Meydan: 2025/26 season preview

It is over 20 weeks until the 30th running of the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 28, where there will be over $30.5 million worth of prize money to be won across the card in total, but there are 16 valuable days of racing at Meydan before then and plenty of key trials and big races to look forward to.

We will have to wait a little longer until the turf races get going, but this Friday already sees the first meeting of the season take place, so what better opportunity than now to pinpoint some of the star names on show in the UAE over the winter and look ahead at what is to come.

There are 16 days of racing across Dubai between this week and the end of March, and before Dubai World Cup night, there are three ‘feature’ race days taking place. The first of those is on December 19, where the Group Two Al Maktoum Mile takes centre stage. This is followed by the Fahshion Friday meeting on January 23, where the Group One Al Maktoum Challenge headlines the card, and then comes the eagerly-anticipated Super Saturday on February 28, which should throw up some big clues for who might win on Dubai World Cup night. Races on this stellar card include the Singspiel Stakes, the Al Maktoum Classic and the Dubai City Of Gold.

There are 11 trial or ‘Qualifying’ races this year, giving the winner direct entry into the main event on Dubai World Cup night. Any horse to win both the qualifying race and the corresponding feature race in March will win a 10 per cent bonus. This was achieved by Dubai Future last season, who followed up his win in the Nad Al Sheba Trophy in February by landing the Dubai Gold Cup, meaning he bagged a $100,000 bonus for his efforts.

The qualifying races (and bonus amount) are as follows:

Jebel Hatta – Dubai Turf ($500,000)

Al Maktoum Challenge – Dubai World Cup ($1,200,000)

*UAE 2000 Guineas – UAE Derby ($100,000)

Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Dubai Gold Cup ($100,000)

*Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby (Al Bastikaya) – UAE Derby ($100,000)

Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint – Al Quoz Sprint ($150,000)

Mahab Al Shimaal – Dubai Golden Shaheen ($200,000)

Burj Nahaar – Godolphin Mile ($100,000)

Singspiel – Dubai Turf ($500,000)

Al Maktoum Classic – Dubai World Cup ($1,200,000)

Dubai City Of Gold – Dubai Sheema Classic ($600,000)

Bhupat Seemar’s star dirt sprinter won every race he contested in the UAE last season bar the Golden Shaheen on Dubai World Cup night. That led to him being crowned Horse Of The Year.

Sent off a 15-8 chance bidding for a six-timer having won the Group One by six and a half lengths the previous year, he could only manage third, but still ran with credit after a busy campaign and there is no reason why he can’t rack up another set of wins this season despite the fact he is eight, rising nine. A lighter campaign is perhaps more likely this time around.

Remarkably, he fetched just $7,000 at Keeneland as a yearling before starting his racing career in Russia. He has now picked up over £1.8m in prize money.

Another star name from Zabeel Stables, Walk Of Stars was a wide margin winner of a Listed contest at Meydan in December which led to him contesting the Group One Al Maktoum Challenge the following month, where he defeated stablemate Imperial Emperor to win by two and three-quarter lengths.

He disappointed in the Saudi Cup but bounced back to finish fourth in the Dubai World Cup. He showed his usual early speed in that race but faced competition at the head of affairs and weakened to be beaten four and a half lengths by Brad Cox’s winner Hit Show.

The former Charlie Appleby-trained gelding retains plenty of potential and will contest the top middle-distance dirt races yet again.

It is difficult to know where the ceiling of Dark Saffron’s ability is. Switched from the turf to the dirt in March, Ahmad bin Harmash’s three-year-old was fast out of the gates and cantered to a seven-length win.

He was then stepped up from that conditions race to contest the aforementioned Dubai Golden Shaheen. Sent off an unfancied 40-1 chance, he again made all under Conor Beasley to score by quarter of a length.

The son of Flameaway makes his reappearance this week in Friday’s opening contest over six furlongs and should take plenty of beating.

Mufasa sprung a surprise to beat White Abarrio in December when trained by Ignacio Correas, breaking the track record in the process, and has since transferred from the US to the UAE.

He has only ran once for Bhupat Seemar so far, finishing sixth in the Godolphin Mile, but given that run came off a break of over three months, better can be expected of him this campaign.

The Chilean-bred stays a mile, but with most of his wins coming over shorter, he is another that could also go sprinting.

Deva Racing’s five-year-old Imperial Emperor was hugely impressive when landing the Al Maktoum Classic by eight and a half lengths in March, but ran no race when sent off at 4-1 for the Dubai World Cup five weeks later.

He was found to be lame after the race and as highlighted, had previously got within three legnths of Walk Of Stars in the Group One Al Maktoum Challenge.

He is another former Charlie Appleby-trained gelding that is hugely exciting and is likely to contest the top UAE dirt races this season.

American Doug Watson is based at Red Stables and has had a licence for the past two decades. He has been Champion Trainer in the UAE on eight occasions and saddled all six winners of the same Meydan card back in 2019. He has another strong team of horses that will be seen right throughout the Meydan racing season. One of his stable stars is Kabirkhan, another Russian graduate, who landed the Group One Al Maktoum Challenge last year. He also saddled the Arabian First Classs to win the Group One Dubai Kahayla Classic on Dubai World Cup night.

Indian-born Bhupat Seemar only started training in his own right four years ago, a year which saw him crowned Champion Trainer right away. He had previously learnt his trade with Bob Baffert in the US before he became assistant at Zabeel Stables. His finest moment came when landing the Dubai World Cup last year with Laurel River, who became the world's highest rated racehorse. He moved to a new base at Meydan racecourse the following month where the winners have continued to come. He has an enviable team of horses for all the top races yet again this season.

Mubarak bin Shafya's former assistant has trained in his own name for the past 12 years and his stable star is Dark Saffron, who landed the Dubai Golden Shaheen in March. That is far from his only big race triumph. He has tasted success in the Zabeel Mile and Al Fahidi Fort, whilst he also saddled Godlen Vekoma to win the UAE 2000 Guineas and Saudi Derby this year.

Oasis Stables is the home of Musabbeh Al Mheiri and he has sent out over 500 winners from his base, with winners in top races such as the Jebel Hatta, Al Maktoum Challenge, Al Quoz Sprint an Golden Shaheen. He is another that has a team of Arabians amongst his string of top thoroughbreds and was top UAE trainer last season with 40 winners.

Despite the local talent, the Dubai racing season would not be as competitive without the top-class runners sent over from the likes of America, Europe, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong, and there is likely to be another stellar cast of international horses compete at Meydan over the coming months. 

Last season, Hit Show landed the Dubai World Cup for the US ahead of Mixto and Forever Young, whilst on the same card, Soul Rush, Danon Decile and Admire Daytona all won for Japan, and Believing landed the Al Quoz Sprint for George Boughey.

As always, Godolphin are set to have another strong team of horses based out in Dubai, whilst the likes of Calandagan and Ethical Diamond are also likely to be campaigned internationally and are possibles for Meydan. Another exciting season awaits on Racing TV.