The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse which in Arabic suggests a place where people congregate and compete, a sort of meeting point in the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operated through the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) whose Chairman is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs of the United Arab Emirates. It offers nine races, consisting of eight Thoroughbred contests and one Purebred Arabian contest.
The Meydan grandstand
The parade ring during the Dubai World Cup meeting
A UAE supporter at the Dubai World Cup
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in the UK and steeplechasing in the US. Jump racing can be further divided into hurdling and steeplechasing.
The start of the 2014 Preakness Stakes, an American Thoroughbred horse race