 2 Al Rashidiya, Soft Falling Rain in the Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas, Mushreq in the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort and Shea Shea in the Listed Meydan Sprint.
The new season’s inaugural day of racing will be held at the Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday 1 November 2013 and will be followed by the Sharjah Racecourse’s first date, on Saturday 2 November.
Mr Meydan. Mike De Kock at one of his favourite venues
The first meeting at Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse will take place on Thursday, November 7, and Abu Dhabi’s season gets underway at Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club on Sunday, November 10.
A newcomer to the UAE’s racing calendar, Al Ain City’s Al Nakheel Equestrian Club will see its first racing of the season on Thursday, November 30.
The new season will incorporate 57 races in total, representing an increase of five races over the previous season. Fifteen meetings will be held at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, while Al Nakheel Equestrian Club will host five race days in Al Ain.
Meydan Racecourse will see the most horseracing action with 20 meetings, while Jebel Ali Racecourse will host 11 dates and the Sharjah Racecourse will be home to six days of racing
