Thursday, March 08, 2012

Super Saturday to Serve as Preview for 17th running of Dubai World Cup

The spotlight is set to shine this Saturday, March 10 at Meydan Racecourse when the highly-anticipated Super Saturday racemeeting is to take place with over US$1.2 million in prizemoney up for grabs.

The stellar programme will be sponsored by Emirates Airline and features seven Thoroughbred and one Purebred Arabian contests that serve as the final prep tests for many of the contenders for the world’s biggest day of racing, the Dubai World Cup on Saturday, March 31.


Saeed H. Al Tayer, Meydan Chairman and CEO said: “Super Saturday brings the world’s attention to Dubai as the contenders and their connections look to prove they are ready for the Dubai World Cup. This is a day that could not be possible without the great support and commitment from our valued partner, Emirates Airline. Each day, Emirates Airline brings the world together, and through their partnership with Meydan for Super Saturday and the Dubai World Cup, they help to bring the world of racing together for these two international events. We are extremely thankful for their efforts to make this all possible.”

“Emirates has a long standing partnership with the Dubai Racing Club and has been the Title Sponsor of the Dubai World Cup since the first running of the race back in 1996 when it was won by the great Cigar. Both the event and the airline have grown together and continue to work hard to promote Dubai as a leading sporting, business and tourism destination,” said Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, GCC, Middle East & Iran.

“Emirates is also committed to the sport of horseracing on a global level, through events such as the Emirates Melbourne Cup, the Emirates Singapore Derby and the His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Series,” concluded Mr Khoory.

Headlining the race programme is the US$400,000 Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round III for Thoroughbreds held at 2,000m on the all-weather track. This race is considered a major stepping stone on the way to the Dubai World Cup, held over the same distance.

Also serving as a Group 1 on the programme is the Jebel Hatta contested at 1,800m on the turf and should provide insight as to who will run in the Dubai Duty Free on the big day itself.

The Group 2 US$250,000 Dubai City of Gold is run over 2,410m and is designed to be a trial for the Dubai Sheema Classic. The US$175,000 Meydan Sprint will be contested over 1,000m which is seen as a prep for the Al Quoz Sprint. Both are contested on the turf track.

The Super Saturday race programme also includes the US$250,000 Al Bastakiya at 1,900m (the same distance as the UAE Derby), the US$200,000 Group 3 Burj Naahar at 1,600m (as is the Godolphin Mile) and the Group 3 US$200,000 Mahab Al Shimaal at 1,200m (as is the Dubai Golden Shaheen) all over the all-weather track.

Racegoers can still purchase their general admission tickets for the Dubai World Cup, AED 25, at the Ticket Office located outside the admission area of Gate B.

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