Who is the favorite to win the Dubai World Cup?

The draw for the 29th edition of the Dubai World Cup, which was held yesterday at Meydan Racecourse, offered mixed results for the Arab representatives in the ninth and main race, with prizes totaling $12 million. Qatar's representative, Heat Show, owned by Wathan Racing, finished in the perfect seventh gate for the 2,000-meter dirt race. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's representatives, Walk of Stars, owned by Al Athba Racing, and Ratel in Roll, owned by Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri and Lucky Seven Stables, finished in the first and second gates, both of which were extremely difficult.

The main race draw served the most prominent contenders for the title, represented by the 2023 champion, the Japanese horse "Oshiba Tesoro", and his compatriot, the champion of last season's "UAE Derby" and the 2025 Saudi Cup champion, "Forever Young." They will start consecutively from ideal starting gates for the 2,000-meter dirt race, across lanes four and five. The draw was attended by Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook bin Juma Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Racing Club and Dubai Equestrian Club; Engineer Mohammed Saeed Al Shehhi, Board Member and Director General of the Emirates Racing Authority; Ali Al Ali, Board Member and Executive Director of the Dubai Racing Club; representatives of the sponsoring companies for the nine races comprising the Dubai World Cup Night event; and the owners and trainers of the horses participating in the event, which begins next Saturday. A total of 102 horses representing 19 countries will compete for the titles in the nine races, with total prizes totaling $30.5 million (AED 112.03 million).

The draw is important in determining the starting gates for each participating horse, as it gives priority to horses served by the draw by placing them in the middle gates from fifth to seventh. The starting task becomes more difficult for other horses placed further from the middle, especially those placed in the first and last boxes.

Details of the draw for the main race, the Dubai World Cup, which will feature 11 of the world's strongest horses, promise to be exciting and competitive until the final few metres, especially with Japanese "Ushiba Tesoro", trained by Toboro Takagi, who is aiming for his second title and equaling the historic achievement of Godolphin's star horse "Thunder Snow," who won the 2018 and 2019 editions and is the only one to win the main race twice in a row under the supervision of trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

Japanese horse "Forever Young," trained by Yoshito Yahagi, is in a relatively ideal starting position. A victory next Saturday would enable him to achieve a Gulf double, having won the Saudi Cup last February. His chances are strong, supported by the horse's experience, which last season won the UAE Derby on the evening of the Cup.

The Japanese horses will be joined by representatives of trainer Bobat Seemar, who won the Dubai World Cup with Laurel River last year. Seemar will field two horses in the 2025 edition who have already experienced themselves at Meydan and achieved impressive results this season. These include the British horse Imperial Impero, who starts in gate 10 and won the 2000m Al Maktoum Classic for Group 2 horses on Super Saturday in early March, and the Saudi Arabian representative Walk of Stars, who won the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Cup last January.