DUBAI: The 26th running of the Dubai World Cup, the grand finale of a packed week for horse-racing fans in the UAE, is fast-approaching.
And while the $30.5 million race meeting commands its own headlines, the days building up to it have a new look this year with the introduction of the first Dubai Breeze-Up Sale, starting on Monday, March 21.
The concept involves two-year-old horses galloping in front of potential purchasers before going through the sale ring a day or so later.
Organized by Goffs, and Dubai Racing Club, the sale will be the first of its kind in the Middle East. The young horses will not be timed in their runs to avoid unnecessary pressures so early in their careers.
“We have horses in there which cater for the top, middle, and lower ends of the market, and a range of pedigrees, from proven stallions to emerging ones. Hopefully there will be something to suit everyone,” organizer Tom Taaffe said.
The 69 horses will be flown to Dubai on UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum’s private plane and housed at Nofa Stables, near to Meydan Racecourse, ahead of their big moment in the spotlight.
The sale brings a new aspect to World Cup week and will give potential owners throughout the Middle East the chance to invest in horses with their whole careers ahead of them. The event has also been designed to be a fun social occasion, with the bidding part taking place at the Parade Ring on Wednesday, March 23, at 5 p.m.
Those buying at the sale will no doubt be dreaming of their purchases appearing at the Dubai World Cup meeting in future years.
Horses for the big day have been arriving in the UAE from the UK, Ireland, France, Argentina, Uruguay, the US, Japan, and Turkey with World Cup favorite, Life Is Good, due in on March 15.
The runaway winner of his last two starts, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and the Pegasus World Cup, American horse trainer Todd Pletcher’s star mount needs to prove he can last the 2,000-meter race, which gets underway at 8:30 p.m. on March 26.