Dubai Racing Club has announced an enhanced programme for the 2023 Dubai World Cup Carnival, which will see millions up for grabs across nine exciting weeks of action at Meydan Racecourse.

Established in 2004, the 20th edition of the Dubai World Cup Carnival will get underway on Friday, January 6th, when the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge and G2 Al Fahidi Fort provide twin feature races. Alongside them on a pulsating night of racing is the G3 Dubawi Stakes for the dirt sprinters, as well as the Listed Ertijaal Dubai Dash – renamed in honour Shadwell’s seven-time course winner.

The second week of the Carnival, on Friday January 13th, also features a new race; the Thunder Snow Challenge, over 2000 metres on dirt, which recognizes the dual Dubai World Cup winner and could provide a pointer towards that very race. Speaking of equine stars, the same night sees the inaugural running of the Ipi Tombe Stakes, for fillies and mares on turf over 1400metres, which honours the Zimbabwe-bred mare who won the Al Fahidi Fort and Dubai Duty Free in 2003 on her way to Horse of the Year Title.

Major General Mohammed Al Essa, General Manager of Dubai Racing Club, explained the new look of the Carnival programme: “Under the guidance of Sheikh Rashid Bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Racing Club, we have been working hard on the Carnival progamme for 2023,” he said. “We have reintroduced several handicaps which will hope will increase overseas participation and work well with the established Group-race calendar.

“We look forward to welcoming horses, trainers, jockeys and owners to Dubai for what we are sure will be an exciting and memorable 20th running of the Dubai World Cup Carnival.”

In total, there are 21 Group races for Thoroughbreds, while Purebred Arabians have their share of the action, too. They have a new race, the Big Easy Arabian Sprint Championship. The rest of the Arabian races are of Group status, including three Group 1 legs of the Al Maktoum Challenge series.

The 2023 Carnival will provide ample opportunities for handicappers, with 20 handicaps, divided between dirt and turf, complementing the pattern races. The Jumeirah Turf Series for three-year-olds returns for a second season with an enhancement of two Classic races for three-year-old fillies events also on turf.

Super Saturday – the official ‘dress rehearsal’ for the $30.5million Dubai World Cup meeting – takes place on Saturday, March 4th and once again features two Group 1s – the Jebel Hatta and Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 – and four Group races, plus the new Ras Al Khor, which was oversubscribed for the inaugural running in 2022.