Dubai International Racing Carnival is an event dedicated to horseracing and it takes about a month. There are several events held during Dubai International Racing Carnival comprising of shows, meetings and competitions. The festival traditionally ends with the ultimate competition: the Dubai World Cup.
Since then, the eighties’ horseracing is one of the most important sports in Dubai. Starting with the building of the first racetrack the Nad Al Sheba racecourse, Dubai has started to get a more and more important role within the international horseracing world. The Sheikh of Dubai, Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum has a big love toward horse-keeping and horseracing, and today he owns one of the best stables in the world containing the best horses both for racing and for breeding. The stable is called Godolphin and its horses currently hold the most winnings of the Dubai World Cup. The first Dubai World Cup was held in 1996.
At first, it was hard for Dubai to take part in the international horseracing events, because for a long time transportation of horses in and out of Dubai was prohibited. Therefore, first Dubai organized jockey competitions, which did not need horse transportation at all, but still was a competition connected by the horses. Finally, these laws regarding horse transportation changed. The first international horseracing event and the Dubai World Cup was first held in 1996 in Dubai and is known as the race with the richest prizes.
The first Dubai International Racing Carnival was held in 2004 in the organization of the Dubai Racing Club, which has the authority on all horseracing events held in Dubai. The Dubai International Racing Carnival starts in the end of January and lasts until the beginning of March. The budget of the total price that can be won on this event is 35 million USD. Everyone of the horseracing world is here at this event. The very first Dubai World Cup was won by an American wonder-horse called “cigar” and was one of the very best racehorses of those times.
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse is today replaced by the Meydan Racecourse, which had been built on the same spot in order to give a richer horseracing event to the world. Meydan Racecourse is currently one of the best ever racecourses in the world, housing lots of events and competitions all year long. Meydan is not only a racecourse, but it is a whole complex dedicated to horse keeping and horseracing. It contains living and hotel area, several restaurants and other facilities as well.
If you are a fan of horseracing, then it is really worth visiting such an event as the Dubai International Racing Carnival. January and February are the mildest months of Dubai and that is why most international events happen this time of the year. The other interesting fact is that betting in Dubai is strictly prohibited, so you have the chance to take part in a horseracing competition without betting. You can enrol to attend the Dubai International Racing Carnival on the website of Dubai Racing Club.
