A Day at the Races – Dubai World Cup

Dubai does everything in superlative; the world’s tallest structure - Burj Khalifa, the biggest man made archipelago – Palm Diera, the biggest shopping festival- Dubai Shopping Festival, and the most decadently luxurious hotels. So when it came to horse racing, Dubai of course, jumped right to the top with the Dubai World Cup – ‘the richest race in the world’. The event is so huge, so luxurious and so coveted that breaking the bank and going to Dubai for the races is totally justified.

 

Vibrant, glamorous and pulsating with energy; the world’s most valuable racing event, the Dubai World Cup will overwhelm a crowd of nearly 80,000 eager equestrian enthusiasts on March 30, 2013. More than 270 nominees will compete for a whopping purse of $10 million at the grand Tapeta track at Dubai Racing Clubs’ state-of-the-art Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse. There will be multi-cuisine restaurants and bars at the track, fashionable crowds and lots of celebrity spotting! Interested? Then head to the city state of Dubai and experience one of the most exhilarating horse racing events in the world.

What’s all the noise about?

The Dubai World Cup is a premium, thoroughbred horse race started in 1996 by the constitutional monarch of Dubai – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Since then, it has consistently kept Dubai at the top in the horse racing arena with breeders from every continent participating to lay their hands on the big bounty. Being one of the richest races on the globe means even a nomination here is widely coveted in racing circles and nominees are chosen on the basis of several races held before the grand finale night at the Dubai World Cup.

 

Dubai World Cup hosts breeders and their prized horses from across the world to its 9 races culminating in the grand finale on March 30. The venue is the mile long Meydan racecourse where the architectural supremacy of the grandstand’s crescent-shaped roof threatens to pleasantly distract you from the races. Most racetracks come hemmed with a club but Meydan offers several; it makes the job even harder of deciding which races to watch and which ones to sit out in one of the many restaurants and bars or at the resident IMAX theatre! Although entry on the Dubai World Cup night is by invitation, you could buy tickets at a nominal price at the venue or get there early and grab seats in the limited free viewing arena.

However, the place you want to be in is the gigantic Apron that hosts the Bubble Lounge and the very charming Irish Village as well as the uber-glam Jaguar Style Stakes. Fashion rules the Apron and there are lots of contests to keep you occupied between races – ‘best dressed lady’, ‘best dressed man’, ‘best dressed couple’; even ‘best hat’ and ‘most creative hat’. Expect to see some serious competing by the fashion and style conscious here! And yes, you have to dress to the nines, and no, you cannot bet!

 

So wait no more; pack up your best ensemble, find a great hotel in Dubai and land in the most razzmatazz city in the UAE to see top thoroughbreds handled by expert jockeys kick up some serious dust.