The Dubai World Cup is operated through the Emirates Racing Authority, the internationally recognized governing body for horse racing in the UAE. This organization is chaired by no less than H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Presidential Affairs. Sheikh Mansour is himself an accomplished horse rider.

This Thoroughbred horse racing event was the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE and Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed is the owner of one of the leading Thoroughbred breeding and racing businesses in the world – the Darley Stud and Godolphin Racing. The Dubai World Cup is the most prestigious and highly anticipated part of the Dubai World Cup Night of races, a series of 6 Thoroughbred horse races.

The event is a G1, or Classic, flat race run over a distance of 2,000 m, or 9.94 fur. It is held annually around late March. Its inaugural winner (1996) was Cigar, named “the Racehorse of the Decade of the 1990s,” who clocked 2:03.84. Cigar was owned by the late American Thoroughbred racehorse breeder Allen E. Paulson.

Here’s a rundown of the succeeding winners from 1997 to 2011. Only the horses’ names, their owners, and their respective clocked time (minutes) are included:

1997 – Singspiel (Ireland), owned by Sheikh Mohammed; clocked 2:01.91.

1998 – Silver Charm (USA), owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis; clocked 2:00.00.

1999 – Almutawakel (Great Britain), owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum; clocked 2:00.65.

2000 – Dubai Millennium (Great Britain), owned by Godolphin Racing; clocked 1:59.50.

2001 – Captain Steve (USA), owned by Michael E. Pegram; clocked 2:00.40.

2002 – Street Cry (Ireland), owned by Godolphin Racing; clocked 2:01.18.

2003 – Moon Ballad (Ireland), owned by Godolphin Racing; clocked 2:00.48.

2004 – Pleasantly Perfect (USA), owned by Diamond A Racing Corp.; clocked 2:00.24.

2005 – Roses in May (USA), owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey; clocked 2:02.17.

2006 – Electrocutionist (USA), owned by Godolphin Racing; clocked 2:01.32.

2007 – Invasor (Argentina), owned by Shadwell Stable; clocked 1:59.97.

2008 – Curlin (USA), owned by Stonestreet/Midnight Cry Stables; clocked 2:00.15.

2009 – Well Armed (USA), owned by WinStar Farm LLC; clocked 2:01.01.

2010 – Glória De Campeão (Brazil), owned by Stefan Friborg clocked 2:03.83

2011 – Victoire Pisa (Japan), owned by Yoshimi Ichikawa clocked 2:05.94

Here are some of the records established during the 14 years that the Dubai World Cup has been held so far:

• Fastest time: 1:59.50, by Dubai Millennium, in the 2000 race.

• Most wins by an owner: four, by Godolphin Racing, in the 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2006 races.

• Most wins by a jockey: four, by Jerry Bailey, in the 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2002 races.

• Most wins by a trainer: five, by Saeed bin Suroor, in the 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2006 races.

Interestingly, there’s no record yet for the most number of wins by a horse, as none has so far won the Dubai World Cup more than once.

The next staging of the event, the 2012 Dubai World Cup, will open on March 26, 2012 at 60,000-seat racing facility Meydan Racecourse. With a staggering purse of 10 million US dollars (USD 10mn) offered for this staging, it is no wonder that the Dubai World Cup is billed the “world’s richest horse race.”

destination. Visitors to this city find the place excitingly attractive and bustling with activities. Mega construction projects are going on all over the

city, most of which are either the “first” or the “best” in their respective categories.

Adding to Dubai’s popularity are the many sporting events it holds. And these are not just ordinary sporting events; they’re Dubai sports events – considered

the richest, again, in their respective categories. The Dubai World Cup, for example, is considered the richest horse race in the world. The Dubai Tennis

Championship, on the other hand, is an important tournament where the biggest names in tennis participate.

Another one of the biggest Dubai sports events is the Dubai Desert Classic. This is a professional golf tournament held annually at the Emirates Golf Club.

But first, let’s look back at how the Dubai Desert Classic started.

In 1986, the plan for constructing a world-class golf course in Dubai was approved. The plan became a reality a couple years later, when the Emirates Golf

Club was completed. Soon after, the “Majilis” course was created at the Emirates Golf Club. It is in this par-72, 7,301-yard course where the Dubai Desert

Classic is being held every year since (the 1999 and 2000 editions of the tournament, though, was held at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club).

The tournament’s format is known as the “stroke play.” This is a scoring system in which the total number of strokes taken on each hole during the series of

rounds is counted. The player with the least number of strokes for the rounds wins the tournament.

Since its inauguration in 1989 (then known as the Karl Litten Desert Classic), the Dubai Desert Classic has been part of the European Tour timetable. The

tournament was likewise the first European Tour event to be held in the Middle East. The following year (1990) the tournament was called the Emirates

Airlines Desert Classic.

Dubai Desert Classic became the official name of the tournament beginning in the 1992 edition, which was won by Severiano “Seve” Ballesteros Sota of Spain.

Past winners of the Dubai Desert Classic were as follows:

• 1993 – Wayne Brett Westner of South Africa

• 1994 – Theodore Ernest “Ernie” Els of South Africa

• 1995 – Frederick “Fred” Steven Couples of the United States

• 1996 – Colin Stuart Montgomerie of Scotland

• 1997 – Richard George Green of Australia

• 1998 – Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain

• 1999 – David Alexander Howell of England

• 2000 – Jose Eusebio Coceres of Argentina

• 2001 – Thomas Bjorn of Denmark

• 2002 – Theodore Ernest “Ernie” Els of South Africa

• 2003 – Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands

• 2004 – Mark Francis O’Meara of the United States

• 2005 – Theodore Ernest “Ernie” Els of South Africa

• 2006 – Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods of the United States

• 2007 – Henrik Stenson of Sweden

• 2008 – Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods of the United States

• 2009 – Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland.

Ernie Els and Tiger Woods, both big names in golf, were the most successful participants thus far in this tournament. The Dubai Desert Classic has a purse of

2.5 million US dollars.